Last week my social media management class (yes, it’s a legitimate course and earning me credits) was about the vast world of Twitter. According to a recent report from Pew Internet and American Life Project there’s a measly 16% of social media users that are active tweeters. If you can stake a claim to this percentage I applaud you, because you’re part of the minority that’s taking advantage of Twitter’s awesome potential. To those that contribute to the staggering 84% of non-users, please let me rescue you from the depths of the Facebook vortex. When armed with a healthy dose of commitment and an open mind Twitter can be anyone’s oyster. Here’s a run down of the basics:
Get a Grip:
So let’s say I’ve lured you in, you’re down to give twitter a chance. The first plan of attack is establishing a handle- the name that comes after the @ symbol. As with any social media site the same rule applies; duplicate usernames are an impossibility. If you have commitment issues, fear not, because you’re able to change your handle as often as you please. The freedom of expression here is yours and the possibilities are virtually endless. My first handle was @M0llz_d33 (apparently I thought I was on AIM and/or hood rich), but I’ve settled into a simple and recognizable @Molly_Dee_.
Follow and Be Followed:
Following the creation of your Twitter persona comes the enduring process of attracting an audience. More commonly known as your “followers”, these are the people that will be reading your tweets. Establishing a loyal following is the grunt work of Twitter and it requires a certain amount of patience. Try not to be a sorry sport and throw in the towel too quickly; you can get a feel for the game by first following the accounts that interest you most. Your favorite artists, news sources, and comedians are a good place to start, and I’ve also found that most people still obey the unwritten Myspace “PC4PC” rule, so throw your friends a follow for a guaranteed follow back. An out of whack following to followers ratio, however, will be the plague of anyone’s Twitter. Make an effort to keep the following binges to a minimum until you gain a solid following. Anything extreme, like having 86 followers when you’re following 400, will unfortunately label you as an amateur and deter potential followers.
#Advice:
1.) Here’s the most obvious: no one likes a whiner. I’m not trying to call out my own here, but I’ve witnessed far too many girls (too many to count) use their Twitter as a virtual diary. And by diary, I mean a steady stream of unfiltered consciousness. Maybe you bitch in real life 24/7 too, but no one wants to subscribe to unnecessary negativity.
2.) If someone has a will they also have a way to stalk your behind the scenes Twitter activity. Boys, your secretive favoriting (the “like” button of Twitter) of @mypeekabooty’s tweets really aren’t that secretive, and it might leave your girlfriend less than pleased.
Just keep in mind that your every move is documented under the “Favorites” tab of your Twitter, but it takes a stage five clinger to uncover what you’ve got.
3.) Twitter first gave life to everyone’s favorite social media accessory, the #hashtag, but this poor little guy has endured some serious wear and tear. Although I’ve seen the most hashtag abuse on Instagram (I literally LOL at the mile long captions of “#pool #sun #summer #sunglasses #instagood #tan #love #life”) I’ve noticed tweets can’t escape the malpractice either. The original purpose of hashtagging is to trend a topic so that when you click a hashtag you’re brought to other tweets about that same topic. With this fact in mind do your best to be strategic in your tweets, because they’ve lost practically every shred of importance and dignity.
Whether it’s your real time news source, instant comic relief, or a megaphone for your spontaneous and life inspired one liners, Twitter has the means to provide whatever you need. Are you still unconvinced? Give your capacity to learn more credit; together we can put Twitter’s “ughhh, but it’s so impossible” slander to rest.
Via: wallcg.com
