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Twitter - I Don't Get ItViews: 1967
Dec 23, 2008 3:51 pmTwitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		From the Twitter Home Page:
------
Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Why? Because even basic updates are meaningful to family members, friends, or colleagues—especially when they’re timely.

* Eating soup? Research shows that moms want to know.
* Running late to a meeting? Your co–workers might find that useful.
* Partying? Your friends may want to join you.

With Twitter, you can stay hyper–connected to your friends and always know what they’re doing. Or, you can stop following them any time. You can even set quiet times on Twitter so you’re not interrupted.

Twitter puts you in control and becomes a modern antidote to information overload.
------

The question this doesn't answer is why should I care?

None of my "family members, friends, or colleagues" use Twitter. If I want to know what they're doing, I call them and ask them. And vice versa.

Why would I want to stay "hyper-connected"? People frequently complain about "Crack-berries" interfering in their lives - Twitter just seems to be more of the same.

I don't understand what the attraction of Twitter is. I anticipate that Twitter crash and burn in the not-too-distant future as users experience "Twitter burnout".

Comments?

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Dec 23, 2008 4:11 pmre: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		Aside from anything else about Twitter, it is reasonable to expect that it will be of more use and interest to those with an interest in people.

No, not for everyone.

Thankfully we are all different.

I think talk of the demise of Twitter is premature. In fact I think the opposite is likely to occur. Twitter will become so incorporated into daily life, that it will cease to be even noteworthy. Indeed, I think I noticed something flash past my screen several days ago saying that Yahoo Messenger latest version has incorporated Twitter functionality.

Lindy

Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Dec 23, 2008 4:47 pmre: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Paula Quick		You know, it's funny. I thought rap music was a flash in the pan. How could that POSSIBLY go mainstream? I knew we were in trouble, however, when a Reynolds Wrap commercial incorporated a little "rap." I detest rap music but rap is pretty mainstream these days, having infiltrated all genres of music. I thought Madonna would never last. Thin, weak voice ... Well, she has reinvented herself a thousand times. She is part of our pop culture -- an icon, if you will.

In my opinion Twitter is here to stay yet it is amazing how there are still many, many people who don't know what it is or how to use it. And it has gone beyond being a mere social tool to a firm business tool for many.

It DOES remind me of a gargantuan Facebook (now that I've dabbled in Facebook a bit :))

And yes, it is purely elective. For the longest time, the Internet was truly an early adopter kind of thing. Now, almost everyone uses the Internet.

You don't HAVE to be on Twitter. And if you are, you follow the people you want. You don't HAVE to have a website, either, but people usually expect that you have one at this point in time.

There is money being made around teaching how to use Twitter and using Twitter as part of one's marketing. I anticipate that college courses will be taught on Twitter, if not already.

Indeed, Twitter is still in its early stages. Before long, however, I predict it will be almost "de riguer" for those in business -- just like those web pages.

The good news is that there is a variety of social networking tools people can use (like Ryze) which suits their personality best.

Just my thoughts.


Paula Quick, Internationally Recognized Life Coach & Reflexologist
http://www.thecheck-in.com & http://www.onyourfeetcoaching.com
You Don't Need More of "The Secret" You Just Need "The Check-In"
Do YOU MonaVie? http://www.monavie.com Distributor ID# 1507373

Private Reply to Paula Quick

Dec 23, 2008 5:21 pmre: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Scott Wolpow		Paula,
Are you talking about "gansta rap" or real rap?

Private Reply to Scott Wolpow

Dec 23, 2008 5:23 pmre: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Paula Quick		Both! Remember "Rappers Delight" and when rap was "clean?" I still wasn't overly fond of it then.

Paula Quick, Internationally Recognized Life Coach & Reflexologist
http://www.thecheck-in.com & http://www.onyourfeetcoaching.com
You Don't Need More of "The Secret" You Just Need "The Check-In"
Do YOU MonaVie? http://www.monavie.com Distributor ID# 1507373

Private Reply to Paula Quick

Dec 23, 2008 6:09 pmre: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		Twitter is a mystery to me. The functionality isn't new - think phone calls, email, postcards, SMS, IM, and MySpace among others - so why would anyone go gaga over Twitter?

Also, how would one make money using (not selling or training people how to use) Twitter? I have a hard time picturing people being so enamored of someone else that they'd tolerate many messages, no matter how short, that say "buy this".

Twitter strikes me as feeding people's vanity. Who cares what I'm doing at any given moment!

Of course, I'm not someone who walks around with a cell phone surgically attached to my ear, either.

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Dec 23, 2008 7:29 pmre: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Scott Wolpow		These Boys may not agree with, with all respect to the late great Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell. BTW This original artwork is from my client and a version appears in on Run's wall in Run's House.

Private Reply to Scott Wolpow

Dec 23, 2008 11:08 pmre: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		Kurt a lot of people use Twitter on their computer not on their phones at all. I'm one of them.

The other thing that many realize early on, is that you can post things other than 'what you are doing now'. You can post ideas, post bits of information that some Followers find of interest and then want to retweet so their followers can learn about it too. You can post links to articles or blogs with a message about the topic, you can ask questions, answer questions, ask for and gain feedback, and see who is respected in their field, and which blogs are worth checking out.

Happily, you can learn about who else is knowledgeable in a field of interest, or who is funny, or shares an interest, or practices something unusual that others want to share.

When you go to a global view, Twitter is a means to more quickly identify people you might like. No matter how far away they are, and where there is only the remotest chance that you'd have met them any other way. It is also a means to getting to know the people you already know in your social networks, but never quite had a clue to how to connect with them on a more human level.

Don't misunderstand, I am not spruiking for new peeps to join Twitter. On the contrary. Like any tool, those who can find a way to use it to do something that they find useful will continue to use it. Others won't.

Of course, if Everybody used it, I'd prolly be moved on to something else ;-p


Lindy


http://actionbites.blogspot.com

Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Dec 24, 2008 2:49 amRe: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Teddy Towncrier


Kurt. .... You aren't alone! ... Many savvy business folks don't get it either.

Here's an article on using Twitter for local marketing, that may help to turn back the curtain. .... Enjoy


Bestest.


Teddy Towncrier CPP Towncrier-Media.com Supercharging Your Visions.

Speak with me here Click Here for My Twitter

Private Reply to Teddy Towncrier

Dec 24, 2008 4:50 amre:: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Rodney Collins		I get many more click-throughs to my website from Twitter than I do from Ryze and other social or business networks.

I noticed an increase of traffic to my website (and several Twitter followers) after I mentioned something like this:

"Dominos Pizza's new 8 Meats pizza is actually 3 meats - lamb, beef, and 6 varieties of pork (ham, bacon, smoked bacon, pepperoni, pork sausage, shreded cotto)".

So, instead of saying that you have just woken up or are just about to go to bed, say something interesting - and make sure you have a link to your website in your Twitter profile.

Actually, I have a special 'Twitter' landing page for those who follow the link to my website. It grabs attention because it tells the person that they have arrived from Twitter and it tells them a bit about their environment (IP Address, Browser agent, and even who their Internet host is - okay they should know that LOL but it gets their attention). They are then much more happy to browse other pages on my site.

So, if you want to follow me (and I will follow you), my twitter page is: http://twitter.com/RodneyCollins

One more thing - I use the [Search] feature (found at the bottom of the page) and type in Brisbane, or Queensland (try your home town or state or whatever you want) and you will find lots of interesting people to follow.

Rodney Collins
Ready-to-Use Websites (now with Online Form Generator)
http://www.readytousewebsites.biz (easy.fast.affordable)

Private Reply to Rodney Collins

Dec 24, 2008 5:45 amre: re:: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Rodney,

I am going to follow you. Thanks for sharing your Twitter link. I think it would be good for folks not only to share their Twitter link, but their blog link as well. Why not start the list here for both? By the way, did you know you can put the Twitter search in your Firefox browser? That is where I have mine. It looks good up there - very convenient.

