This presentation is called “A Twitter Mystery” and it’s an outstanding overview of all things Twitter. If you’re still trying to sell to your boss (or yourself) that Twitter really is a valuable tool for building business and relationships, this is a presentation you’ll want to pay attention to.

What do you think?

Did you learn anything new?

What’s your best Twitter tip for someone who doesn’t yet understand the power of the tool?

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4:28 you’ll never get back in your life though

RSS and e-mail readers: click here to see the video.

What do you think? Is this what Twitter is to you or does Twitter have meaning?

Follow me on Twitter to learn how I use it to share information, to connect to people, and to learn lots of new stuff.

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The goal of this presentation was to show people they could use Twitter in just 30 minutes a day and still make it a useful part of their arsenal. It is not meant to be a soup-to-nuts Twitter overview that takes you deep into the land of Twitter.

If you’d like me to share my 30 minute Twitter solution with your organization, please contact me today!

How would you make it more useful?

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]]> http://www.philgerbyshak.com/30-minute-twitter-solution-presentation/feed/ 16 http://www.philgerbyshak.com/twitter-questions-ask-phil-anything/ http://www.philgerbyshak.com/twitter-questions-ask-phil-anything/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:07:00 +0000 Phil Gerbyshak http://www.philgerbyshak.com/twitter-questions-ask-phil-anything/

I’m getting back to one of the most popular topics in my world lately, and that’s Twitter.

What would you like to know about Twitter?

Is there some terminology you don’t understand?

Are you curious about which applications you can use to extend it?

Wondering how to figure out who to follow and who not to?

What else would you like to know about Twitter?

Please leave your questions in the comments. I promise to group them all up and find the answers for you soon.

Question Mark courtesy of Marco Bellucci

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]]>

NOTE from Phil: I got introduced to Chris when he featured me as one of the 150+ Experts on Twitter ALL Job Seekers MUST Follow. I was impressed with the time he took to create this list, and the care he took to really talk a bit about each person he profile. I quickly realized this was someone to learn from, so I asked him to write a guest post and he asked me to write one, so here goes his fantastic article.

Bloggers from across industries and areas of interest are always seeking new ways to reach greater audiences with their articles and gain increased recognition for their expertise.  Developing your reputation as a blogger often takes a lot of time, effort and patience through consistent publication of valuable content.

Because we live in an age in which we are being bombarded by more and more information on the screen, it is increasingly important to be able to convey the content of your blog in a concise and visually pleasing manner that visitors can swiftly survey and assess.  One way to generate more buzz for your blog (i.e. attract more visitors and get talked about) is to compile and publish critical information in lists.  A list appears shorter and more organized on the screen.  Furthermore, lists are easier for busy professionals to digest on-the-go.

You can create buzz-worthy lists on just about any topic that is relevant to the theme of your blog. Even when you are not specifically writing a list, you should think of ways to break down your articles into bullet points or shorter parts to make them more quickly digestible for your readers and in turn, increase the potential for them to go viral.

The following is itself a list of some ways to generate buzz for your buzz-worthy blog content:

• LinkedIn offers a number of ways to promote your blog content.  First, place a description and a link to your new article in your LinkedIn profile status.  Second, join LinkedIn groups (maximum limit is 50 groups) that are relevant to your industry or areas of interest, and,  where appropriate, submit the article link to each group’s News section.  Third, if you own or manage your own group, you can send the link out in your weekly announcement to your group members.
• Facebook is not the ideal syndication platform for your articles; however, you can also use your profile status to link friends to your article.  If you have a Facebook group or fan page for your blog or website, there you can create a link to your article for your members or fans.
• Twitter offers you the opportunity to “tweet” or broadcast a short description of your article and its link to your followers.  While you should never overtweet anything, you may choose to tweet this to your network at a couple different times of day throughout the week to provide your followers more of an opportunity to see content of interest to them.
• Business Exchange, by BusinessWeek, is a great resource for reading material that is relevant to your areas of interest.  It is also a place where you can syndicate specific articles from your own and other blogs and websites.  You can submit your article to multiple topic categories for increased readership.
• Ning networks within your areas of interest offer you forums where you can share your article content and links to your blog.
• Newsletters are great channels for the distribution of information.  If you maintain an email list of consenting newsletter recipients for your blog or website, your newsletter can be a great place for you to include a link to your article.
• MOST IMPORTANT:  If your lists or articles feature people, blogs, websites, services, organizations , books or anything associated with someone who would value such press or promotion, don’t forget to contact them by email, LinkedIn message or Twitter direct message to let them know about their coverage and politely request that they promote it to their own personal networks.  We all appreciate recognition (you wouldn’t be reading this article if you didn’t) and we are often more willing to do something to help someone else if it also helps us, too.

