Twitter

[FinnArild]

So - the latest networking craze is Twitter. A pretty simple thing really, where you can update your friends (and in our case, fans ... heh - I can dream, can't I) - about what you're doing right now.

Being serious about networking I didn't hesitate to become a member of course: http://twitter.com/finnarild - let's use this thread to share accounts ...

[john]

So - the latest networking craze is Twitter. A pretty simple thing really, where you can update your friends (and in our case, fans ... heh - I can dream, can't I) - about what you're doing right now.

Being serious about networking I didn't hesitate to become a member of course: http://twitter.com/finnarild - let's use this thread to share accounts ...

http://twitter.com/john_moxey

[MisterT]

I must admit, I haven't use Twitter that much, but it is a very useful marketing tool. For what it's worth - www/twitter.com/IndieMusicStart

[inomztietuseoe]

http://www.twitter.com/emilyseastrand/

[tindle]

I've been using Twitter for some time, and I can highly reccomend it. However there are a couple of basic rules to get the best out of it, rules which apply pretty much to all social networking sites..

1) Use an Avatar, not just the Twitter, (or whatever), default one.

This might be a picture of you, your band, your album cover, your band logo, your instrument, your car/house, whatever. You can change your background picture and your avatar at will, so use them to advantage, and ring the changes, with an eye to marketing yourself, if that's what you want to do.

The Avatar and homepage background image make you a person, not just a few lines of text. See, people like people..not personalityless bots..

2) Sure, promote yourself, but not continually, or you'll just tick people off. Drop a link or two into your timeline, but not dozens, and not in every session..that's regarded as spam, just like e-mail spam, and it turns people off. ...make yourself generally interesting, talk about your music, but talk about other stuff too. If you are short of conversation, talk about other people's music. If you are interesting, folks want to know more about you, and then you can drop what you are really about, your all encompassing passion, into the mix. Social networks are just like real life places, so converse just like you might in the pub, and don't be a me, me, me, person..take an interest in others, build relationships..get a few friends and their friends will follow you too..but only if you are interesting, witty, or funny, or something..

3) Reply to messages, and comments. Let people know you are listening and interested in them, and that you know how to behave well in company, because that is where you are, in company. Be good mannered and polite. Just like in the pub.

4) Join conversations, without butting in.. 'read your comment, John, I agree..' 'Don't mean to butt in, but..' that sort of thing..

There's more to it than that, but that there's a pointer or two..

What I do, is just be me..I don't think of it as promotion, just something else I do on the net to be social, and, just like in the pub, the conversation that ensues lets what else you do in your life come through..

So, yes, I'm on Twitter..

Twitter link: http://twitter.com/tindle (copy and paste it into your browser address bar)

By all means, look me up and follow me..

tindle

[Alistair]

Twitter looks pretty dull.

"Got up. Had breakfast. Got dressed. Went to work. Again."

Please someone explain the point?

[Lazz]

the point?

Ah......

[Alistair]

Ah......

It's obviously over your head, Lazz!

[tindle]

Twitter looks pretty dull.

"Got up. Had breakfast. Got dressed. Went to work. Again."

Please someone explain the point?

I don't have time to go into all the advantages of using Twitter, so I'm going to be very brief.

Chris Brogan is one of the most influential people on the internet, writing mostly, and, often, very profoundly, on internet marketing, with particular reference to marketing via social media websites and social networking. He writes on other things, but mostly, that's what he does. I'll come back to Chris in a moment.

Now, you may not know what social media and social networking is, as such, but I'm pretty sure you do know about Myspace.com. Myspace.com is an enormously successful social media website, in that it presents Media, (audio, video, photography, art, blogs, etc), by placing them in an interactive environment, within a social framework. That is to say, individuals can use Myspace.com to present their creative work, in whatever form it takes, on their own homepage, their mini website, if you like, where it can be accessed, for entertainment and information, by others. The 'others' can be, simply, members of the public, or other Myspace.com users, 'Artists', let's say, who also have their Myspace.com homepage, where they present their work. This is where the social interaction comes in. Myspace.com is set up in such a way that users can listen, read or view the work of others, comment on what they see or hear, and form relationships, 'friendships' through the site, in much the same way as Songstuff.com allows us to do, right here. This is an extremely powerful way to 'sell' and publicise your brand, if you go about things in the right way. I reiterate, Myspace.com is a social media and social networking website...so now you know what social media is.

Before the concept of social media was born, Artists like you and I placed our product and a little blurb about ourselves on a page on a website, somewhere on the internet, and passively waited for someone to come along and see it. Usually, that didn't happen much, because it all depended, more or less, on chance, and a little advertising or publicity, which most of us couldn't afford. When social networking came along, that changed, because we were able to interact with other people, through the likes of Myspace.com, and go out and seek our audience. When we found them, put them on our 'friend lists' and so on, formed relationships with them, and got on their lists, other people, their friends, could also discover us..it worked both ways..they helped us, we helped them, because our friends could discover our Artist friends, in the same way..