Twitter link - lamarjmorgan

Blog link - CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing Blog

Kurt, I think one of the reason Twitter is so popular is because people are actually "CONNECTING" with each other. While it may seem silly for someone to tell you what he or she is "doing now," this tidbit of information can get a conversation started. This seemingly innocent tidbit of information can actually facilitate the building of relationships between people around the world or even in your own neighborhood.

To me, Twitter is sort of the ethic of reciprocity in action online. You give before you receive. You become a follower of someone before someone becomes a follower of you. It's amazing how well this system works when you follow the directions you are given.

Lamar Morgan
CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing
707-709-8605
Attract more customers!

Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Dec 24, 2008 1:19 pmRe:: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Teddy Towncrier


@Rodney .... The search link is a useful tool to learn who is supporting you with their Retweets. .... Just type in your ID and it lists out who is mentioning you and tells you whether you're investing or spending your time.

BTW. It's nice that you'll be enjoying caviar this Christmas .... Just wondering what you'll be doing with the extra can?

@Lamar: So true. ... We only get one kick at the can and a specific page for every promotion is basic sense and Twitter is just another promotion.

I enjoyed our chat yesterday and picked up an idea for a blog post "Why do erect a wall around every department of your business". .... and of course I Tweeted about your inspiration.

MERRRY CHRISTMAS Y'all


Bestest.


Teddy Towncrier CPP Towncrier-Media.com Supercharging Your Visions.

Speak with me here Click Here for My Twitter

Private Reply to Teddy Towncrier

Dec 31, 2008 6:52 amre: Re:: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Yes, some folks just don't get Twitter. The same can be said for Squidoo. But, boy howdy, when folks do get it, amazing things can happen.

Sometime back I introduced Ryzer Ivo Jackson to Squidoo. The next thing I know, Ivo Jackson is a Giant Squid Lensmaster on Squidoo. That means the woman has created more than 50 lenses (one-page now-blogs made up of modules). Then, Lindy Asimus introduces me to Twitwall. I create a Twitwall. It is extremely easy to create. Folks can create them with with pictures, podcasts and video - not to mention text. So, I decide to share my discovery with Ivo. In no time at all Ivo has created a Twitwall and linked it to my Twitwall with a video promoting a helpful Squidoo resource she created. Want to see? Click here. Then, scroll down to my first post and click on the comments.

Just as Twittering takes advantage of the "mutual uplift" process - first you follow then you get followed - so too does Twitwall. I want to encourage everyone on this network to build a Twitwall and link to each other with enbeded videos - provided you know how to make them. Talk about a visually stunning way you could spread your message. Wow! While it is true that Ivo simply linked her Twitwall to mine in a comment, I could easily go to her Twitwall, grab the enbedded code and post her video on my Twitwall, publicly. In fact, we could all do that for each other and have amazing Twitwalls. Keep in mind too that these Twitwall placements are sent out to the Twitter world. And, that could result in a lot of Tweeting exposure.



Lamar Morgan
CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing
707-709-8605
Attract more customers!

Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Dec 31, 2008 9:46 pmre: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		Ok, just for the heck of it I joined twitter. I'm at http://twitter.com/uvscooters and I've set things up so that I think I can send and receive twitter stuff (tweets?) via my cell phone.

I still don't understand what I'm going to do with this, but I'll see what happens.

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Dec 31, 2008 11:02 pmRe: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Teddy Towncrier


"I still don't understand what I'm going to do with this, but I'll see what happens".

Kurt ...

It just won't 'happen' and will take as much effort as conventional promotion. .... Some important benefits are that Twitter can produce faster and longer since the thousands in your Friendforce like what you have and want to follow you.

Earlier in this thread; I posted a link to an article that describes how business' are using Twitter to market locally.


All the best for 2009


Teddy Towncrier CPP Towncrier-Media.com Supercharging Your Visions.

Speak with me here Click Here for My Twitter

Private Reply to Teddy Towncrier

Dec 31, 2008 11:18 pmre: re: Re:: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Reg Charie		I am afraid that I don't get it too.

Rodney posted
>>I get many more click-throughs to my website from Twitter than I do from Ryze and other social or business networks.

>>I noticed an increase of traffic to my website (and several Twitter followers) after I mentioned something like this:

>>"Dominos Pizza's new 8 Meats pizza is actually 3 meats - lamb, beef, and 6 varieties of pork (ham, bacon, smoked bacon, pepperoni, pork sausage, shreded cotto)".

And what good is this traffic Rodney?
You sell websites not Pizza.
Traffic just for the sake of traffic is useless.

Reg - NEW!! Turn photos into paintings http://FantasticMachines.com
All You Need is Dotcom-Productions and a Dream. http://dotcom-productions.com
0Grief http://0grief.com/special_hosting_accounts_for_my_ryze_friends.htm
CRELoaded websites http://RegCharie.com - SBTT http://thinktank-network.ryze.com

Private Reply to Reg Charie

Dec 31, 2008 11:41 pmRe:: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Teddy Towncrier


@Reg.

They won't be 'Following' Rodney until they've checked his profile and decided if he's someone they wish to associate with.

@Kurt .... Love the job you did with your Twitter profile. .... Highly targeted. .... You'll soon be attracting scooter fans.

Now create some content you followers will rush to Retweet and leverage for you.   More ...

Today's hallucination. .... "Ya gotta be on the playing field to hope to win the game">


Bestest.


Teddy Towncrier CPP Towncrier-Media.com Supercharging Your Visions.

Speak with me here Click Here for My Twitter

Private Reply to Teddy Towncrier

Jan 01, 2009 12:05 amRe:: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Rodney Collins		@Reg

Yes, I sell websites not pizza but the people on Twitter seem to like my comments about Dominos Pizza and if they go to my profile in order to follow the link to my website they will already know that I sell websites before clicking the link.

The point I was making is that an interesting tweet gets more traffic than a boring one like: "getting on the bus for work now".

I know that 'targetted' traffic is better than casual traffic but I am sure any traffic is better than no traffic. People may have been thinking about establishing an internet presence with their own website and even a casual visit to my website may trigger a sale.

Several visitors from Twitter to my website have gone on to look at other pages in my site so I presume there is some interest and I see that many visitors bookmark my website so that is also good.

Off-topic a bit - here is another site that looks a bit like Twitter - you make a wish and some wishes get answered: http://isowish.com/ I have yet to try it but I see that I can answer some peoples wishes.

Rodney Collins
Ready-to-Use Websites (now with Online Form Generator)
http://www.readytousewebsites.biz (easy.fast.affordable)

Private Reply to Rodney Collins

Jan 01, 2009 12:42 amre: re: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		That's very brave having twitter to your phone Kurt! I haven't done that but I think you can select which tweets you allow through to your phone.

Lindy

Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 01, 2009 3:06 amre: Re:: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Reg Charie		OK, I get that Rodney.
Ya..... general traffic *COULD* generate a sale and I guess the question would be, "What are your metrics showing?".
How long do the visitors stay, and if the visits do result in sales, what are your costs in time spent twittering needed to produce those sales? (Why do I have the image of a guy sitting on a branch in my head?)

My partner bought 10,000 visitors for $20 a couple of years ago which were delivered at about 300 a day, and we ran 5 separate tests.
1) Was using the regular landing page
2) Was page with ads to several varied products
3) Was same but with free info book give away
4) Was just info book give away
5) Was a series of about 10 free ebooks.

Out of the 10000 visitors TWO stayed more than 2 seconds.
1 sale was made. Gross profit was $20
If you consider that all the monitoring I did was worth *something* then it was a loss.

Still seems like a waste of time...

Reg - NEW!! Turn photos into paintings http://FantasticMachines.com
All You Need is Dotcom-Productions and a Dream. http://dotcom-productions.com
0Grief http://0grief.com/special_hosting_accounts_for_my_ryze_friends.htm
CRELoaded websites http://RegCharie.com - SBTT http://thinktank-network.ryze.com

Private Reply to Reg Charie

Jan 01, 2009 3:23 amre: re: Re:: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		Reg I don't think you will find anyone here trying to coax you to Twitter. If you want to explore it, there are people will be glad to help.

Simple as that.

