Success Through Inspiration

Talk to the wing!

This post is third in a series about the Live Web, Tiwtter, and your business.

The new “Live Web” applications, such as Twitter, can be a great source of news and ideas, as well as an outlet for your business ongoings, new developments, marketing, and advertising.

But – be warned – if you overdo it, you will be outed.

I’m on twitter (@jcolier), as are most internet users that want to be involved in this latest live technology.  The way it works is that you follow people to see their “tweets”, or entries, and people follow you to see what you have to say.

But don’t take advantage of peoples patience or tolerance – or you’ll be dropped.

I was following one news source (I won’t mention who it is).  The well-known business outlet would post 4 – 5 posts in a row, about every 10 – 15 minutes.  I try to at least read what everyone posts, and since I follow some quality people who post some very interesting news and links to sites, I end up reading further as to what they suggest.

By getting an influx of postings from one particular source not only bumps the other postings down the list, and eventually off my visible page, but also keeps me from getting into any depth any interesting articles that come my way.  I gave it a couple days, but eventually decided to stop following that source.

So – some general rules which your readers will appreciate you following:

• Keep your posts short and to the point (you only have 140 characters to post anyway)
• Always leave about 10-15 characters under the maximum so other people can re-tweet you (therefore, keep your post to the 120-125 mark).
• Make sure your post is succinct and to the point – people will only take a second or two to decide whether to follow through on information you post.
• Limit your post to once or twice an hour, unless you have something VERY important to pass along.
• Make sure you respond to people who send direct tweets to you – it’s considerate.
• Remember that people who join twitter are not only there to read information, but also to be heard by others.  Everyone wants their 1 – 2 seconds of fame.
• Check out the blog twitip for more information and tips on twittering.

It’s true that the internet is a very crowded place, but there is room for everyone.  Don’t try to hog it all for yourself!  Play by the rules, be fair, and be considerate, and you will be taken much more seriously on the new “Live Web”.

Do you have experience with “over-twitters”?  Post a comment and share with the world!