Prosperity TVTremendous information as usual! Follow randy and gain infinite wisdom
So with all the hype about Twitter, what’s the real truth? Is it the next big thing, a social media marketing breakthrough – or a monumental time waster, with people twittering and frittering their lives away with endless updates about what they had for lunch?
The Truth About Twitter…
A while back I wrote about my first few months experience on the service, and felt it had great potential to be a part of your social media marketing mix. Now after spending a few months more exploring the highways and byways of Twitterville, I’ve become convinced it’s a powerful tool that can enhance your social connections, and also offers some serious marketing traction, provided you know how to structure your use there. And by traction I’m not just referring to brand building, but actually producing sales. Lots of them.
Now obviously there are many people that view Twitter as purely a social connection platform, and I respect their desire to use it exclusively for that. (Not a few of which actually do update what they eat for every meal!) They can keep it in that realm by selectively choosing the people they follow.
But that is not the focus of this post. Here we will explore the marking possibilities of the service to expand your influence, develop connections, and grow your sales.
Leading a Tribe…
If you read “Tribes,” (And if not, what the Hell is the matter with you?), you’ll discover Twitter is a perfect way to keep in touch with your fellow tribe members.
Twitter is in essence a micro-blog, since your messages are limited to 140 characters. And instead of dropping by your website or getting a RSS feed, people choose to “follow” you. So when you log on to Twitter, you get a “stream” of all the postings (called “Tweets”) from the people you follow.
While there definitely are the menu tweeters, I’ve found that a broad and growing range of users there seem to view it more as a business network. And as a result, they’re much more open to business messages and even marketing appeals, provided you’re bringing real value to the relationship.
Monetizing the Micro-Blog…
In the few months I’ve been Twittering, I’m shocked with how enjoyable it can be, how helpful it is as a business resource, and how readily you can monetize it. It is this last application – actually making money from your postings there – that most seem to struggle with. (And some find sacrilegious of course, believing as they do, that Al Gore invented the Internet to provide them with free stuff.) But since no one would actually hire me for a job, I find the idea of making money a good thing, and found Twitter wildly profitable. So I’ve dusted off the original Manifesto, and updated it with some new “deadly sins” to avoid, as well as detailing how you can use the service to put a little jingle in your jeans.
Offering Value not Pitches…
Now I should note that I approach my Twittering the same way I do this Blog, email newsletters and websites. I believe in providing value, giving people a reason to view my stuff, and then offer options (coaching programs, seminars, consulting services, books, and other learning resources) where they can spend money if they like my work and want deeper assistance. So I don’t really make any sales from posting on Twitter directly, but I rake in a lot of dosh because I Twitter.
I don’t post links to sales letter sites, or do hard pitches, as that’s not really appropriate in the medium, and it’s not effective anyway. I do often link to my Blogs or newsletters that address topics of interest to my Twitter followers, and they often virally spread the message to others. My list grows and a lot of those people flash their cash for my other resources.
There are still a few nitwits that feel God put me on this earth expressly to work full-time providing them free advice, coaching and consulting, but far less than you may think. The vast majority of people, particularly on Twitter, understand that prosperity is a value for value exchange, and understand that while I may be a good guy – Mother Theresa is dead, and I still need to feed my cat.
The effective social media strategies are a move away from interruption marketing and assaulting your market – and a positive move toward simply interacting and being in touch with your market. If you show them you’re passionate about your work and truly interested in providing value to them, you’ll soon find yourself helping to lead a fiercely loyal tribe.
So I’d like to share how you can use Twitter to facilitate connections, build your database, and develop a steady stream of new customers. However, before we do that, we have to take a detour and explore the things you don’t want to do, because they alienate people and cause them to un-follow you fast. We can categorize this behavior as the “11 Deadly Sins” or just for fun, let’s call them…
The 11 People Ruining the Neighborhood in Twitterville…
1) The TMI Guy
Information is valuable and we all got on Twitter to get more of it. But there is such a thing as too much information. The TMI guy (or gal) suffers from the delusion that their life is interesting, and Tweets a steady stream of inane blather from rising until they mercifully fall asleep with their fingers on the keyboard. The typical stream from someone in this category looks like this:
@VacuousTwit going to the mall, 2 minutes ago
@VacuousTwit Clipping my toenails. Toe jam ew! 4 minutes ago
@VacuousTwit have to answer the phone, back in a min 5 minutes ago
@VacuousTwit my cat just spit up a hairball yuck! 7 minutes ago
@VacuousTwit anyone see Buffy last night? 10 minutes ago
@VacuousTwit pink t-shirt or blue one, decisions! 12 minutes ago
@VacuousTwit Getting dressed, back in a minute 13 minutes ago
@VacuousTwit No tweets from Melissa, bummer, 14 minutes ago
@VacuousTwit Coco Puffs, yum!, 16 minutes ago
@VacuousTwit BRB, gotta poop, 19 minutes ago
@VacuousTwit just got up, brushing my teeth, 20 minutes ago
The TMI Twitterer believes we’re all fascinated to learn that the mail arrived, what they had for lunch, or that they need to buy maxi pads. We’re not. In fact, we really don’t give a shit.
Not even your mother wants to hear a minute-by-minute broadcast of your day. Your life is just not that interesting. This is the online equivalent of the Valley Girl.
Please note if you are @lancearmstrong, @THE_REAL_SHAQ, or @MCHammer, you get an exemption. Because we’re fanatically obsessed with celebrity, we want to know the minutia about every thing that ever happens to and around you, including when you cut your toenails. Sorry @PerryBelcher, you haven’t reached this status yet. But we love ya anyway!
