Now Twitter!

I will be the first to say that the Twitter thing is not where I shine. Yet I am learning and can give some pointers as to the use of it for us authors. I used to think Twitter was lame, kind of a side site that was of no use. But after talking to some others that were seeing some good things come of it I decided to take a look. I have been active for the last three months or so and I am seeing a lot of growth.

What is the difference between Facebook and Twitter?

Facebook is like a super high teenager email program. Connect with people and update a status and let people know what you are thinking and doing. A blog is the story, Facebook is the preview and Twitter is the blurb. A quick blast that is there and gone in seconds yet is read and followed.

Over the years Twitter has become a news feed of sorts. People follow news people, restaurants,and other businesses in order to review and plug where they are and what is going on.

If you want to know something quick Twitter is the place to go. I use it on my phone as I can keep updated in seconds with just a glance. I can put people into groups and look at what a group is doing and cut out all the other chatter. An example is I have a group of Authors, one for friends, one for food joints etc... If i want a good place to eat I look at the food feed and see who is running a special or had a good review.

Use Twitter to follow other authors. I do filter out people that may only tweet canned quotes or never add a personal touch. The object is to interact. It is a huge conversation, get in the middle of it.

Warning: Twitter like Facebook can be very High School. clicks of friends that will not let you in and have personal conversations, inside jokes and the like. Just be aware that this goes on.

Tweeting:

This is where you post a comment or post. You only get 140 characters including spaces. Tweet about things you want to pass along that are quick. A book signing you are at, or if you ate at a good burger place tell others about it. Be personal and fun, no one wants to follow a depressed bimbo.

Re-Tweeting:

This is where you send out a tweet that someone else posted. If you like what they said pass it along to your followers. Try to send along things that you wish to share, or something you want everyone else that follows you to see.

Mentions:

If someone says your name in a tweet you can track it. This is a good thing, means people are talking about you or to you. Be sure to respond and thank them or engage in the conversation. You can mention someone that follows you by typing in the @ symbol before their twitter handle.

DM (Direct Message)

You can like eMail talk direct to someone. You have to follow them and they have to follow you to do this and it makes whatever you are talking about private. The Mention is the same thing but by doing the DM it is not public on your feed for all to see. Be sure to watch the word count and you can DM someone from your phone by just typing the letter D and the twitter handle of whoever you want to message.

Following:

Find others that are interested in what you are interested in. Other writers, authors etc... Be focused in who you search for and don't go crazy. try not to follow 1000 people and only have 200 that follow you, as you gain in numbers try to move slow. You can set your account to private if you want to protect your tweets. But otherwise anyone can see what you are talking about and follow you. If you protect you will have to approve who follows you and not just anyone can look at your page. I am on Twitter to reach out so I could care less who sees what i say, the more the better.

There is so much more but this will get you started. Do your research and use it. you may not sell a book but it is a must if you want to get your name out there. Have fun and remember, it is a conversation... talk!