I think your example of measurement is not a good fit in this instance. 10,000 hits without knowing where they came from or what they thought they were hitting on, is a tad different to my mind from hits from people who have considered you long enough to want to bother connecting and checking out 'what you do'. The people who go to that trouble, I don't see as needing to turn into a buck on the first look, and there is no way to measure how their looking... can result in someone in their network finding us as a consequence, and potentially being a) a contact or b) someone we may do business with.

Sales is not the metric to be measuring with social media. It is a definite metric for a site overall, but in this context, I think not. Just as posting ads to twitter is not a good look.


Lindy


Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 01, 2009 3:27 amre: re: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Paula Quick		Dear Kurt:

Once you start getting followers and reading the Tweets, you'll get it.

More and more people are joining Twitter to show that they are "in the game." Interestingly enough, there is a ton of information from Twitter followers themselves on how to maximize Twitter.

Also, a really good social network that provides a lot of practical information on the business marketing aspect of Twitter is: http://sta.rtup.biz

Star.rtup biz provides a wealth of information for entrepreneurs in general and is very non-spammy.

I think you would enjoy it and find it worth your while. In the meantime, I'll be following you on Twitter. FYI, my address is http://twitter.com/mentalmakeover

Sincerely,



Paula Quick, Internationally Recognized Life Coach & Reflexologist
http://www.thecheck-in.com & http://www.onyourfeetcoaching.com
You Don't Need More of "The Secret" You Just Need "The Check-In"
Do YOU MonaVie? http://www.monavie.com Distributor ID# 1507373

Private Reply to Paula Quick

Jan 01, 2009 4:59 amre: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Debbie Ball		http://tweetvalue.com/

Private Reply to Debbie Ball

Jan 01, 2009 5:02 amre: re: re: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Ido M		Hi Eveyone i'm new in RYZE but i must tell you somethings about TWITTER

when you been loved people are taking care for you so TWITS are great for this info

When you ar a leader people are following you so TWITS are great for follow your action & news

when you are lazy Twitter is great as a social network that limits your movments (only one sentence each time)

when you want to know what I'm doing just join my twitter

http://www.twitter.com/idoitbigtime

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2 EVERYBODY

Ido

Ido M - IDOITBIGTIME
Skype - idomeiron
Become the hunted instead of the hunter. Actually get paid to prospect.
Free Video Series! http://idoitbigtime.magneticsponsoringonline.com

Private Reply to Ido M

Jan 01, 2009 5:31 amre: re: re: re: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Marilyn Jenett

Kurt and Reg,

Just so you don't feel lacking in female support this New Year's Eve :-) - I will refer you to my posts about Twitter in a previous thread:

http://www.ryze.com/posttopic.php?topicid=1004386&confid=3337

I would also like to add this famous quote which sums it up for me:


"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

- Eleanor Roosevelt


I suppose we can do a bit of soul searching and ask ourselves: do we want our minds to remain small or average or shall we nurture our greatness?

I may not visit this network a lot, but the reason I do stop by is because the membership of this network DOES focus on ideas (that's a compliment by the way).

So to break it down - Twitter is an idea - and discussing that idea and various views is somewhat interesting. But unfortunately, the idea itself - Twitter - lacks in "greatness" and entertainment value to me. :-)

Wishing you all a wonderful, healthy, prosperous new year - and may each of us discover that bit of greatness within.

Marilyn




Marilyn Jenett
Founder, Feel Free to Prosper Program
http://www.FeelFreetoProsper.com
http://prosper-network.ryze.com

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Jan 01, 2009 5:46 amre: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		Marilyn I don't understand the quote and how it fits into a topic on Twitter.

There are a lot of conversations on Twitter that are from great minds, about great ideas, and highly abstract concepts.

Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 01, 2009 7:36 amre: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		I guess part of my confusion about twitter is the persistent recommendation to "follow" people. I don't want to follow people - I want people to follow me!

I'm really not too interested in accumulating more random information, especially one sentence at a time. I participate in a few random conversations (like here), a number of focused conversations (like on the scooter discussion forums), and the rest of my Internet usage consists of searches (primarily on specialized websites, occasionally on Google).

Heck, I even shocked the guy trying to sell me advertising on the local newspaper's website. He said their site is leading local website with over 175,000 unique visitors every month. I said "Oh really? I've only been there once." (I don't visit news websites.)

To me, someone who is using twitter successfully will have many more people following them than they are following. It's more work - putting together quality posts in only one sentence - but it should result in your being able to influence lots of people without having to spend time wading through irrelevant posts.

Am I missing something here?

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 01, 2009 8:17 amre: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		You are certainly missing something if you want to use twitter but don't want to follow anyone.


I think the thing you are missing is that Twitter grows as a consequence of reciprocity.

Who will follow you if nobody on Twitter even knows you Kurt? Most likely reason they will follow you at all, is as a courtesy. They will continue to follow you based on whether your tweets are worth reading. Or perhaps more correctly, will follow until you make yourself UNworthy of following.

Lindy





Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 01, 2009 3:10 pmre: re: re: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Teddy Towncrier


HAPPY NEW YEAR! To everyone.

@Kurt .... FWIW. ... Respectfully suggest you change your profile slightly to be found if I were searching Twitter for "Motorscooters"

"Best shop in Rochester, NY. for motorscooters'. May do the trick. ... (Maybe also include "Motor Scooters & motor-scooters" somehow).


Bestest.


Teddy Towncrier CPP Towncrier-Media.com Supercharging Your Visions.

Speak with me here Click Here for My Twitter

Private Reply to Teddy Towncrier

Jan 01, 2009 4:28 pmre: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		How do you find people to follow on twitter?

Here's what I've tried. First I went into "Find People" (http://twitter.com/invitations). Since I'm trying to make NEW connections (and not simply copy my email lists to twitter) I used the "Find on twitter" search to look for "scooter". While that's used in lots of user IDs, I wasn't able to locate anyone I was interested in connecting with that way.

Then I tried the search function in the links at the bottom of the pages (http://search.twitter.com/). I searched first for "scooter club" and then "scooters". This gave me lists of postings containing those words. By reviewing the bios of the people who wrote those posts I found half a dozen people that I might be interested in following, so I did.

When deciding whom to follow I settled on three criteria:

1) Do they mention scooters in their bio?
2) Have they posted frequently and recently about scooters?
3) Do they have BOTH followers and people who follow them?

Items #1 and #2 tell me their level of interest in scooters, but item #3 tells me how likely it is that they might spread a message I send out. I'm looking for people who have lots of followers. People with lots of followers are ABLE to spread your message, but if they don't follow anyone (and I came across several who are that way!) they won't hear your message in the first place.

I don't think that the following and followers counts have to match (or even be close!), but following SHOULDN'T be zero.

I've noticed that the people who have more followers than they are following seem to have a more professional or commercial orientation than most people. Their posts are more focused and informative. (Those who are not following ANYONE seem to just post ads.)

I started out with eight followers, while I was only following three. The numbers are now nine and nine. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 01, 2009 4:32 pmre: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		Kurt you seem to be wanting to Tweet to the choir.

Are all your customers, already riding scooters before they buy one from you?


Lindy

Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 01, 2009 4:53 pmre: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Veronica Broomes		Happy New Year to Everyone!

I stumbled on the discussion about Twitter and was prompted to join this Think Tank to add my 'two pence'.

As someone who too was sceptical about social networking sites for business, it too quite a while for me to decide to become a 'Tweet'. However, the trigger was an article on tips to raise the rankings of websites in search engines, rather than using only pay for click ads. So my reason for joining Twitter is business, but who knows the links that may develop.

From my offline networking, I know it's not only those that will buy directly from you that represent useful contacts. You do not know who they know that may have a need for your product or service or an interest in an article you write.

As marketing experts advise, each marketing tool should have ONE main aim to be most effective. So, if it's to raise rankings with search engines, then new customers would be a bonus and not the measure used to assess effectiveness of the marketing tool.

Veronica
www.executive-solutions.co.uk

PS. Feel free to connect with me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/VeronicaBr

Private Reply to Veronica Broomes

Jan 01, 2009 5:16 pmre: re: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		Lindy,

While nearly half of my customers are new riders, they've ALL expressed an interest in the products before they ever walk into the store.

