Sold my soul to Twitter

[trixie]

Fine.

*stomps foot*

I did it. I got a Twitter acct so I won't be left behind on all the fun off-Forum chats. My name should be TL_Conway. No promises it worked.

But now I'm a bit scared. Okay, a lot scared. All I can vision are Nathan's blogs about how not to do something and I'm pretty sure I don't remember any of it. I can't retweet anything, I can hardly log in and follow others!

If anyone has a Top Three Things to Do to Not Look Stupid in Twitter, now would be a great time to share...

[Claudie]

#1 : Be yourself
#2: Have fun
#3: Don't hesitate to send other messages.

Top Three Things Not To Look Twitter. Oh, #4: Don't be nervous.

Off to add you!

[trixie]

I found you through Sommer's followers.

Is it possible to be a passive Twitterer for a while? I want to be able to chat among friends, but I have enough pressure trying to compose blog posts. Tweets within 140 chars make me antsy.

[Claudie]

Of course it's okay.

Keep in mind that any tweet you start with @TwitterName will only be seen by TwitterName and people following both you and TwitterName. So you're only spamming one group of friend at a time.

[trixie]

Ohh... good tip. So I can send to the @Wicked_tricksy group and basically hit all of you at once, but not anyone else? (You know, like my million followers...)

[Claudie]

Precisely. Don't be surprised if Wicked_Tricksy's reply sound suspiciously like myself. I hijack the account most of the time. XD

[trixie]

Margo, do you have two twitter accounts?

And Claudie (or anyone, really), any tips on how to make the shortened links? Does Twitter automatically do it, or do I need to download something?

[Claudie]

You don't need to download anything. There's a few sites that do it (they'll come up if you google Tiny URL or some such). I use bit.ly (that literally is their address)

[Sommer Leigh]

Margo, do you have two twitter accounts?

And Claudie (or anyone, really), any tips on how to make the shortened links? Does Twitter automatically do it, or do I need to download something?

I use Tinyurl.com

Also, don't be scared.

The only thing I suggest not doing is spamming your whole list over and over and over again in a 10 minute window, only because it can monopolize a follower's feed. Like the advice above, if you do a "reply" to another tweet, the only people who will see it are followers for both you and that person, but only if the tweet STARTS with @whoever.

If you want to practice on us to get comfortable, practice away!

[trixie]

The only thing I suggest not doing is spamming your whole list over and over and over again in a 10 minute window, only because it can monopolize a follower's feed. Like the advice above, if you do a "reply" to another tweet, the only people who will see it are followers for both you and that person, but only if the tweet STARTS with @whoever.

Crap... did I do that already, or is this just friendly Mentor-ly advice? Sorry if I did it. Off to check!

[Sommer Leigh]

The only thing I suggest not doing is spamming your whole list over and over and over again in a 10 minute window, only because it can monopolize a follower's feed. Like the advice above, if you do a "reply" to another tweet, the only people who will see it are followers for both you and that person, but only if the tweet STARTS with @whoever.

Crap... did I do that already, or is this just friendly Mentor-ly advice? Sorry if I did it. Off to check!

OH NO! I haven't even checked Twitter yet (I will if there is power at my house when I get home.) It's just good advice. Conversations with other twitters using the @replying doesn't count, but people I read who annoy me the most are those who post over and over again in a row not really saying much or trying to sell me on their book or whatever. I don't know if it is a universal annoyance, but I think it is a good rule of thumb.

For example:

3:49 Sommer_Leigh: I like peanut butter.
3:49 Sommer_Leigh: A lot!
3:50 Sommer_Leigh: You know what I like better than peanut butter? Peanut butter and chocolate
3:51 Sommer_Leigh: I just made myself a peanut butter and chocolate sandwhich
3:52 Sommer_Leigh: Bet you wish you had one too.
3:52 Sommer_Leigh: Nomnomnomnom
3:53 Sommer_Leigh: Know what else I enjoy?
3:54 Sommer_Leigh: Watching paint dry.
3:54 Sommer_Leigh: It's so much fun! The subtle change the color goes through is inspiring. It's like, wet. And then, after a couple of hours, dry. Amazing.
3:55 Sommer_Leigh: Like, right now I am eating a peanut butter and chocolate sandwhich WHILE watching paint dry. #bliss

[Margo]

Margo, do you have two twitter accounts?

Nope, just the one. Of course, I also used it to send out a message to my milllllllion of followers (or so) telling them to follow you. So don't be surprised if writer types you don't know start following you. Just watch out for the annoying spammers who seem to randomly follow 20,000 people and tweet nothing by adverts.

[Cookie]

Welcome to the dark side!

I don't think I have any advice to add, other than to second Sommer about the constant posting of nothingness.

[trixie]

Okay, so I'm still learning the ropes on Twitter. Can someone tell me about the hashtags? Like #amwriting or #wana? How do you know what the tag is for? I get the concept, but I just don't know where to find out what "topic" (for lack of a better term) has which handle.

Thoughts?

[hektorkarl]

Okay, so I'm still learning the ropes on Twitter. Can someone tell me about the hashtags? Like #amwriting or #wana? How do you know what the tag is for? I get the concept, but I just don't know where to find out what "topic" (for lack of a better term) has which handle.

Thoughts?

Some tags basically identify the topic (like #YAsaves or #nbafinals). Anyone who searches for the tag will then have your post show up in the search feed.

Others, like #mywana or #pubwrite, are more like always-on chat rooms. Usually these tags are added if you know the people who hang out there and think they might be interested.