via mashable.com

This is a great breakdown on how to use hashtags on Twitter.

Posted via web from tywebbin social media mix

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You can also search for accounts to follow.

You might have noticed some people are following 1,000+ people or vice versa. People can choose to follow you. It is a courtesy to follow people back. but don’t think that it’s a golden rule to follow everybody. The “following/followers” aspect depends on who you are trying to reach and how effectively you want to connect. There are also bogus/spam accounts out there that do more harm than good.

Some people likely to closely monitor followers by choosing to protect their updates. If you prefer this option and have time to selectively add to your followers, definitely consider setting up your account as protected. Does the protected updates help your purpose though?  There is a certain amount of “transparency” that comes with the using social media.

For @tywebbin and @tcblogtours, my two business accounts, I do allow a little more leeway with followers because these accounts represents my business. I do quite a bit of tweets about social media, my clients and online marketing.

Now for my personal account (@cookieaisle), my updates are not protected. I do purposely monitor new followers and decide whether or not I want to follow them or even if they should be viewing my tweets. With my personal account, I’m probably more likely to make connections and have conversations.

As you balance Twitter with your comfort level,  keep in mind, the ratio of follow : followers is really where you make Twitter work in your favor in terms of online networking. For marketing purposes, it’s a waste of time if you are only following 12 people or only having a 5 following you.

Here are some popular directories to search for people to follow. You can also add your profile so other “tweeps” can find you.

Mr. Tweet
A personal networking assistant for Twitter, helping you identify relevant followers, recommending you to other users and regularly computing your Twitter usage statistics.

Just Tweet It
Just Tweet It makes it easier for tweeters to find other tweeters with similar interests.

Twitter Search
Search Twitter is an excellent search engine that allows you to find out what’s happening in the world beyond your personal timeline

WeFollow
This is a user powered Twitter directory. You can add yourself with three tag words.

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Twitter Lingo

Twitter has its own language, but it’s real easy to pick-up on. You are allowed to send (or tweet) 140 characters. This is the perfect platform to put writing skills to work because you want to say something meaningful to encourage people to follow you in as few words as possible.

Following/Followers – In the upper right hand corner of your profile, you will see the number of people you follow and those who follow you. I will talk more about this “relationship” process in next week’s post.

Tweet – The sent message

Twittering – Sending a Twitter message.

Tweeple or Tweeps- A word that describes people who use or who are on twitter.

@username – If you want communicate with a twitter user, generally you would send them a message or reply to their message. Whenever you use the @ symbol, your communication will be viewed on the public timeline.

Example: To reply to me at tywebbin, type …
@tywebbin add your 140 character message

If you are on the Twitter site, you can click “@username” in the right side bar to view all the tweets that mention your twitter username. This is probably the easiest way to keep up with conversation directed to you especially as your follow list grows.

Direct Messages (DM) -  Direct messages are private and will not show up on the main timeline. If you are on the Twitter site, you can click the "Direct Messages" in the right side bar so can view and send a private message. You can also place a "d" at the beginning of the twitter username.

Example: To DM me at tywebbin, type…

 d tywebbin add your 140 character message

I’m going to stop here a make a note about direct messages. I like to have DM’s emailed to me. Some of the dm’s I receive require immediate attention.  You can also choose to have DM’s and other tweets sent to you via your mobile phone.

Do be careful because you don’t  want to OVERFLOW your inbox or text messaging with tweets.

Retweet – A Twitter user resends another Twitter users’ message

Example: RT @tywebbin says thanks for taking the class.

Last year, Twitter added a feature that makes it even easier to Retweet. This new feature is very helpful because you want to know who has passed on your messages. Networking opportunities arise when you can connect with someone who likes what you are tweeting enough to pass it along.

NEXT WEEK: Who Should I Follow?

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I’m back for FAQ Friday’s. I’ve been looking through my emails and have had several questions pop-up with the new crop of clients and people I have met online this year. Everyone wants to know how to automate. I highly recommend relationship building with social media in order to make the platform effectively work for you. There are times of the day, when you simply can’t be on the computer.  Automation can save you time and still keep you visible.

STEP 1: You need to find your RSS Feed.

You can refer back to earlier FAQ’s at:

• What is an RSS Feed?
• Where is My RSS Feed?

STEP 2: Use Facebook Applications

There are several ways to connect your blog or RSS Feed to Facebook. I’m going to share the two I use.

1. NOTES APPLICATION

The simplest way to connect your blog is to use the Notes application. Click on the “Notes” tab on your profile page or go to the Notes page.  Under “Notes Settings” is where you can add your RSS Feed.

You can only connect one RSS Feed. Some choose to link to their blog feed, while others choose Twitter or Friendfeed  (can display multiple feeds).

Once your feed is imported, you will notice your blog posts will appear on your wall not too long after you have published a post.

If you have a Facebook fan page, you also have the ability to run an RSS Feed through the Note app on those pages as well.

2. NETWORKED BLOGS APPLICATION

Are you looking for a way to gain subscribers? I love the Networked Blog app. Why?

• I have been able to connect multiple blogs.
• There is a cool widget you can add to your blog (see the middle column of this blog) to encourage visitors to follow you.
• I have been able to gain new subscribers to my blog.

To sign-up for this app, you can go to:

• http://www.networkedblogs.com/ OR
• http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/editblog.php

You will need a certain number of Facebook friends to confirm you are the owner. Once you are confirmed, you can choose to have this feed posted to your wall. To increase your subscriber base, you can invite up to 12  friends a day. To really take advantage of this app, you should take the time to post consistent quality content. Believe me, folks will come to you when you share great information.

NEXT WEEK: How to Connect Your Blog to Twitter

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Posted via web from tywebbin social media mix

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