The deal about Tweeting to the Choir is that while half of my vehicle sales are to new riders, ALL of my other sales are to scooter owners. In addition, the lifetime value (in terms of number of repeat sales and dollar value of those sales) of scooter owners is MUCH higher than that of new riders. More than twice as much.

Yes, ideally I'd go out to the general public, get them all to buy a scooter, and then evangelize them into becoming scooter fanatics suffering from MSD (Multiple Scooter Disorder) who keep up their scooter "high" by buying more scooters and accessories from me.

But I ain't that good!

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 01, 2009 5:27 pmre: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		Veronica,

I don't know if Twitter influences the search engines or not, but I was surprised by this:

Yesterday I signed up for Twitter (around 3:30pm). Then I created a word search puzzle and posted it to my blog, and wrote a tweet that mentioned the puzzle (but didn't give the URL!)

Before 6:00pm I'd received a Google Alert that listed the blog post, which tells me that Google had already indexed the page.

The power of Twitter? I don't think so, but I don't know. My blog does ping Google whenever I write a new post, but I've never had it respond so quickly.

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 01, 2009 6:04 pmre: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Scott Wolpow		I get alerts anywhere from 2 hours to 48 hours on KW's. Just means the google bot paid a visit.

Private Reply to Scott Wolpow

Jan 01, 2009 6:11 pmre: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Bobbi Jo Woods		Lest we forget that being a business on Twitter isn't just about selling - it's also about networking.

So, yes, if you want to make sales by being on Twitter, you could do research on the market that buys scooters and find those folks on Twitter.

But you also need to keep in mind that it's just like Ryze... you may not find Twitters to follow/follow you back who are in the market for a scooter, you should also target other businesses who either have/do something you don't and need/want, or folks who you can get to know, to have them help you find more business.

You'll never make a penny if you don't just make friends first. People buy from and refer business to...who? That's right, friends. Period.

I'm using Twitter to turn conversations into relationships, then into sales. And sometimes, just having fun and not selling.

http://twitter.com/bwoodsdesign

Bobbi Jo Woods, Owner
B. Woods Design - Professional Managed Websites & Hosting
Twin Cities (651) 774-0811
Toll - Free (877) 99-MY-WEB
http://www.bwoodsdesign.com

A Bit of Humble Pie - Down-home Bid'ness Chitchat
http://abhp-network.ryze.com/

Ask BJ about your Website issues - free answers & tips
http://tiny.cc/AskBJ919

Web Pro's Peak: A web marketing & website tips blog
http://www.microwebblogs.com/bwoodsdesign

Private Reply to Bobbi Jo Woods

Jan 01, 2009 9:34 pmre: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Paula Quick		Wow, lots of new people to follow~ I'm just about even as far as following/followers. I made a conscious decision to follow more so that the numbers would be more even. Of course, it actually feels better to have slightly more followers than the other way around :)))

Just saw a report on CNN where they are integrating news reporting with Twitter. At least Anchor Rick Sanchez is. What happens is that as he reports on a story, he goes to the Twitterboard to see what viewers are thinking. He also goes to MySpace and Facebook.

Before he even said so I thought this is a brilliant way to capture those who say they don't watch the news because they can get it on the Internet. Twitter (or social networking in general) is making the news interactive. I think the newspapers are attempting to become more interactive with blogs, but they need to start incorporating Twitter, as well.

I think we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg as far as Twitter is concerned that goes beyond the obvious social and business aspects.

For the news junkies Rick's address is: http://twittercom/ricksanchezcnn



Paula Quick, Internationally Recognized Life Coach & Reflexologist
http://www.thecheck-in.com & http://www.onyourfeetcoaching.com
You Don't Need More of "The Secret" You Just Need "The Check-In"
Do YOU MonaVie? http://www.monavie.com Distributor ID# 1507373

Private Reply to Paula Quick

Jan 01, 2009 11:02 pmre: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		BJ,

You said "Lest we forget that being a business on Twitter isn't just about selling - it's also about networking."

I believe there's a difference between social networking and business networking. That difference is "purpose" - WHY you're networking.

I have a business purpose for networking on twitter. I could talk about lots of things that interest me - like home repair, cats, science fiction, or the impact of the Blue Man Group on education - but that isn't why I'm there. My conversations on twitter focus on scooters. Aficionados will consider that to be a pretty broad topic, but to the world at large it's pretty narrow. THAT'S why I'm looking for people who already have an interest in scooters. I don't want my audience to get bored!

You also said "People buy from and refer business to...who? That's right, friends. Period."

People buy from people and businesses who sell what they need and want, and don't cause them to feel uneasy about the transaction. You don't necessarily need to LIKE the person you're dealing with. Heck, you don't even need to KNOW who you're dealing with. You ONLY need to balance your level of comfort (dealing with that vendor) with your need to purchase that particular product.

Think of ALL the purchases you've made. Own any mutual funds? Who are the fund managers? Ever buy anything on ebay? How much did you know about the seller? Who do you know at your local utility company? And so on.

Yes, what I sell is regarded as a major purchase by most people (even though most of them just put it on their charge card). Even so, people don't care what I ate for breakfast, what breed of dog I own, or what I do after work. What they want to know is whether I'm able and willing to sell them a quality product at a reasonable price and then stand behind that product with quality service to keep it running well. They want to know they won't get ripped off.

Like you, I'm using twitter to turn conversations into relationships, then into sales. I'm simply keeping the business purpose in mind, and since I am truly passionate about scooters, I'm having fun, too!

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 01, 2009 11:22 pmre: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		Kurt I could well believe your clients had an interest in scooters before they bought them. I might have an interest in scooters. Or opals. Or rhodesian ridgebacks (one of these is true). Would I think to put that on my twitter profile - a profile that has a very small limit to the words I can put there? Hardly.


Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 02, 2009 2:40 amre: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Kurt,

I understand that following other people first and then expecting folks to follow you sounds pretty odd. But, if you follow the right people, you may be surprised by what happens. And, to do that, you need the personal networking assistant, Mr. Tweet. All you need to do is visit the site and put in your Twiiter username. Then, you will be given instructions. Simple.

Since you are in the scooter business, the look of the scooter is probably pretty important. Well, if you get yourself a Twitwall, you can showcase your scooters in pictures and video to the Twitter universe with a single message. I actually had someone tell me today she decided to follow me based upon the contents of my Twitwall. She liked what I had to share. So, now we are building a relationship. Does it matter that she is in the United Kingdom and I am in California? Not really. You never know who people around the world know. It really is a small world.

What's really interesting to do is to not limit your Twitwall to simply "your stuff," but material from your friends. Would you decorate your wall at home with simply pictures of yourself or your scooters? Of course not. You would fill it with a wide variety of the many aspects of your life. Well, that's how it is with Twitter and a Twitwall. While Twitter asks the question, "What are you doing now?" your answer should provide insight into your world as if to say, "This is my world and welcome to it."

Want to see my Twitwall? It might spark some clever ideas for you. Click here. What's more, I want you to know I WALK my talk. You place a comment on my Twitwall with a link to a video about your scooters and I will showcase it front-and-center on my Twitwall. If you take the time to send the info, I will take the time to lift you up. It's really the Golden Rule - the "mutual lift." You see, I really do believe that good things happen to those who help MAKE good things happen.

Happy Twittering.

Lamar Morgan
CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing
707-709-8605
Attract more customers!

Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Jan 02, 2009 8:46 amre: re: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Marilyn Jenett


I just don't buy into that assumption that people buy from friends and people they like and with whom they have relationships. I have never understood that point of view since I first heard it here on Ryze. And I cannot be the only one for whom that doesn't play out in the real world of business.

I came to the Internet 5 years ago - specifically to Ryze. It was my sole platform for Feel Free to Prosper. I shared my wisdom on networks and of course with my own network members. I rarely got involved with conversation or "chatting" like this - rarely - some of that came later. Without intending to brag - I just want to make my point - I have gotten a great deal of business - and made a great deal of income from this platform. In fact, I very quickly transitioned out of my former business with large corporate clients and huge budget events. I reinvented myself on Ryze and created a whole new career which I know is my life purpose. Ryze has opened doors for me that I never would have dreamed of - a huge milestone is happening at this moment because of Ryze.

