Friday, November 21, 2008

Welcome to the Twitterverse!

A couple weeks ago I stumbled upon www.twitter.com - I was hearing this buzz about it on www.etsy.com and I decided that I had to check it out! Now, I have a loooong list of sites that I need/want to check out, but for some reason I was so intriqued that I jumped right on it and checked it out.  I'm so glad I did! I love Twitter!

So what is Twitter all about? Twitter allows you to post updates, have conversations, and promote yourself, all in little "sound bites" of 140 characters or less.  It's like blogging and instant messaging got together and had a baby - that's twitter!

The main benefits that I see from Twitter are:

1. Builds exposure for your business.
2. Easy venue to create and build relationships.
3. Instant feedback when you have a question about an item or which direction you should go in.

Let me take those one by one. Building exposure for your business - You can browse through twitter for friends.  I started with a few people I knew, looked through their friends, and it snowballed from there! You can also search based on interests such as etsy, art, jewelry, pets, Moms, etc.  This means you can connect to the people that fit in with your world, and your marketing goals. It builds fast too! I have 202 followers, and other than my initial blitz of people I recognized, I haven't been searching for connections! I probably will at some point, but I love that I have the ear of 200 poeple and I don't put much effort into it!

Easy venue to create and build relationships - Do you ever find yourself on a social networking site and not having any clue what to say? Even I, someone who loves to talk, run across that problem from time to time! The great thing about twitter is that people will be posting up what their doing, their newest listings, newest blog posts, questions, and more; which gives you ample opportunity to find things to respond to! I've had fun growing closer to people I already knew, and I've definitely made some new friends and learned a lot in the short time I've been on Twitter!

Instant feedback when you have a question about an item or which direction you should go in - I haven't really done this yet, but I've responded to things a lot of other people have put up! It's fun to have a chance to give instant feedback to others, and I'm looking forward to having that outlet when I need it :)

I have a lot more to say about Twitter - but you'll have to wait for another post! I think it's a great promotions tool and I hope that my ideas, and the ideas of others I'm going to pull in, will be helpful! Have a great day :)

6 comments:

Leah said...

Twitter just reminded me to go read your new blog post, so I guess it's working for you :)

TiLT said...

great article! I love my Twitter too! Although, I almost forget the promote part b/c it's so much fun checking everyone's stuff out.

TinaA said...

It's been very interesting reading about Twitter here. I signed up months ago but never done anything with it. I think I'll try it.

BeadedTail said...

I'm getting closer to trying Twitter but I'm still concerned about the time issue. I don't have any time to spare so I hope your next series gives an idea of the time management factor of Twitter. But, I learned a lot about it today that I didn't know so thanks for this post!

Geek Chic Dreams said...

I'm really glad you posted this, because I've been hearing a lot about it but was hesitant to check it out for some reason. It's kind of like when EVERYONE I ran into used deviantart to post their pictures and I hated it until I actually started an account and now it's one of my favorite sites. Thanks again.

storybeader said...

I twitter but only follow accounts of people I know or want to know. Some people are twittering with 2,000 others - are they really following my life? Maybe I shouldn't be so vocal or harsh, but I feel stretched in too many directions already. I follow the adage, "If you're going to do something, do it right!" Good luck, Ruthie, I DO want to hear what YOU say!