Twitter has taken the Internet marketing world by storm. Even though Twitter has been around for some time, it has finally managed to make waves in bigger ponds and in the past few months there has been a massive migration from well known bloggers to become Twitter addicts.
Or so it seems.
So what is all the fuss about Twitter anyway? For those of you who never managed to grasp Twitter and what it’s all about, you might become converted Twitterers after reading this post. Maybe not. In the end, Twitter is a simple social networking platform that allows like minded people to connect with each other in an instant.
One thing I have noticed is that on Twitter, inhibitions that are usually exerted on most blogs are being dropped quite frequently. The conversation is more in tune with going to the pub on a Friday afternoon. Twitterers tend to talk about anything else but business, except on the occasional rant.
While you can Twit on the main portal, namely the website, it is far easier to use Twitter applications as they will make the use a lot more fun, easy, but more addictive too.
Below is my Twitter profile page as you would see it when you visit my site. You can personalize the background and color scheme in Twitter too to add your own personality.
To communicate, you just type into the box and click update. Below is how this will look after it has been published.
As you can see, chatting with friends is easy. However, I find the basic Twitter site too frustrating to use. I found a small application that makes twittering a lot less obtrusive and more fun too.
It’s called Thwirl.
Thwirl is a nifty desktop application that ads speed to your twittering without interrupting what you do elsewhere on the net. With thwirl you can send:
- direct messages
- private messages
- re-tweet a message you liked to help promote somebody else
- favor a tweet for later
- archive your tweets
- ad friends
- search for new friends
- change color scheme
- and more
I think the versatility with thwirl is what makes it so much fun in the end. It sits neatly in your browser bar when not in use and when a new message is posted it alerts you with sound. (You can turn that sound of too).
Why Twitter is the next networking giant
I’m not sure that it will be to be honest. However, since I have seen a lot of bloggers make the move lately, I feel that Twitter could well become the next social media giant, especially in the Internet marketing niche.
Time will tell I guess. For the time being I will take every day as it comes. I’m not addicted yet with Twitter but am intrigued to see where this will lead anyway.
How about you? have you succumbed to the lure of Twitter yet?
Hi, Alex!Yeah, I twitter too – in fact I recently wrote an article entitled Woofers Becoming Tweeters about all the big dogs on Twitter. It’s powerful fornetworking, but it can’t replace blogs in the IM world – Twitter uses no-follow tags on each tweet, so all the SEO value of posting is lost there.Use Twitter to network with your readers, affils, JV partners and friends, but stick to your blog for the serious biz.Cheers,Doug.YourNames last blog post..Only 200 PLR Licenses Ever – Hurry!
Thanks Doug,
This post is actually from my editor – Monika as I’m still a bit slow and fighting the push of the crowd to join the tweetering crowd 😀
I might after reading the tips provided by Monika …
BTW, I had to edit your comment because you used the Keywords option incorrectly …
Alex
I do notice that a lot of bloggers have made the leap to use Twitter lately. I’ve tried Twitter, but it doesn’t appeal to me. I feel that I’m constantly bombarded with information and I can never keep up. I have a mild O.C.D. (self-diagnosed) so I HAVE to read every update from all of my friends. It gets frustrating after a point :).
I’m with you on that one 😀
I feel like I get plenty of info from my friends and customers via other means and been delaying the “Tweeting Urge” even though everyone is jumping on board… I wonder how long i will manage to stay away (new personal challenge)
Alex
I have a grand total of 2 BS tweets up that I did when I first signed up just to check things out.
Now however through blog promotion I’m actually gaining followers…i think it’s time to start jumping in. 🙂
Dennis Edells last blog post..How Do YOU Spend For Advertising, Or Do You?
I agree that twitter is very much addictive and you enjoy using it. Though I’ve tried many tools, I’ve found twhirl as a better application to tweets.
meghnaks last blog post..In A Bid To Help Our Humanity …..
Thanks for commenting.
I think usability of the tool is better evaluated on bases – is it right for ME, meaning that its usefulness is only as good as it fits our unique usage needs.
Hi Alex,
I can follow your logic on Twitter… but I’m not completely convinced it’ll take off.
It seems to me marketers are using it to create an instant and constant following in the marketing niche.
For me, I prefer blogs and the value they provide.
-Riggie
Riggie Freyers last blog post..Online List Building Tools to Build Your List
@ Alex: thanks for holding the forth while I was away for a few days of yoga bliss. 🙂 Now that I’m all ohm’ed out, I can reply to your comment. Like you I waited with Twitter for a long time.
But when good friend of mine started promoting it like mad on his blog I felt the need to jump on board or else miss out. While missing out won’t kill me, it certainly would limit my exposure on the net as everybody and their dog (ok maybe not those) have now started to follow through on that.
While I’m not going overboard with it (I do have a business to run and that comes first), I see the potential Twitter offers to me. I can connect with others in the industry on a platform that is more free than having to be bound by our blogs and the topics we blog about.
While I can’t talk on my freelance writing blog about gardening, I can do so on Twitter if that makes sense.
Anyway, when you do eventually take the plunge let me know. 🙂
@ Doug: glad you found Twitter to be useful as well. Maybe we meet each other some when. 🙂
@ Riggie: I hear you. Twitter will never replace blogs. But they can certainly add to the conversation.
Monika Mundells last blog post..Networking – Freelance Writing Guide
I think these tools are pretty good – but I’m sure we haven’t seen the end of them. I’m still waiting for a facebook-imchat-email-twitter combination that can be used with all the other aps too (myspace, youtube etc). That way if I have friends on one – I can see them too.
This is interesting. I am just starting to promote my site and I think this one will really help me. I will give this a shot.
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