The web 2.0 movement has spawned a lot of social marketing tools that some people just don’t ‘get’. Microblogging might be one of them. If you’re not on the micro blogging bandwagon, you might just be missing out on something fantastic.
Tell The World What You’re Doing in 140 Characters Or Less
Well, why?
Why does the world care what you’re doing?
Why should you care what anyone else is doing?
Is this just simply another productivity trap?
Good questions and the answers are relative. If you’re in the company of your IM mentors and potential proteges you can definitely see how this could benefit you when you have a product launch, want some Digg love or need to quickly know the latest coupon code for domain registrations at your favourite registrar.
For many internet marketers, a social water cooler environment like Twitter, for instance, can be a great place to find out stuff, get link love, tell people about something and be a bit sociable. Being sociable online can make you more friends and therefore net you more sales. While it’s a good idea to explore these areas, it’s also a good idea to spend your time wisely so you don’t spend half a day “tweeting” instead of working.
The point is to utilise tools selectively and use them effectively. Twitter is probably the top social microblogging site and if you find a great group of followers and people to follow you can make connections and get some results. It’s a symbiotic platform though so don’t expect to simply push links out and never participate otherwise you won’t have much luck.
About Sean Rasmussen
Thanks, Sean, this post helps in my understanding of microblogging, and understanding, as opposed to knowing, is important to me.
No problem Wal. It’s great to understand why you are doing things, rather than just doing them for the hell of it, that’s for sure. Now..back to Twitter
Regards – Sean
Thanks Sean for the info.
I am a person who likes to have a complete understanding of why I am doing something
Hi Sean,
I love Twitter. I find out a lot of interesting stuff and find new people to learn from all the time. It’s so easy to search for the things you’re interested in. If you are researching a niche, it gives you a great opportunity to see what people are saying before you commit to anything.
It also gives me an up close and personal look at the people who are the leaders in my niche. I learn a lot from them but what I learn about their attitude and how they respond to things is fantastic. Sometimes it’s very easy to see why they’re so successful.
I have spent a lot of time with Twitter, mainly responding to emails, building followers and following people back, but have not mastered it as Jazz seems to have. The people and companies I am following seem to be all marketing something – it’s not personal as I see it and how Jazz describes. I think I’m doing something wrong!? How do i subscribe to your tweets on twitter Sean, set up a column just for your tweets would be good. Is it possible on Tweetdesk? Also I am now limited to following only a few people per day. I don’t know why.
Also Sean, what does this following sentence mean, extracted from your blog?……….
…….or need to quickly know the latest coupon code for domain registrations at your favourite registrar.
Hello Sean,
Mastering the art of twitter is a fine art. Microblogging sounds like a great way to connect with other like minded people, and is a way to brand yourself. Only using 140 characters or less makes it interesting to think about what to say. I also like to ask questions about the other person that I am following, so that I can better understand their business. Yet at the same time, I do not want to know everything that is personal within their life. Like I said a fine art
Love connecting with others that are like minded, nothing beats Digg. Its a great easy way to show others that you like their blog by “Digg”.
Cheers
Lisa
I like the comparison with the “social water cooler environment”
A place where you can exchange a bit of chit chat as well as updates and good information. That definitely can open doors and lead to opportunities that you otherwise would miss. Thanks for the reminder
HI Sean
I can really relate to what you say about not spending half a day on Twitter. this has been my only concern about sites like Twitter etc that I may not give enough time for them all nor have enough time to keep up.
I would have to factor “microblogging” into my weekly schedule and make sure I only spend a minimum amount of time on each which would be a maximum of about 4 sites in 2 hours total or less I would say. It is very important to build connections through social media.
Elly the time you spend on twitter now is nothing compared to the time we all spend in learning this for the first time.
So just be glad to spend that half day on Twitter if it takes. You will surely gain something from it.
Rose
Thanks Sean,
I can now understand what microblogging is. After hearing the recording of “The Ultimate Twitter Guide – For a Few Tweets More”, a great tool to connect with others and go with the flow.
Cheers
Rose
One rule of thumb – follow your followers. At least at first. If you find that someone is a spammer, then simply unfollow them.
Microblogging makes you get to the point quickly and stop waffling! But you need to add value and not just the hard sell or a link. Makes you think carefully about what you want to do and how you want to do it – condensing!