In the last year or so, microsharing service Twitter has grown by leaps and bounds, in terms of both popularity and usefulness. Regardless of the precise companies or services that become the most popular in the future, forming and utilizing decentralized social networks through microsharing is most likely here to stay, because it is fun and useful.
But the lack of structure, bounty of third party applications, and global sources of expert advice can also be daunting to newbies. So, for those who are new to Twitter, here are 10 things I've learned about winning friends and twinfluencing people:
Win Friends
1. Be unique, but be yourself
2. Participate in conversation
3. Provide value to a community
People get on my radar when they selflessly and repeatedly add value to a community of readers. Some people are funny, some provide free services, some give out advice. Music enthusiast and online guitar instructor Walt Ribeiro provides awesome value to his online community, and has turned his talents into a tiny empire of popularity. People like this slowly turn into rock stars.
4. Attract loyal followers
5. Mix microsharing with other outlets
Through running a family business, producing online video shows, and headlining social media conferences, wine expert Gary Vaynerchuk "brings thunder" to everything he does. Doing and cross-referencing different activities online creates feedback loops that increase viewers and can get people talking about you and your activities when you're not there to participate yourself.
Twinfluence People
6. Find the influencers:
7. Become an authority
8. Be creative
9. Reward with shout-outs
When you see someone doing something awesome, give them a high-quality shoutout. But be stingy and make it count. Here’s a shout-out that I gave to Army public affairs guru Lindy Kyzer for the great tweets she was sending from a conference she was attending. Everyone loves hearing that they're doing something awesome - and they also remember who thought that in the first place. Put a virtual smile on someone's face.
10. Always have fun
The Bottom Line