My corporate clients over 20 years - were not my friends and I did not have any kind of personal relationships with them. The clients contracted me because they trusted that I would get the job done. Even following my business transactions with them - they were not friends and we had no "relationships." So...I was their vendor. They often sent me thank you gifts and they called me again when they needed my services. On a couple of occasions, casual business friendships developed but that was after doing business with them.

In other words, I got the business on my business merits - not because of building "relationships."

Now...let's move over to our types of businesses servicing individuals, not corporations...

I suspect there are not many members on Ryze who for five years have created substantial income from exposure on Ryze, as I have. But I also suspect that the majority of those members have made lots of friends and built lots of relationships here and other forums. Many have even come clean and admitted that they haven't gotten much business, if any, from all the social networking they do - but they may be some of the best liked "friends" on the forums.

I consider one of the great benefits of social networking IS the people and social networking friends I have made while networking. But that does not correlate with the "selling" and "buying" aspect of doing business...

1. As I said, I have profited greatly from networking on Ryze. BUT...I think I can safely say that predominantly, the people who have "bought" from me were not those with whom I have built relationships or became friends - first.
The relationships and friendships evolved AFTER they became my students. They didn't become students or buy my programs because we were friends or because we had a relationship first. Now someone did once bring up a good point. They said that even though these "buyers" didn't know me personally, a relationship had been created just because I had shared myself on the forums, so in a sense that IS a relationship, even though we had no interactioin and didn't know each other personally. Okay, point taken.
But I had not built any relationships with these people.

2. There are many people with whom I do feel a social networking relationship status - "friends" if you will. But they have never bought my programs or become my students and I don't expect them to. And it doesn't matter to me. Our social networking "friendships" are based on mutual respect or maybe we just like each other. They even send me notes of appreciation and publicly honor what I do. But they are not the market for my services and I don't intend to "use" them for such. Period.

3. I have many close friendships and longterm relationships with those I have met through social networking. For example, one of them is Susan McCool -my "technical Tonto" who is like a family member (the feeling is mutual). We have never met in person. But the point I want to make is that I didn't even know who she was when she took one of my audio programs a couple of years ago. When I saw an example of her web work, I contacted her about doing some work for me. But there was no friendship or relationship prior to that. That came later.

4. I feel that our credibility and merits of our business is the determining factor to get business. We let the world know what we do - not by manipulating "friendship" offline or on. We can creatively find ways to expose what we do and its merits and that's how I believe we get business.

5. Yes, we can socialize and belong to the community while we do this. But to use that as the catalyst to get business is not in integrity to me. In fact, I don't want someone to use my services or buy my programs because they like me. I want them to do so because they believe it will benefit them. I want my business success to be based on my talents and expertise, not on "buy from your bud." A lot of people refer me to others. I get calls and orders all the time from people who referred me whom I don't know and never met or had exposure to. The referrals come because of trust in my expertise, not from friendship.

Spending all of our time on social networking sites to make friends is not, in my opinion, the way to get business. One of the basic human needs is to belong - and social networking is a wonderful way to belong to the community and meet people to whom you wouldn't normally be exposed. But to do this with the underlying theme of - "people buy from people they like" seems intellectually dishonest to me - and has that subliminal manipulation tone to it.

A book isn't a bestseller because the author had a million friends buy the book. People don't buy clothes from manufacturers and designers who are their friends. Chances are you are not friends with the mechanic or car dealership who services your car. Are you friends with your computer manufacturer? Dry cleaner? Grocer?

Well, I don't think it's any different with online business. People get a great deal of business because of online exposure and I just don't believe it's because of relationships and friendships, although there certainly can be instances of that. I'm not saying it doesn't exist. I'm saying it's not the foundation people would have you believe.

I believe it's from being good at what you do and letting the world know about it. The last time I heard - that's called marketing. As Kurt mentioned, you don't even have to like the company or person you are dealing with. But if they are good at what they do and will benefit you greatly, I would bet that you will use that service rather than giving the business to your "friend" whose business merits or talent might not be that strong.

And there is one last point I would like to make and hope I can express it correctly in writing...

I think there in many areas of business - familiarity can be detrimental to getting business. There is a certain respect for businesses and services that are not too accessible, too needy. And when people become too friendly and familiar, I feel it may affect the desirability of a product or service. I think much of the public is drawn to and wants what may be a bit "out of reach."

When a new toy comes on the market and there are none available, everyone wants it. When someone is in great demand, there is a waiting list. When someone is too accessible, there is often a question as to why they are accessible if they are so busy and successful. It's subtle, but it's there, I promise you. Experts have written about this and I have experienced it myself.

I am still shocked at the response I get from people when they call me and I happen to be available to take the call. They can't believe they have me on the phone.
I mean, I'm not a celebrity :-) But you see, there is this image they have that a successful person wouldn't be taking their own calls or be that accessible to speak to them. And I have to explain that I'm just me and even though I consider myself successful - I'm just me and I care about people and those who reach out to me for help.

So I believe that even though we want to build relationships with people in life - when it comes to business, there is something to be said for maintaining a bit of mystery or inaccessibility in order to be highly successful.

I'm here writing this because I find the topic of interest and am sharing my views and another perspective. I am not doing this to build a relationship with you or get your friendship or your business.

That's what social networking means to me.

Thanks for letting me share those views.

Marilyn






Marilyn Jenett
Founder, Feel Free to Prosper Program
http://www.FeelFreetoProsper.com
http://prosper-network.ryze.com

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Jan 02, 2009 4:32 pmre: re: re: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Paula Quick		Wow, Marilyn!

These are some excellent points. It's interesting that Twitter is bringing out such strong emotions on both sides.

As I have said several times I love Twitter and Ryze not so much because of the potential "get business" aspects but because as a solopreneur working from home with a mother who needs lots of attention, it's a place for me to get socialization and talk to other people beyond my local friends.

There are exceptions to every rule and I am sure there are a fair amount of people making money off of their social media networks. In fact this is something I have been keeping track of. It appears to me that the people making money through social networking are primarily people who already were making money or had some type of system in place BEFORE Twitter, for example. The social networking just becomes a natural extension of a system they already have in place ... NOT the beginning point, necessarily. I know someone who is trying to build a business through social networking and it's just not delivering despite the fact this person is "everywhere."

Even in your case, you came to Ryze five years ago (as an early adoptor and before social networking became so popular) not as a newbie businessperson but as a forum to share what you had already in place.

While I LOVE social networking to the hilt, I've been looking at the people I'm following and who's following me and the whole thing is starting to remind me of a much more sophisticated version of Direct Matches -- a nest of people just trying to sell you something under the "guise" of friendship and value.

The value I am finding from Twitter, since I'm on it so much, is simply the information I am picking up. Truth be told, however, I have so many self-development books and programs around, I truly don't need to buy another thing! So someone on these social networks can share all the free information they like (they're preaching to the choir) but chances are unlikely I will buy anything from them not because I am a Scrooge, but because I probably already have the information in another format.

It's why I posted "If It's Free Is It for Me?" and "The Cult of the Amateur." There seems to be this mentality that if you keep giving/sharing information for free that somehow that is going to bubble up into huge sales. I agree with you, keep sharing all that free stuff and all you'll get is a lot of familiarity and opinions about you and nobody buying.

Having said that I DO want to address the "Mutual Uplift" that Lamar talks about. I want to make it clear that I have made some great friends on Ryze but it is primarily mutual uplift. I don't necessarily expect them to buy anything from me and vice versa. The good thing is that sometimes mutual uplift is all you need and there is nothing wrong with that. You can bet however, that as I run into people who DO have a need, I will refer them to my mutual uplift people first. So perhaps that's the real trickle down effect and benefit of being on these social networks.

Even off-line you can find people wanting to buddy up with you because they really want to sell you something. That's happened to me several times and I think is par for the course, irritating as it is.

