Tweet

Now, I know I've babbled on about Twitter before, but as I've decided it's my new best friend I thought I'd share what I've learned about using the site. If you haven't checked it out at all, they call it a micro blogging site, but it really feels more like a giant, unruly forum. You can spend hours watching half conversations, uncovering drama and actually conversing with hundreds of people at the same time. In the last few weeks, I have read more interesting blogs and found more like minded people than I ever did at more traditional networking sites like myspace.

I am not a social person. I do not like wasting time talking to people I have nothing in common with. I do not like putting on a happy face to get in the good graces of people I don't know. With Twitter, I can follow whoever I like, block whoever I don't and generally spend my time talking to like minded people and actually enjoy networking for once. I also do not like marketing, it's just not my thing. I do not like to advertise, I do not like beating people over the head with my listing. I do however, want to be noticed and again Twitter is great for non invasive exposure.

Here's what I've learned. First, get an avatar & write a really good and accurate profile complete with a link to your store or blog. Then find people you know from other spaces, people you like then start posting. Simple thing work best, status updates, new projects, listings, what you're having for lunch, things you want to buy, etc. Make sure you respond to other posts and try engaging people with questions. Once you're comfortable communicating in 140 character statements, start looking for more people to follow. Look through other peoples follower lists for people that you find interesting and people who might like your work. When you add them to your following list, they get an email. The first thing most people do is check out your profile to see whether they want to follow you back or not.

This is passive advertising. Don't go wild adding hundreds at a time though. That makes it look like all you're trying to do is sell something. Use twitter to make a few connections, click on links, and try not to let it take over your day. You will inevitably get followed by some strange or creepy people, if they're extra creepy, just block them otherwise just don't follow them back, eventually they'll go away. If you decide this is the place for you, you might want to get a dashboard widget so you aren't constantly refreshing your web page. I use Tweetdeck, but there are at least a dozen of them. It allows me to literally tweet all day long in the background of my computer without leaving my browser open. This may or may not be a good thing.

I'm certain that Twitter isn't for everyone, but its been great for me. It satisfies my need to read a little drama, exposes me and my work to new audiences without effort and allows me casual interaction with many new people. I follow tons of etsians, but I also follow news sources, fake new sources, comic book creators, actors, bloggers, fashion mavens and scrunches of other people that I think are cool. They don't all follow me back and that's fine too. I've gotten a few sales, bought a few things myself and just this morning I got a wonderful blog mention at The Coveted blog that I never would have gotten had I not followed it author on Twitter.

I do wish a few more of my tatting friends were there sharing projects, so if you want to check it out, go ahead and follow me. I'll try not to lead you down a bad road, but don't blame me if you get addicted.