Chris Perry is a Gen Y Brand and Marketing Generator, a Career Search and Personal Branding Expert and the Founder of Career Rocketeer, the Career Search and Personal Branding Blog.

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Think of Twitter as a cocktail party with 100 people in the room, with 100 separate conversations.

You might be interested in what 10 folks have to say, so you listen to what those 10 people have to say.

If you think the people who you’re talking might be interested in what someone else is saying, you share what you heard, giving the person who said it credit.

You’ve learned what you can with the people you’re talking to, so you change conversations to someone else, then someone else, and eventually, you hear conversations from 30 people in the room. Those 30 people are listening to the other 70 people in the room, and occasionally they share what someone else says, so you listen to a new person.

Sometimes someone took a picture and they pass you their camera or cell phone so you can see the picture.

Before you go, you agree you’ll keep in touch. When you get home, you can listen in on their conversations. When they say something of interest, you can engage in the conversation, just like you were right there. Because you connected with them before, you can share interesting stories, pictures, and conversations with those people that found you interesting. You may also talk about something other people are interested in, so they might listen to you too.

If you want to whisper in someone’s ear, you can do so, and they can whisper back, or you can just listen.

Though the box at the top of the Twitter homepage says “What are you doing?” think of it instead as “What are you interested in talking about?” or “What am I paying attention to?”

That’s Twitter in plain English.

Any questions?

Is this helpful? How would you explain Twitter in plain English to someone who was interested in learning more?

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I’m not looking for a job, so I did some research into how folks are using Twitter for job searching, and I came up with what I think are 10 top tips. I’d love to hear your feedback after you’re done reading.

Search for job specific keywords and follow some of those people – The more specific you can make your search, the more relevant results you’ll get. The folks who use those terms (in the right context) are folks you want to know more. Follow them and you can use Twitter to get a job.

Follow industry leaders – Who do you know that’s a thought leader in the industry you are in or want to be in? Follow them to listen and learn from them.

Follow local leaders – Are there any local folks in the industry you want to get into? See if they are on Twitter, and follow them to see what they are talking about and see what you can learn from them.

Follow folks at a specific company and learn what the culture is like – Maybe you know a few folks at the company you want to work at. If they’re on Twitter, follow them. If you don’t, use Twitter search to look for them, or look on their corporate site for some names and search those out. You may not find anyone…or you just might find the one person who’s willing and able to help you find a great job!

Follow @jobangels and follow the hashtag #jobangels – Job Angels mission is simple: they ask you to simply help one person find a job! If you have a job to offer, share it by sending a direct message to them, or by tagging it with the hashtag #jobangels They will do the rest.

Share relevant links and Re-Tweet when applicable – There’s no better way to show you are on top of trends than to share what you’re learning with the folks in your network. Add in a Re-Tweet (click here to learn what a re-tweet is and how to do it right) and you’re not only sharing good information but sharing good people too.

Create your own content about your specialty and link to it – This is a bit of a combo tip, as it also requires you to write a little bit of your own content, and not just use Twitter.

Look for hashtags that talk about conferences in your specialty – If you’re follow someone you admire, and you see a #hashtag, click the link and see what they are talking about. This will help you find upcoming trends in your specialty, and find other folks who may not yet be leaders in their industry…or they may be folks that are not yet known as leaders in their industry but who are up and comers.