At any rate I think social networks feed our egos, we can all be "celebrities," if you will, with our followers and they're great for pure socializing.

Last but not least, something that really annoys me is that with PLR articles, even "Joe Dufus" can purport to be an expert in a field and that doesn't seem right to me. You can be following or be friends with someone who really isn't a bonafide expert in their field but is simply pulling information that they gleaned from outside sources. They aren't real experts at all, they're mere referencers.

As I look at '09 I am going to spend less time on Twitter "Tweeting" and more time engaging in some of the more traditional marketing tools as you suggested while further developing my own products and services.

As we all know, it is often difficult to be a "prophet in your home town" and friends don't always buy from friends :)

No matter which side you're one (and I can see both sides), this is a GREAT discussion!



Paula Quick, Internationally Recognized Life Coach & Reflexologist
http://www.thecheck-in.com & http://www.onyourfeetcoaching.com
You Don't Need More of "The Secret" You Just Need "The Check-In"
Do YOU MonaVie? http://www.monavie.com Distributor ID# 1507373

Private Reply to Paula Quick

Jan 02, 2009 5:19 pmre: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		Well, that was interesting!

I've just spent close to an hour tracking down worthwhile LOCAL connections on twitter. Success came when I did a search (in messages) on "Rochester news". That led me to the local newspaper and two TV stations (along with several local radio stations that I don't listen to). And one of the local college newspapers.

My thought is that the news outlets represent the "connectors" in this network. The big question is who do THEY listen to?

So I started looking at the list of people that the newspaper is following. That led me to a number of TV news personalities and producers, the remaining TV stations, and the PR people at some of the local Fortune 500 companies.

But the big find was a local business networking group. When I looked at THEIR sources I came across lots of people I recognized as local "movers and shakers". Lots of people to connect with!

Probably the best part of this is that while I was going through this exercise, I started getting messages from some of these "movers and shakers" that THEY are following ME! (The most significant of these is probably the newspaper itself, but some of the others are also noteworthy.)

I can see where this can develop into a significant PR tool. Of course, this means that I need to minimize the "chatter" I send out, but I was planning to do that anyway.

Do any of you use an approach like this to build your twitter network?

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 02, 2009 5:24 pmre: re: re: re: re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		Yes I've connected with people in my local area in much the same way. A work in progress, you could say.

Also in 'compatible interest' searches.

Lindy

Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 02, 2009 6:46 pmRe: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Teddy Towncrier


Can't help wondering if those of us who are using Twitter for marketing locally will be pro-actively trumpetting their Twitter affiliation.

*Cash register receipts.

*Vehicles.

*Store/Office Window & interiors.

*Letterhead & Posts.

*Print & Radio ads.

Or:   Hoping that osmosis will magically kick in.  More ..


Bestest.


Teddy Towncrier CPP Towncrier-Media.com Supercharging Your Visions.

Speak with me here Click Here for My Twitter

Private Reply to Teddy Towncrier

Jan 02, 2009 7:44 pmre: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Paula Quick		Great ideas, Teddy!

Paula Quick, Internationally Recognized Life Coach & Reflexologist
http://www.thecheck-in.com & http://www.onyourfeetcoaching.com
You Don't Need More of "The Secret" You Just Need "The Check-In"
Do YOU MonaVie? http://www.monavie.com Distributor ID# 1507373

Private Reply to Paula Quick

Jan 02, 2009 8:59 pmRe: Twitter - I Don't Get It. (Blog comments).#

Teddy Towncrier


@Bob Laplante, @Paula.

Thanks Dahlings for taking the trouble to comment in my blog. .... Much appreciated.

There may be a profit centre here for you.

Twitter will be ubiquitous as awareness of it's power and value increases exponentially

If local merchant's eyes are glazing over at the mention of Twitter; It's because they aren't aware of Twitter and the best thing we can do is plaster our 2 part decal on all four sides of our vehicles and create awareness. .... (.. even our garage door? ).

Decals are cheap. ... You could buy a run of perhaps 100 of the twitter logo and supply ID's on a custom basis. .... (I'm getting an idea for a mail-order business here).

I've done this previously with other items so have a bit of insight into decals. .... (Millions for the oil companies when product storage labeling legislation was introduced).

A couple of suppliers are coming to mind who have previously Retweeted for me.

Now! .... Where's @RodneyCollins. ... I need a PayPal set-up.

I'll put together a quickie conference room & we can keep in touch on this.


Bestest.


Teddy Towncrier CPP Towncrier-Media.com Supercharging Your Visions.

Speak with me here Click Here for My Twitter

Private Reply to Teddy Towncrier

Jan 02, 2009 9:03 pmre: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		Speaking of retweets, one of my tweets seems to be going viral! It links to a video of a guy riding a motorcycle, in traffic, while simultaneously texting. Here's my tweet:

This guy is taking his use of twitter too far! http://tinyurl.com/9fk73q

I found out about it when I signed up for tweetlater (http://tweetlater.com) and started receiving digests of @Replies for uvscooters.

Wow! Who'd a thunk?

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 02, 2009 10:48 pmre: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		We'd never have guessed Kurt.

*thump* (don't worry, just my head on the desk)


Lindy




Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 03, 2009 1:16 amre: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It. (Blog comments).#

Paula Quick		Sounds like a plan. I LOVE creativity!

Paula Quick, Internationally Recognized Life Coach & Reflexologist
http://www.thecheck-in.com & http://www.onyourfeetcoaching.com
You Don't Need More of "The Secret" You Just Need "The Check-In"
Do YOU MonaVie? http://www.monavie.com Distributor ID# 1507373

Private Reply to Paula Quick

Jan 03, 2009 1:20 amre: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Paula Quick		Dear Kurt:

I'm SO glad that you're "getting Twitter." Seems like you're really running with it now, no pun intended given you're into scooters.

It reminds me of that old commercial slogan "Try it, you'll like it." :)))




Paula Quick, Internationally Recognized Life Coach & Reflexologist
http://www.thecheck-in.com & http://www.onyourfeetcoaching.com
You Don't Need More of "The Secret" You Just Need "The Check-In"
Do YOU MonaVie? http://www.monavie.com Distributor ID# 1507373

Private Reply to Paula Quick

Jan 03, 2009 4:15 amre: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Marilyn Jenett

Paula,

First, thanks for your support for my sometimes maverick ideas :-)

But I do want to clarify something because of a statement you made...you said I was not new to business and had everything in place. That was not so. My former special event company had nothing to do with the Internet and I had never been on the Internet. I was completely and totally cyber challenged.

I had absolutely nothing in place when I came to Ryze five years ago. As I said, I had no experience on the Internet and no clue that there was any such thing as a forum. But Feel Free to Prosper was born right here on Ryze and grew up here. When I came here, I had no website, no logo, nothing but the lessons I had created. I somehow found Craigslist and posted a few ads for my lessons there - and a woman I didn't know saw one of my ads and invited me to Ryze. She was a real estate agent and her telephone number was in the email she sent to me. I asked her what Ryze was. All she said was , "You'll see - you'll have fun with it." (Little did I know at the time that she had just changed my life forever.)

At first Ryze was mind boggling, but I joined a couple of networks and just posted based on my teachings. Then on a whim I started my own network. Everything for Feel Free to Prosper developed right here on Ryze. It was just destiny (or as I call it, synchronicity). A Ryzer created the website. All my students came from Ryze.

And that was that. Everything I did I learned to do as I went along.

Marilyn


Marilyn Jenett
Founder, Feel Free to Prosper Program
http://www.FeelFreetoProsper.com
http://prosper-network.ryze.com

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett

Jan 03, 2009 4:24 amre: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Paula Quick		Thanks for the clarification Marilyn. Your story is inspirational.

Sincerely,


Paula

Paula Quick, Internationally Recognized Life Coach & Reflexologist
http://www.thecheck-in.com & http://www.onyourfeetcoaching.com
You Don't Need More of "The Secret" You Just Need "The Check-In"
Do YOU MonaVie? http://www.monavie.com Distributor ID# 1507373

Private Reply to Paula Quick

Jan 03, 2009 1:37 pmre: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		Paula,

I still have some reservations about twitter, but I think I'm beginning to see how and why it can be useful.

