Wednesday, May 20, 2009

all a-Twitter, without a clue...

Hi friends~ Help me, please. I'm an unlicensed driver in a car with no brakes...

I was in getting my hair cut the other day, & it was one of those looooong appointments. (Okay, so it wasn't just a cut. I have' natural highlights' that have begun to grace my mass of curls. First it was one, two...now it's one-thousand, two-thousand...) Anyway, Mark - who is a master of camouflaging natural highlights - & I were using this loooong appointment to talk about his mission work, & the technology his crew uses to document trips.

It was his fault. He said I needed to set up a Twitter account for this blog. I figure he knows what he's talking about, so I did. So, if you got an invitation from Twitter, from me, then it's legit. But I'm an unlicensed driver in a car with no brakes - who hasn't started the engine yet...

That's where you come in. I don't mean to sound ignorant, but I'm willing to admit my limits. Can anyone tell me what this means? What do you do with Twitter? What's the best way to make use of such a thing - for blogging purposes? I know BarryO has it, but I'm not sure how he uses it...maybe I should ask him...?

Oh, & I should say, I have absolutely no interest in standing in line @ the grocery store & telling everyone what I've got in my cart, what magazines are at the checkout, what candybar I'm tempted by, or any other such nonsense... I'm only interested in how it could be useful to this blog...IF it could be useful to this blog. If not, that account's gonna get pretty dusty. Because who has time to text about groceries when you've got a hungry family waiting @ home? Sheesh!

Any comments would help me keep it b'tween the ditches.

~~~

16 comments:

Timeshare Jake said...

I post a headline and a link. I get hits from it. I think that's the easiest way to do it.

USA_Admiral said...

I only have time for blogging, If I tried to add FaceBook and Twitter to the mix I could not properly manage what little time I have.

Just my opinion. If it helps your blog then it could only be good.

Barry O said...

I'm with Bill on this one. I tweet all my posts, and then a couple of remarks that are not related to the blog everyday. It generates alot of traffic.

Once you get above 100o followers, it starts to build on itself. You'll start getting Organic followers. Also, the hash tag is your friend. include #TCOT #JCOT #GOP in all your posts.

You could alos join the top conservatives on twitter.

Last, and this is contoversial- go to Newt Gingrich's twitter page and start following all of his followers. You'll get about a quarter of his guys to follow you back. Unfollow all who do not follwew you back in 3 days. Repeat every 3 days until you hit 1000 followers.

While you are doing this, people will tell you are using twitter wrong. But, I would respond that if I stop a homicide bomber by hitting him repeatedly with a hammer, I have used the hammer wrong. Twitter is a tool, to be used by it''s users as they best see fit. Ignore such nonsense.

Thanks for the link! Let me know your twitter ID- I'll tweet it to my folowers and ask them to follow you.

As far as "legit" goes- there are alot of Multi level marketers and phone sex girls- seriously. You don't have to follow them back, and can block them out.

BarryO

I Ain't Got No Blog said...

Hint......................
Don't Get Started.

RLR said...

I'm relatively new to twitter, and still don't know all of the 'code' - but I do enjoy getting updates from the folks I follow.

Susannah said...

USA~ Thanks. My husband does Facebook, but only minimally. He gets a kick @ how much time people waste on it, talking about nothing. THAT's what I don't want to do, for the same reason you cited.

I Ain't~ See above. Is this what you're trying to warn me about? :)

Clay & Barry~ Thanks. So -- & this is gonna sound dumb, but what the heck -- How do you 'tweet' a post (& what does this mean)? How do followers find you originally?

"Also, the hash tag is your friend. include #TCOT #JCOT #GOP in all your posts." English please...? How do you find someone's Twitter page (i.e., Newt; or someone finding mine)? Better yet - how do I find MINE once I leave Get the Big Idea? (Yes, I'm embarassing myself for the good of those who'll learn from my ignorance...yeah, right...)

Maybe I'll start by trying to learn the basics, then tackle the controversial stuff. But, like USA says - if it helps your blog (i.e., your message), then why not?

RLR~ Fantastic! A real live person that I can talk to about this! :) I might need you to hold my hand - see above...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post and for all the comments above- I've sort of been wrestling with the same thing (i.e., okay, what do I DO with this thing?).
I've been tweeting my posts (i.e., tweeting a shortened URL that links back to my posts), but other than the occasional pithy comment on current events, I don't do much else with it...like you guys, I really have no interest in sharing what sort of beer I'm drinking or how badly I need new shoes.

Bryan said...

Susannah is all a-flitter
Something about a twitter
So to help you with that critter
You might need a twitter-sitter

Heh, heh. :)

Timeshare Jake said...

I use TweetDeck which you can download for free. It allows you to post to Twitter and Facebook at the same time. It's the only way to go.

Timeshare Jake said...

You tweet a post just by creating a headline to spark interest and you post the hyperlink.

It may look like this:

Obama promises to give Iran nuclear technology. http://www.whitehouse.gov

Z said...

I don't even have a Facebook account and DO NOT WANT ONE!
Good luck with Twitter..I sure don't get it, either!
My blog's ENOUGH!
xxxx

Susannah said...

PJ~ I'm so glad I'm not the only one! We'll learn together...

Bryan~ Exactly how much would that cost - a twitter-sitter?? :)

Clay~ Oh boy~ the Facebook thing scares me...Like Z says, "I don't even have a Facebook account & do not want one!!"

Also, I did what you said, Clay (see my sidebar)...Did I do it right?

Z~ Yes, I know! I'm thinking that since I'd a budding writer, I might as well get hooked in w/ the tech aspect of it...right Clay?

BarryO~ "Also, the hash tag is your friend. include #TCOT #JCOT #GOP in all your posts."

Can you tell me what this means & how to do it?

THANKS SO MUCH, friends, for these terrific comments! Check the sidebar for my fumbling attempts & PLEASE comment with further suggestions anytime...

BetteJo said...

No help from me, sorry. I refuse. I'm on my computer at work all day and on my computer most of the time in the evening. I have to stop!!! So I refuse to add any social networking stuff. Sorry!!

Susannah said...

BetteJo~ Just what I like, a woman who knows her own mind! :)

Anonymous said...

Twitter Twitter Twitter
I know some that use it like texting on their phone to keep up with each other throughout the day. I had it in the past, keeping up with the local politicians.

Susannah said...

MACW~ Oooooh, I barely even text...so that won't be my option. So far, I've followed BarryO & Clay's (Bungalow Bill) advice. It's working well for now.

;)