5 Warnings for Twitter Newbies

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Nicky Kriel

Are you new to Twitter? Or can you remember when you had just started using Twitter? When you are a newbie, there seems to be so much to figure out.

So, it might be good to be warned early about five things!

1. Every Tweet is permanent and searchable

You can delete a Tweet, but if it has been retweeted or reacted upon, then it is too late.

Never operate Social Media under the influence of alcohol
Never Tweet anything that you wouldn’t want your mother or your children to read
Never Tweet anything you wouldn’t want to appear as a headline in a newspaper or in a court case
Never Tweet in anger, step away and reply when you have had a chance to calm down

2. Double-check your Tweet

Twitter operates in real time and often you will give a quick response to something. It is easy for your Tweet to be misinterpreted or go out with a mistake. Leaving out the word “not” can make a BIG difference to a sentence. So before you hit the Tweet button…

Check that the meaning is clear
Check your spelling and for typos
Check that all the words are there and in the right order

3. Don’t open suspicious links

Twitter accounts get hacked and you will find Tweets in your Messages (also called DMs or Direct Messages) from people that you know that don’t sound right. If your friend is offering you sex tips, a free iPad or says they heard something bad about you with a link, then there is a strong chance that their accounts have been hacked.

DO NOT click on the link.

If you are suspicious, ask your Twitter friend if they sent it to you
Make sure your account is not hacked by having a strong password

There seems to be a growing trend where you will be sent a link via a Tweet directed at you using your Twitter name or an @mention . If someone you don’t follow, sends you a link which is completely out of context,

DO NOT click on the link.

Check their Tweets
If you see a stream of similiar Tweets then report them for Spam which will also block them

4. Not all Followers are Real People

Some accounts are automated to collect as many followers as possible. They are called bots. There is no point in following them, they will unfollow you in a few days time anyway.

If you want to know How to spot a bot, then read this previous post.

5. Addiction

Twitter can be very addictive

If you spend hours a day on Twitter
If you are writing Tweets in your head even if you not on Twitter
If you get tense if you don’t have access to your Twitter Stream and feel that you are missing something important
If you check Twitter first thing when you wake up in the morning and last thing at night
If you read your Twitter stream when you are out with friends or on a date

You may be an addict. You could go cold turkey or you could work in getting your Twitter habits back into control.

A top tip from @BehaviourA

What warning would you give to people starting out on Twitter?

Don’t forget to retweet or share this article with anyTwitter Newbies you know.

Nicky Kriel

Nicky Kriel is a Social Media Coach & Trainer inspiring, educating and empowering Business Owners to use Social Media more strategically. She is also the author of How to Twitter for Business Success. For more information visit http://www.nickykriel.com or to find out about her courses that she runs in Guildford visit http://www.nickykriel.com/courses

How to write a Tweet

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Nicky Kriel

Do you use Twitter? So many people start up Twitter accounts and leave them dormant because they don’t know what to say? When you have been Tweeting for a while you forget how intimidating the blank “What’s happening” box can be. For a person new to Twitter, being limited to 140 characters may seem restrictive. But using 140 characters or less to express yourself can be incredibly liberating!

First things first: You are given a maximum of 140 characters, but you should aim to only use 125 characters at the very most. If you want people to retweet your messages you have to allow them space to do that without editing your original text. Less is more. Using only a few characters forces you to be clear, concise and clever about what you want to say. Less than 140 characters mean that all it takes is one sentence or a few short ones to fill in the box. There are no essays to write!

If you want to refer people to an article or a page on your website, there are many ways to shorten the URL to 20 characters by using sites such as bit.ly, which leave only a hundred characters to fill.

What is your intention for your Tweet?

Keep the 4 E’s in mind – Educate, Enrich, Entertain and Engage

Always keep your reader in mind; what do you want your reader to do when they have read your Tweet?

Click, Retweet or reply?

People will only click on a link if they think that there is something of interest to them at the end of it. People will only retweet if your tweet made them smile or they found the information useful. People will only reply if you encourage them to engage with you or if your Tweet has enriched them.

For example if you are in a shop buy food and you Tweet “Am in Sainsbury’s buying food“, as a reader I would probably think “So what?” But if you can add value by

telling me about something that you spotted someone doing
Giving me an insight about shopping or your views, such as “Hot cross buns at the beginning of Jan!”
Asking a question such “Do you find that food evaporates, too?”
amusing me with a funny rant

Some rules to remember

It’s best to restrict yourself to one thought per Tweet
Normal punctuation rules don’t apply! You don’t have to leave a double space after a full stop!
In most cases, the pronoun “I” and “me” can be left out without any loss to meaning
Any word can be abbreviated in any way as long as it’s clear to the reader.
Read and reread for clarity and spelling
Remember every Tweet is public; do not publish anything that you wouldn’t want your family to read or to be published as a Headline in a newspaper.

I tend to type what I want to say at first without worrying about the length. If it is short enough, I send it. If it is too long, that’s where the fun comes in. It is creative rewording what you want to say so that it cuts out waffle and extraneous words. Can you rephrase what you are saying to make it sound better? Have fun seeing how succinct you can be. Can you write a story in six words?

What top tips would you give to someone who is just starting out in Twitter? I would love to have your comments!

Other articles you might find interesting:

5 Reasons to Listen on Twitter

Is Twitter like Marmite?

Using Social Media for jobs

Do you listen when you use Social Media?

Nicky Kriel

5 Points to a Tweet

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Nicky Kriel

What does a Tweet mean to you? Can you say it in 5 words? And can you get those 5 words to start with the letters T, W, E, E and T?

Tom Evans and I were creating fun exercises to do in our “You have only 1 Second” Workshops we are running soon. We were talking about the magic of Twitter and how it helps you to be clear, concentrated and concise. Tom asked me how I’d sum up what Twitter meant to me in a few words and then we decided to see if we could get it to fit within the acronym of TWEET.

Here’s my go:

T – Talking

W – World

E – Encouraging

E – Encounters

T – Trust

Why don’t you have a play and add your 5 words in the comments?

Some articles you might find interesting:

5 Reasons to Listen on Twitter

How to write a Tweet

Is Twitter like Marmite?

Using Social Media for jobs

Nicky Kriel | Social Media Coach & Trainer | Social Media for Business

Inspiring you to grow your business through Social Media

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5 Points to a Tweet

Nicky Kriel