I spent most of last night updating my blog software to the newest version of WordPress. What does that have to do with twitter? I figured out (because of tweets sent by a local TV station) that there's a plugin that sends out a tweet every time you publish a new post on your blog. This gives me functionality like Lamar's Tweetwall, but in an environment I already know, like, and control.

This gives me another way to "push" notifications of my blog updates to people. Very useful!

Prior to that I spent some time setting up a Tweetlater account (http://www.tweetlater.com/). This gives me a way to automate twitter messages. I primarily use it to send out "Thank you for following me" messages automatically, but it can also be used to automatically follow anyone who follows you, or to "time delay" tweets.

That time delay feature has me thinking. Suppose I have an event at my store. I can set up Tweetlater to send out "come join the party!" messages every hour, WHILE THE EVENT IS HAPPENING, without me having to break away from what I'm doing. Hmmm. I'll have to try that for next month's event!

Another use of the time delay feature is to spread out my tweets. I've noticed that some people get on twitter, blast out a whole bunch of messages, and then go away for a while. With Tweetlater I can do the same thing BUT have them spread out during the day to give me a more constant presence.

Sort of like the difference between an infomercial and a series of commercials.

Now that I look at it, WordPress has the same "publish later" capability for blog posts. And it is now set up to send out tweets. Hmmm.

There are some interesting possibilities here!

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 03, 2009 1:52 pmre: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		Sending auto welcomes is a good way to get on the nerves of your Followers.

Lindy

Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 03, 2009 2:38 pmre: re: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		Lindy,

They go out as Direct Messages, meaning that only the person you're welcoming ever sees them. Heck, I didn't even know I'd SENT them until I looked into my Sent DMs.

My welcome message includes a link to my website so they can find out a little more about me (and my business, of course!)

One message, one time, to each follower. Do you really think that's too much?

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 03, 2009 2:44 pmre: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		I think that for many one automated message is too many. If you aren't connecting with people authentically, they'd rather you didn't bother at all seems to be the attitude.

So is one too many? Yesterday I participated in a chat experiment on Twitter using #Happy09 as a 'tweetchat'. I picked up about 70 new Followers as a result. Now if they all sent me one automessage... You see the problem?

I did use the auto thanks for following for about 1 day but I realised how unwelcome they are and now I prefer to retweet a new person or highlight them some way when and as I can.


Lindy


Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 03, 2009 7:33 pmre: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

greg cryns		I'm not convinced, Teddy.

I am getting a ton of value from Twitter but mainly by meeting great people there.

Did a test a couple of weeks ago. Sent out a message to respond if they saw the message. Sent it out 4 times during the day.

Did you see it? Did you respond?

My response rate was 2.5%. I have over 1,000 followers. You could say that is better than old fashioned direct mail. But is it better than building an email list?

Just curious about your opinion.

Greg Cryns

247 website traffic tips: http://www.wahmsearchengine.com/traffic-tips-report/
My business blog: http://gregcryns.blogspot.com

Private Reply to greg cryns

Jan 03, 2009 8:41 pmre: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		Lindy,

I think you have it backwards. If YOU CHOOSE to follow me, YOU RECEIVE a SINGLE "thanks" message from me.

If 70 people choose to follow me, *I* would have to SEND out 70 "thanks" messages. Each of my new followers, however, would only receive ONE.

THEY have control of how many "thanks" messages they RECEIVE, simply by controlling how many people they choose to follow.

Is this truly a burden? Or should I simply neglect sending out "thanks" messages at all (regardless of how they're created)?

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 03, 2009 9:04 pmRe: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Teddy Towncrier


@Greg:  I'm continually amazed at who does read my work and the connections that result.

IMHO we attract similar. ... If I post fluff ... I'll attract fluffy followers and wouldn't expect any substantial response.

Over the last few days I've been busy with a cross promo with Bob Laplante which has resulted in Retweets by a couple of solid sources and more coming before day's end.   (Leverage will be about 3 times my Friendforce).

First guest poster received both a Stumble and a Comment.

I'll be using Tweetlater for timed tweets to hit the "Sweet spot" in several time zones.

In answer to your question: .... I still like personalized email and now that we can include graphics & video; It's even more exciting.   I'm using Twitter to build that list.

You may have noticed that I'm moving into interactive video which can also be embedded in email, showcase more products and release a business from the constraints of a single subject video.

I still like email.   When it's short, punchy and engaging;  It will enjoy enviable open rates and will be read and acted upon.

There's a place for both.

Congrats on the 2.5%   With a couple of million subscribers; ... We could live well off that!

When you hear "I Don't Have Time For Twitter or Facebook" ... Send them here & give 'em The Hard, Bad news. ... More ...



Bestest.


Teddy Towncrier CPP Towncrier-Media.com Supercharging Your Visions.

Speak with me here Click Here for My Twitter

Private Reply to Teddy Towncrier

Jan 04, 2009 12:36 amre: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		Kurt, I understand. And if they follow 70 people?

I don't for a minute imagine that the ones Followed me, chose me alone from all the other possibilities.


Do you?



If people are building their numbers, they are probably inviting a lot of people.


What you do has to be your call. But I would follow the feedback you get from your group. Of course if you are not following anyone that will be difficult. If you are not following any chatty ones that know twitter well, you will be less likely to get the feedback that will tell you. Perhaps.

Lindy

Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 04, 2009 2:24 amre: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Kurt,

If you are using Twitter and none of the third-party apps that are freely available, then I wholeheartedly agree, building a decent following on Twitter is too time-consuming. A computer is a multitasking device - capable of doing many different things simultaneously. Well, Twitter can also multitask for you. What you need to do is select the third-party apps that will help you achieve your goals.

For example, Mr. Tweet could help you find the "right people" to be following on Twitter. Socialtoo can automate the follow process. That is to say, it will automatically follow those folks who choose to follow you and provide a response. It will also remove the folks who you are following that are not also following you. It even provides you with a survey to send out to folks if you so desire to get feedback from your audience. Now, that's nice touch is it not?

As a person who is fond of the "mutual uplift" concept of netweaving, I find the Twitwall a wonderful win/win tool. Not only can I post pictures, videos and podcasts on a wall in cyberspace, but others can do the same when they choose to leave a comment that links back to their Twitwall. Want to see what I am talking about? Just visit one of my two Twitwalls and read the comments. Here's a link - My Twitwall. By the way, all three of the folks commenting are Ryzers. One of them is also a Giant Squid on Squidoo.com.

Lamar Morgan
CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing
707-709-8605
Attract more customers!

Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Jan 04, 2009 2:29 amre: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lindy Asimus		"One of them is also a Giant Squid..."

Priceless.



I love The Internet.



I admit, a lot of people who follow me I do not follow.
I don't follow anyone whose tweets are all spam,
Rule number 1.

Lindy

Private Reply to Lindy Asimus

Jan 04, 2009 3:18 amRe: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Teddy Towncrier

Keep it simple folks .... You can have 1,000 followers within a week. (Step by step in my blog).

Those that hear my music will stay and they're the ones I want to to dance with.

As much as I love automated customer care; I don't send an automated welcome note. ... My profile prominently says what THEY WON'T GET and it also clearly says WHAT THEY WILL GET. .... Sets the tone for the relationship from day one and I think it's paying off.

The only way to have a solid FriendForce is to expose your essence with Posts, Articles, Retweets & Blogs. (Both our own work & Guest blogs). . ... Some will say "I want to know more about this person" & subscribe. .... Isn't this what we really want?


Bestest.


Teddy Towncrier CPP Towncrier-Media.com Supercharging Your Visions.

Private Reply to Teddy Towncrier

Jan 04, 2009 3:29 amre: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kurt Schweitzer		Lamar,

How is a twitwall different from my blog at http://urbanvillagescooters.com/blog ? I can also post text, video, podcasts, etc. Every time I publish a new post a tweet is automatically generated that links to it. In addition I can "post ahead" (create posts that will published at a later date and time), automatically create an RSS feed, automatically add the post to my website's sitemap, automatically ping (notify) many other blog aggregators, and incorporate features like calenders and so on.

