It’s a cliché. A “Hallmark holiday.” “Every day should be Valentine’s Day.”
Ever heard – or made – any of those remarks?
I confess; I have, and I think they have a ring of truth. But cliché or not, Valentine’s Day is a way – admitted, perhaps born of artifice and over-commercialized – to show one’s appreciation and affection to those who make your life better.
To me, that includes my Twitterverse. So, for those of you who have fallen in love with Twitter, here are five ways to show your Twitter love on Valentine’s Day:
1. Mr. Tweet is a great way to find interesting people to follow, depending on what your interests are. I like to follow those in my profession (public relations), writers, social media savants, IABC members and, sometimes, folks who are just downright interesting, funny and who would probably rear up at being categorized in any way.
Take it one step further and give back to those you follow by giving them a recommendation on Mr. Tweet; this will help others find them. It won’t cost you more than a click, and there are more than enough of those to go around.
2. Re-tweet… with credit. Just as bloggers get a charge out of comments on their posts, because they show engagement, it’s very satisfying to see something you tweeted about spread through re-tweets, especially when you didn’t ask for it. If you frequently re-tweet interesting posts, links or news – good for you.
Give credit where credit is due by adding the original Twitterer’s handle when you forward the update. TweetDeck and Twhirl make this easy to do; if you’re just getting started on Twitter and using the Web interface, copy and paste in the original update, precede it with “RT @<whoever>” and boom, you’re off.
3. #FollowFriday. Increasing Twitter followers seems to be the be all and end all for some. I can’t deny it’s satisfying to see one’s follower numbers go up, but what I personally get more satisfaction out of is the engagement, the conversations I have with other Twitterers.
A great way to pay it forward is to participate in Twitter events like #followfriday, where you recommend Twitter users to others. It helps if you explain why, e.g. “Foodies: @<whoever> #followfriday” and so on. Using the hashtag with no spaces between the two words will help others find them.
4. Engage. Speaking of engagement, one of the most remarkable things about social networking is the ability to talk to and get to know people you might never have come across otherwise in the “real” world. Whether you choose to follow everyone who follows you is up to you. But one of the nicest things you can do is respond when you are mentioned in tweets, or when someone sends you a message.
For example, yesterday I recommended Paisano on #followfriday, because his updates make me think, inform me and, sometimes, he’s just very funny. I was completely unprepared for him to write back and thank me; let’s face it, he’s a pretty influential Twitterer. When he did, I was impressed and, as a result, I will be following him even more closely now.
5. Go offline. Twitter is a wonderful way to get to know people online. As you develop those relationships, take them offline. Meet up for coffee, attend tweetups in your area… get to know the people behind those avatars. We live in a uniquely multi-dimensional world. Take advantage of it.
Those are my five ways to show Twitter love; I’m sure you have many more. Won’t you share them with me… and the love?
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Photo credit: ~Athena
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[…] Day Spirit Into Social Media February 14th, 2011 TweetLooking through WUL, I came across five ways to show Twitter love, that I’d written on Valentine’s Day two years […]
Great post and great suggestions on how best to use Twitter. Thanks!
Thank you, Judy!
You’re absolutely right about the consequences of not identifying the originator of the tweet (or at least, where you saw it). I try to give the “offenders” a pass the first few times; they may be new to the game and simply not realize what they’re not doing. Twitter’s not a difficult place to figure one’s way around, though, so if this is a habit… well, I’ll definitely think twice (or thrice) about engaging with them.
Your tip about the shortening URLs is a great one. I do try to follow that as much as possible, and I know I appreciate it when my tr.ims are left alone. We’re tracking geeks, you and I. :)
Hi Ms. Shonali Burke, :-)
What I like about you is that you always walk the talk. I doubt there is anyone more generous than you in giving profile/ackowledgement to your twitter mates (including the reasons why) and an always-generous RT (even RT RT!) policy. This is a very positive post, on several levels.
Now if I can just inject a bit of negativity (or caution) into the conversation, I wanted to point out that if seasoned or newbie twits choose not to follow the generosity principles, make sure you realize that it *is* noticed. Noticed by the original twit “sourcer” of the information (who likely will unfollow or block the perpetrator if it happens repeatedly). It will also be noticed by other twits who follow both you and the ungenerous twit.
I have had a few DMs from followers/followees, saying: “I noticed that the information you tweeted a few minutes/hours ago has turned up in another twitter stream, with no credit to you.”
It’s sad that I’ve been reduced to saying, “Yes, I know. And unfortunately it’s not the first time that it appears that s/he has “stolen” either direct content or ideas.”
One of the really nice things about http://tr.im is how it tells you when you get traffic from (generous) ReTweeters. That is, if the tweeter left the link platform/shortened URL alone. Which I believe is another “generous” courtesy. (Particularly if the tweet-originator is using one of the platforms that tracks/measures pick-up–like tr.im, although there are others.)
Also just a short note to say I’m really glad you’ve embraced full blogging so enthusiastically, with regular and interesting posts.
Best from your twit friend,
Judy
Megan,
I’m so glad you “found” me, and thank you for the kind comments. I look forward to staying in touch and chatting more – and good luck with your career moves!
PS – you can call me “Shonali.” :)
Hi, Ms. Burke! I was excited to find your blog this morning (via your twitter feed, which I randomly discovered yesterday), and I just want to let you know how much I like it! I heard you speak at the PRSA-NY career fair last year, so it was a thrill to discover you online over the past few days. As a young professional trying to transition my career from non-profit event planning into more strategy-oriented PR, I’m always on the lookout for insights like the ones you’ve already packed into your young blog. You now have a follower in me, for sure!