Ask for help connecting to the decision makers – Do you see any of your Twitter friends connected to folks you want to get in front of? Make a specific ask, best by DM (Direct Message but public may work too) for an introduction and see what happens.

Alert your network you’re looking for a job at least once a week – Throw out a Tweet now and then, at different times of the day, asking for help finding a job. I’d recommend incluing your location, your desired position, a link to your resume or LinkedIn profile, and a request to share this with others who can help. Here’s an example: “Help needed: MKE based social media guy looking for new role. Know anyone who can help? Resume at http://is.gd/10VWQ Pls RT” might be all you need to get someone’s attention and assistance. Picking different times of the day means you’ll hit different parts of your network, and different folks in your network will re-tweet to folks on their network, thus expanding your reach.

What’s YOUR best tip to searching for a job using Twitter?

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I’m busy.

We’re all busy.

It’s super easy to get sucked into spending a LOT of time on the various social media solutions without knowing whether or not you’re making a difference in your bottom line or not. This article is the first of many that will teach you how to make the most of your time AND make sure you are using your time wisely.

30 Minute Twitter Solution

1) Start by signing up for HootSuite. This could take 5 minutes or so, so take this time to go grab yourself a cup of coffee or continuing to prep for your day.

2) You should already be logged in, but if not, log in with your Twitter userID and password, and click on the X to remove the Direct Messages (DM) column. DMs are made to distract you, and don’t need to be answered right away if you only have 30 minutes. This will leave Replies and All Friends. You’ll want these columns open all the time, because you know why you’re using Twitter for business or you’re using Twitter for personal reasons. If you’ve only got 30 minutes, you can only choose 1 reason, and stick with it for this session.

3) Click on the Search button on the top, and add 2 new columns for 2 of your keywords. I keep Social Media and Milwaukee as my searches. You search for what’s important to you. This will give you 4 columns.

4) Look at the @replies. See if there is anything there worth replying back to. Say thanks to a few folks who’ve said hey to you, especially if they’ve pointed new friends your way. Say hello to at least 5 people.

5) Re-tweet 2 links you see from existing people you follow. You can do this by mousing over someone’s picture, and clicking on the arrow  that says “Retweet <username’s> post”

You should be at 15 minutes now, if you’re careful. If you’re faster than that, good for you! You may finish early, or you may expand steps 6 and 7 a bit.

6) Read through the first search panel that you subscribed to. Unless it’s a totally obscure search, you will have at least a screen full of stuff. Click on 3 links (they’ll open in a new browser window not in Tweetdeck). If they’re useful, go back to TweetDeck and re-tweet them (like in step 5). If not, click on 2 more links and skim 2 more. Try to share at least 1 useful re-tweet.

7) Pick 2 people in this stream to follow and follow them.

8) Read through the second search panel that you subscribed to. Unless it’s a totally obscure search, you will have at least a screen full of stuff. Click on 3 links (they’ll open in a new browser window not in Tweetdeck). If they’re useful, go back to TweetDeck and re-tweet them (like in step 5). If not, click on 2 more links and skim 2 more. Try to share at least 1 useful re-tweet.

9) Pick 2 people in this stream to follow and follow them.

10) Share one quick tip for today with your followers.

With any extra time:

11) Respond to a few more folks who Replied to you.

12) Follow a few more people.

13) Click and share a few more useful links from your searches or your followers.

14) Ask a question of your followers, and return later to collect your answers.

What would YOU do with 30 minutes to spend on Twitter?

Please follow me on Twitter. I’m @philgerb, and if you found this useful, please Re-Tweet is using the widget on the blog. Thanks!

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I will not follow you. And I thought I better let you know why.

1) You don’t have a real avatar – PLEASE upload a picture before you follow anyone. The default looks spammy and fake…and that’s NOT who you are if you’re a real person. I won’t follow you if you don’t have a real avatar.