What advantages does a twitwall give me over what I already have?

As for Socialtoo, its biggest advantage over tweetlater (which I already have) seems to be the ability to use a single tool to place short messages (tweets) on multiple networks. Since twitter is the only network of its kind that I'm currently using, that ability is wasted on me.

As for Mr. Tweet, it would help if the URL you use didn't link to a GoDaddy holding page. I believe the correct link is either http://twitter.com/MrTweet or http://www.mrtweet.net. Beyond that I gather the service he offers is an analysis of your network of followers. I haven't been able to figure out what else he offers.

Is there anything else I should be doing?

Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters

Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer

Jan 04, 2009 10:18 amre: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Kurt,

A Twitwall has a different look and feel than a blog. A blog looks like a document. A Twitwall looks like a movie screen. When you go into a movie theater, what do you usually see before the movie starts? You see commercial slides. One one of my Twitwalls I actually have a scrolling marquee. I do have the same on my blog. Yet, it is a different look and feel.

Despite the fact I have had my blog a lot longer than I have had Twitter - let alone two Twitwalls - I have been able to create more connections via Twitter than I have any other online resource - except MerchantCircle. And, my Twitter total will likely surpass MerchantCircle this month.

What is truly amazing to me about this is that I am not really working that hard at seeking followers. Why then, is it happening? Why would people I do not even know exist go looking for me? Well, in all honesty, I don't think they are looking for me. I think they are looking for people that I decided to connect with. For example, because I am on Guy Kawasaki's Twitter list - and Kawasaki is highly regarded in the technology world - people decide that they should connect with whoever Kawasaki connects.

Is there someone who is famous in the world of scooters? If that person is on Twitter, I would follow every person that follows him and see what happens. You may be surprised by what happens.

I was referred to Socialtoo by another Ryzer who I respect. I got Socialtoo because I wanted to automate the growth of my Twitter list. I got Mr. Tweet - my professional networking assistant - for the same reason. Both bring value to my Twitter account. Mr. Tweet helps me follow the "right people." How it does that is beyond me. Socailtoo is primarily removing folks from my Twitter list that are not following me, but I am following and making sure that the folks who are following me are being followed by me. I don't want to spend my precious time sending out "thank you" notices to Twitter users who for some reason decided to follow me. I want Socailtoo to do that for me. While I value the personal touch as much as the next guy, I need a life away from the computer. And, that is why, when I can I automate my Twittering. One feature of Socialtoo I did not realize was available until I signed up for the service is the survey option. I was looking to do surveys using Google Doc's spreadsheet application. However, if Socialtoo's survey option is not limited to just Twitter users, I will be using it rather than Google Docs.

Lamar Morgan
CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing
707-709-8605
Attract more customers!

Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901

Jan 04, 2009 12:31 pmre: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Paula Quick		Regarding the following/followers thing.

Yes, it's nice to have 1000s of followers and more people following you than you follow perhaps but I'm just not going to get caught up in the metrics and automation of processes here.

For one thing, there are some people following me -- who when I look at their profile, or the profile of some of the people following them, whom I decide I do not want to follow. For me, if I find certain curse words (not to sound self-righteous, please understand) in any of the Tweets or something else not appealing to me, they're on my Do Not Follow list period. Plus, if they're just pushing a nebulous or obscure MLM, that's another red flag for me.

Secondly, there are some people I want to follow regardless and it doesn't matter to me whether they follow me or not, although it might be nice if they did.

I wholeheartedly agree that reciprocity is great -- especially when amongst friends and colleagues. For example, I would expect that most of the people I have developed relationships with on Ryze and elswwhere would follow me and vice versa. But if it is a teen on the other side of the world I don't even know who decides to follow me, all bets are off :)

In other words, I don't necessarily see the follow me/follow you as an blanket "tit for tat" thing once you get out of your warm circle.

Thirdly, you reach a point of critical mass. Part of the appeal and fun of Twitter for me is actually being able to READ the Tweets, click on the links, respond back, develop relationships, etc. If it's going to become just one more thing that you have to automate on all levels to stay on top of, then what's the point of being on it? To some extent with an application like Tweetlater (which I myself have not tried yet and am not making a judgment on) you could conceivably fall into a scenario of posting only and not even reading someone else's Tweets.

I'm actually thinking about developing a second Twitter identity (and I got this from the Teddy, Lindy, Alex Skype call) for close, dedicated followers only and for another program I am working on.

Just my 2 cents this morning :)














Paula Quick, Internationally Recognized Life Coach & Reflexologist
http://www.thecheck-in.com & http://www.onyourfeetcoaching.com
You Don't Need More of "The Secret" You Just Need "The Check-In"
Do YOU MonaVie? http://www.monavie.com Distributor ID# 1507373

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Jan 04, 2009 1:17 pm: re: re: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Kathy Buck		Hi Folks, I've been away. Very busy and also taking a Ryze attitude adjustment :-)


Many know I came out strongly against Twitter. I am now a Born Again Tweeter!

Though I am not as active as many of my contacts and i think my followers and follows range at about 70 (after one month) I have made some very valuable connections. More importantly I've found a wealth of resources.

I do not sweat the un-follows or those I follow who do not return the follow. There is only one whom I quickly unfollowed who did not follow me. Oh and one other who tweeted like a ADD adult in need of an antidepressant, I had no interest in a succession of 12 tweets about her love of jelly beans and kids mischief. :-)

Twitter is by no means a major part of my marketing, I'm still testing the waters. I will be though launching local city on the platform. Twitters search allows me to target people in my area. I've three city events rolling out in Feb and March - research shows folks will travel 75 miles for a worthwhile event.

Cheers All~

Kathy Buck
Mayhem Marketing
http://www.mayhemmarketing.net
Mayhem Method Blog
http://mayhemmethod.wordpress.com/

Twitter: kbmayhem




Private Reply to Kathy Buck

Jan 04, 2009 4:35 pmRe: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Teddy Towncrier


@Paula.

So you've discovered Tweet stream filtering?

See what happens in the middle of the night when you hang with the right folks?


Bestest.


Teddy Towncrier CPP Towncrier-Media.com Supercharging Your Visions.

Speak with me here Click Here for My Twitter

Private Reply to Teddy Towncrier

Jan 04, 2009 9:26 pmre: Re: Twitter - I Don't Get It#

Bobbi Jo Woods		I'm going to go through my list of folks who are either not responding/talking to me, or those Tweeting things that are of no value to me (MLM/spammers) and get rid of them.

After that, I'm going to use Mr. Tweet to get recommendations on who to follow, based on my newly cleaned up list of core folks I do want to hear from, and see where that takes me.

I have not been on Twitter since New Year's eve, so I'm sure I will have lots of updates to catch up on!

I've recently updated my copy of Windows to XP Pro version with Service Pack 3 and going to try to re-install Adobe Air, and then try to install Tweetdeck again (which did not work for me but I did successfully install onto my new mini notebook) and am anxious to get it on my main workstation PC.

We shall see what happens after I reboot and re-install Air/Tweetdeck, now that my machine has alerted me just minutes ago that Windows Service Pack 3 is done installing.

After having used Tweetdeck on my mini notebook, I now know how much easier it is to manage Twitter updates and groups, as well as ignoring/muting those who get too chatty, so I can get things done.

Lamar-
I'm glad you found Socialtoo.com to be of some value ;)

Paula-
I agree with you that if you automate too much of your Twitter tasks, it can seem more like "upkeep" than actual personal connecting.

See you all in Twitterville!

Bobbi Jo Woods, Owner
B. Woods Design - Professional Managed Websites & Hosting
Twin Cities (651) 774-0811
Toll - Free (877) 99-MY-WEB
http://www.bwoodsdesign.com

A Bit of Humble Pie - Down-home Bid'ness Chitchat
http://abhp-network.ryze.com/

Ask BJ about your Website issues - free answers & tips
http://tiny.cc/AskBJ919

Web Pro's Peak: A web marketing & website tips blog
http://www.webprospeak.com

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