People like to know about people, and like to know about the folks whose music they like, like to feel closer to the Artist, and often, the Artists other fans, too..briefly, social media websites allow that to happen.

Now. Chris Brogan again. Chris Brogan is nobody's fool, he knows his stuff, he's a very shrewd and clever guy, he does internet marketing stuff, and he's way more famous than you and I. Chris Brogan is on Twitter, (and he's on my friends list). I learn a tremendous amount from Mr. Brogan; I could ask him anything, (though I rarely do), knowing he'll try to help, but that's not my point. My point is that Chris Brogan, for all his knowledge, talent and reputation, thinks Twitter is worthwhile, if you have a brand to promote. Chris promotes his brand on Twitter, very successfully, and he is only one of very many quite famous people who do.

Now, Twitter, like many, many things in life, only gives you back something worthwhile, when you put something worthwhile in.

"Got up. Had breakfast. Got dressed. Went to work. Again."

That statement doesn't cut it as something worthwhile! We all say that sort of thing, now and then, but just like Myspace.com, Twitter is about friends and conversation. Short, sweet and meaningfull conversation, in 140 characters. Between that conversation, in that conversation, you qietly promote your brand..and your personality, (just as important), a link to your blog, to your Myspace, your website, your new release, your pictures, whatever you like. When I drop a link into Twitter, all my online friends there read what I say, and some click the link, so my message gets across to them..that can, in my case, be up to 436 people, people I've made friends with, over a few months. Some of those people are quite influential in internet terms..they tell their friends, and so on..and my list will get bigger..

Now, there are dozens of social media websites.. Twitter, Plurk, Youtube, flickr, Hi5, Beebo, Friendfeed, loads of them... Twitter is a really useful way of referring folks to your content there..

Like: 'The new album is out... CD.baby.com/inzanecountry/fairytale ...let me know what you think? You could buy it for your Mom ;-)'

Some people will smile and click that link..

You have to have an internet presence, these days. A myspace, a website, a blog..they are a minimum. Social media websites are a great way to promote yourself, your brand, your product. Twitter is only one of them. Like all of them, it's as good as you care to make it.. If Brogan thinks it has a value, has a point, trust me, it has..but you have to make it work for you.

An example: tonight, I posted a picture on Twitpic, just for fun, and dropped a link in Twitter, I said:

There's a Teddybear in my garden: http://twitpic.com/3gmb

I wonder how many of you reading this post will click it now?

I know how many clicks it got when I posted it, and I've made a note of the figure. In a couple of days, I'll check again and tell you, right here, how many more it got, after this post.

Maybe that will tell us something..

Regards, tindle..

[MisterT]

Twitter can be used effectively if you have fans that have joined to you and you want to let them know what you are up to. A bit like sending texts to your friends if you're on holiday letting them know you've just done something really cool, etc.

It could also be a useful tool, if your twitter friends are people that have large following, that could help spread the word and drive traffic to you or your website

http://www.independentmusicstartup.com/recordlabelguide.html

Edited July 11, 2008 by MisterT

[tindle]

Twitter can be used effectively if you have fans that have joined to you and you want to let them know what you are up to. A bit like sending texts to your friends if you're on holiday letting them know you've just done something really cool, etc.

It could also be a useful tool, if your twitter friends are people that have large following, that could help spread the word and drive traffic to you or your website

http://www.independentmusicstartup.com/recordlabelguide.html

Just given your start up blog a little boost..posted on Twitter.. ;-)

regards, tindle..

[Lee]

http://twitter.com/leehowardmusic

[Alistair]

Tindle

Thanks for the in-depth article which you clearly took a lot of time out to write.

I do understand what social networking is though as my links at the bottom of my 5000+ posts on Songstuff will confirm. I don't think you have to explain social networking per se to songstuff users.

MySpace's popularity has plummeted over the last year as people realise howmuch maintencance their sites need and that there is so much competition from so many rivals. Perhaps Twitter is an example of the way social networking is evolving. I just find it trivial, however. Don't let that stop you thinking differently, of course.

[Roflcopter]

I think the common denominator between those social networks and lotteries is that some people can strike it big, but usually it's the owners that benefit most.

Is it a marketing tool or for social chat? For the first, the less competition the better, for the latter, the reverse. Hmm.

It will probably go the way all those hyped networks go, and mostly become some stock toy. Can be fun, but just speaking for me personally, I find hypes always pretty yawn-evoking.

Just my two eurocents.