2) You have more than 4 consonants or vowels in a row in your handle – Are you a real person if you create a handle like @jklsafjlk35 or @3523434kjklsa ? NOPE. I’m not going to follow you.

3) You have nothing in your profile, or worse, you have “Make money online” or “Buy Acai Berries” or “Want to buy Amway/Avon/Mary Kay/insert MLM here” in your profile – If you can’t make time to personalize your 160 characters in your profile, I’m not going to follow you. If you can only talk about these impersonal things in your profile, I’m not going to follow you!

4) You last 4 tweets are repeat tweets or are nothing but affiliate links – No RT (re-tweets) but repeat tweets. A tweet that says “Check out http://tr.im/mRuj” 5 times is NOT doing anyone any good and I’m not going to follow you! And if all your links point to affiliate marketing sites, I’m not going to follow you.

5) You follow 600 people but only 3 people follow you – If you are this out of whack, unless you JUST STARTED on Twitter, I’m not going to follow you!

6) 600 people follow you, but you only follow 3 people – You might be the world’s smartest person, but if you’re not listening to what other people say (even if you’re following me), you’re not as smart as you think. If your balance is this far out of whack, I’m not going to follow you!

7) I can’t see any @anyone messages on your page (and I may even scroll a few pages to see them). If you’re not into conversation, you and I probably can’t be friends. I LOVE CONVERSATION AND CONNECTION and so do most humans. If you don’t like conversation and connection, I’m not going to follow you.

8 ) You hashtag spam – If I click on the trends on the right side of Twitter and I see you are writing tweets with #spam #spam #spam #spam, I’m not going to follow you.

9) Someone I trust said not to follow you – If someone I already am following calls you a bad name, I’m probably not going to follow you. I may keep my eye on you, but I won’t follow you, at least not until I’ve built up some trust with you.

10) Your follow message got lost in my inbox – I get a lot of e-mails and sometimes, I lose the automatic Twitter messages I get when folks follow me. If that has happened to you, just send me an @philgerb, and I’ll be following you in a giffy.

Why don’t YOU follow more people?

Inspired by some recent Tweets by @rockintherobin

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I’d consider it a primary source of my business, and I spend about 60 minutes or so a day on Twitter, sometimes even more. If your business relies on Twitter as a primary source of advertising specials, or if your services relies on Twitter to communicate to your customers, or worse, if your business relies on Twitter for ALL it’s business, you’re probably not very happy when Twitter service fails.

It’s a free service. It’s GOING to fail sometimes. I wish that weren’t true, but it is.

What do you do with your business when Twitter fails?

5 things you can do when Twitter fails

Pick up the phone – If your phone line is working, call the customers you know were waiting to hear from you. You have the element of surprise on your side, and you might just get voicemail, or you might get an opportunity to deepen your relationship with someone and solidify in their mind why YOUR BUSINESS is the right choice for their needs.

Hand write thank you notes – Take some time to thank a few new customers, a few existing customers, or someone who referred business to you. Bonus points if you have cards pre-stamped and hand return addressed.

Email a personal note – Instead of blasting out a message that folks may or may not read, why not pick 5 people out to contact with a longer personal e-mail, asking them how you can help them, sharing an article that might help their business, or a celebratory birthday or anniversary greeting.

Write an article – Take some time to think about your favorite customers or your favorite customer’sproduct/service. Is there anyone who might benefit from that product or service that doesn’t know about it already? Do a quick case study of how they are successful and send it to your contact at the company, asking for permission to share it with others.

Create your newsletter – You are doing a periodic newsletter, right? Why not take a few minutes to set up the next one. Write the introduction, set the theme, find some images, and maybe even write the articles. It all depends how long you’re going to be without your beloved Twitter service, so work until it’s done, and use the time later in the week for more Twitter action.

All of these things can be done whether Twitter fails or not.

I’d encourage you to not put all your eggs in one basket and do these as part of your integrated marketing plan. And if you need help creating that plan, I’d love to work with you to create and implement a strategy that can help you make it great!

What do YOU do when Twitter fails?

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