In our never-ending search for resources, applications, tools, etc. to maximize our selling and do-good work efforts, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to find the ones that can really help us to be productive … to save us time, effort and the proverbial needle in the money-stack! We are surrounded by blog posts and articles touting the best of this and that, yet few provide personal takes on what really works for them. While I can gorge on all the lists to my heart’s desire, there’s just too much out there to digest.
Twitter is a fine example of a subject that has succumbed to List Overload, with a plethora of “Twitter Lists, Resources & How-Tos” everywhere you look. We’re forced to read through lengthy lists, click on links, look at screenshots, view video explanations, set up accounts and wait for some sort of magical, make-my-life- better thing to happen. Who has the time? Instead, I’ve come to value personal recommendations - first-hand accounts – far more than a 100+ bulleted laundry list of superfluous-nesss.
While I don’t know the intricacies of everything out there today, I do know what’s worked consistently for me. To be efficient (and actually get things accomplished) I’ve weeded out the meaningless jargon from the practical (functional tweets and emails!) information I encounter all day long... every day. For the newbie wanting to take a step further with Twitter, I have – Voila – created a very basic (read: easy) step‐by‐step “Getting Started” guide to get it all going. I’m also sharing my inventory of Twitter-related tools, why they are good and how they’ve worked for me. (Of course, if you have the luxurious hot commodity of time, you can always read through a list of 275 Twitter-related resources and figure out what’s out there.)
The race for the best short URL service is well underway, with Goo.gl, Bit.ly, TinyURL, Su.pr and everyone else’s Grandma’s shortener going head-to-head to emerge as a leader. I use bit.ly because it provides me with the convenience of its statistical tools to track the popularity (and lack thereof) of the shortened links. And, how's this for handy: just add a + after any bit.ly link and you'll see the stats immediately! If I come to find another service provides better stats, I will naturally switch, but for now, I’m happy with this little bit of ly.
I’m surprised more people aren’t turning on device updates. We all know that news no longer breaks on CNN –-- it pops into our Twitter stream via Gawker, TMZ and every day people. Chances are I’m not looking at TweetDeck, ÜberTwitter or the Web when something humongous happens, but I’m still connected by having updates sent to my phone from a number of people and media outlets I trust. I also track reporters, HARO and ProfNet via SMS updates to make sure I’m on top of opportunities for my clients. (And, my day wouldn’t be complete without the sprinkles of comic relief and snarky pop culture insights from @laermer).
Chances are you have favorite tweets you come across that you’ll want to reference or re-read later (like, after a nap). Wouldn’t you also like to know who has “favorited” your tweets? Or, at the very least, which tweets/links out there are garnering the most attention? FavStar has become- yes you guessed it - a fav of mine to keep track of what others are happy with of mine, as well as to gauge the quantitative interest (value!) of what I’m tweeting. Everyone wants to be a star … here’s an easy way to see if you are shining among the masses.
Losing followers is an everyday occurrence, and not necessarily bad. I mean face it – if they don’t appreciate you, good riddance. It’s still useful, however, to keep track of those that stop following in case it’s someone you want to stay connected with. Or, as @pblog aptly put it, “It doesn’t have to be reciprocal.” I’ve found Twitterless, which tracks lost followers, to be better for reviewing follower history and filtering followers with keywords and descriptions, as well as making a graph of results. For updates of the see-ya type, Goodbye Buddy doesn’t disappoint, though it is jarring to get a DM with their hilarious way of saying you’ve been dropped! Indeed they keep things fresh:
"Oh, enough with all this childishness - @______ unfollowed you - deal with it!”
"Oh, enough with all this childishness - @______ unfollowed you - deal with it!”
What the #hash are they talking about??! Hashtags have gotten out of control, with the # symbol often added to everybody’s whim and rumination to emphasize what they think should be continued upon. Every now and then, however, a hashtag will pique my interest. If it’s not evident what it’s about (what’s with the bizarre abbreviations?!) I use the #Hashtags Finder for more info. Saves me time from reading through my feed to make sense of the sudden chatter.
When Twitter rolled out its list function, it was all the buzz. There are benefits to these lists, and some of us went through the trouble to set up our own lists. It’s been a few weeks and now the list-making has waned. Yet, well, it’s true—the ego in us wants to know when someone feels us worthy of inclusion. Introducing “Listwatcher,” which sends a DM when I’m added or subtracted from a list. One less thing for me to be monitoring! Or caring about.
Just as you would set up Google alerts to have mentions pushed to you, TweetBeep sends emails with your requested keywords (e.g. your @name, company name, etc). These emails (though not dependable unless you pay for premium service) are useful if you’re stuck in a meeting and unable to get online, and help you keep track of the RT’ed items from your own tweeterific self. If someone is engaging with you, this is a fine way to not leave him hanging. A good service when it works.
That’s all for me today. I want to hear from you. Don’t let Twitter turn into a time-sucking contraption that makes you want to scream. Incorporate tools and resources … and share ones you have found. I’m not a Twitter expert; just a continually evolving connoisseur of all things helpful.
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