If you’re in doubt as to how well the scintillating play-by-play accounts of your bunion surgery, parking tickets, and bowel movements are playing in Peoria, surf over to twitalyzer.com Don’t get suicidal when you see your score, they’re very tough, and you’re only as good as the day you play the ballgame. But it will give you a very realistic view of the impact you are actually making on Twitter.
You can also stop by TwitterSheep and they will run a cloud of the most used terms in your followers’ bios, and that can give you an idea what they’re most interested to hear about.
BTW, don’t think that just because you have a lot of followers, they’re hanging on to every scintillating word you say. Many power users use applications like SocialToo to auto-follow everyone that follows them, but then also use TweetDeck to screen out the Twitter trailer trash. So just because someone is following you doesn’t mean they’re actually reading your crap.
Probably the best gauge of this is how many times you get “ReTweeted,” which simply means someone actually read what you wrote, liked it, and resent it to their own followers. Stop by Retweetist.com and see how often the Twitterverse is shopping your stuff around. Also, if you're still unsure, check out the video Mike Wesley did on ReTweeting here.
By the way, this doesn’t mean your tweets have to be all clinical and business. We really do want to know if the new Will Ferrell movie is as bad as it looks, if you’re a diehard “Lost” fan, or your mother passed away. We want to know who you are and what makes you tick. Just not everything.
2) The Food Dude
This poor soul is one of the insular twits we discussed earlier that believes the reason Twitter has amassed millions of followers is to know what he eats for each meal. Following them is kind of like having a one-way conversation with a gourmet idiot savant.
The banality of their tweets is matched only by the frequency of their flatulence. A quick look at their tweet stream reveals a page like this:
@FoodDude 9:12 French toast or pancakes? Decisions!
@FoodDude 6 pm bacon-wrapped sea trout with sapphire and jersey royals
@FoodDude 12:30 meatloaf with mango chutney. I’m so excited!
@FoodDude 8:20 scrambled eggs Florentine again, think I’m in rut
@FoodDude 4:45 Karen promised to make stroganoff 2nite, my favorite!
3) The Reply Guy
The symptom of this malady is the inability to send a private direct message (DM) to anyone. Instead, these people post every reply in their tweet stream. It comes from childhood, when mommy dearest locked them in the closet with nothing but DMs. Twitter recently changed the procedure so that replies are only shown to people following that person, but it can still get very tedious. So if you have this malady your stream is cluttered with dozens of messages from them like:
@ReplyGuy @Nancy no, I don’t think so
@ReplyGuy @BoringDude yes, after the game
@ReplyGuy @Nancy ok
@ReplyGuy @Lou_Stoolz I think so
@ReplyGuy @Nancy bye
@ReplyGuy @DenverDanny only if he can do it for less than $20
@ReplyGuy @Hugh_Jazz OMG!
@ReplyGuy @A1Escort is she discrete?
Twitter is not a chat room. They have places for that. They’re called “chat rooms.” That doesn’t mean you need to private message everything. Lots of times your replies may be of interest to your followers, particularly if you’re answering questions in your area of expertise. And the service is really meant to connect and develop relationships. But if someone checks out your page and all they see are replies that mean nothing to them, they probably won’t want to connect with you. So if you reply a lot, you may want to do so with some context, so readers can decide if they want to click through to the other person’s page to follow the plot.
4) The Multi-Level Morons
These idiots seem to be rapidly migrating from Facebook over to Twitter faster than @guykawasaki can toss out shameless plugs for Alltop. They set up an account and think sending their pitch out every three hours is going to build a group. They’re like a combination Jehovah Witness/Amway distributor on crystal meth. When you land on their page, it looks like this:
@MLMoron Amazing jungle juice from berries grown on secret mountain makes limbs grow back, 3 hours ago
@MLMoron Amazing jungle juice from berries grown on secret mountain makes limbs grow back, 5 hours ago
@MLMoron Amazing jungle juice from berries grown on secret mountain makes limbs grow back, 7 hours ago
@MLMoron Amazing jungle juice from berries grown on secret mountain makes limbs grow back, 9 hours ago
@MLMoron Amazing jungle juice from berries grown on secret mountain makes limbs grow back, 11 hours ago
If you’re doing this, I promise you that the only people reading your tweets are already in your group, and they’re drinking the jungle juice already.
5) The Novelist
Listen kids, this is not rocket science. There are only 140 characters for your tweets. When you’re typing a tweet, the nice folks from Twitterland have even given you a counter. When it says -7, that means you went 7 characters over and the last half of the link you’re sending out will be cut off. That makes you look dumb, and even worse, irritates me. Use Is.Gd or another service that shortens URLs and watch the character counter.
BTW, your brilliant branding strategy to have the username @World’s_Mostest_Greatest_Copywriter_Ever may not be as clever as you originally thought. It’s going to dramatically limit what you can say in your tweets, and will eliminate the likelihood that anyone can ReTweet you.
Likewise if you didn’t have enough sense to be born into a family with a short surname, be creative. There’s a reason Gary Vaynerchuk is @GaryVee. (Of course he’s a JETS fan, so don’t give him too much credit.) So instead of 140, limit yourself to 120. It’s the new black.
6) The Plagiarizer Twit
This person follows everybody, looking for good content that they plagiarize by re-sending it out as if it’s their own. It’s not a copyright issue, just bad form and a quick way to piss off people. The proper form is to ReTweet the stuff you like, and it’s very simple to do.
Just type in RT, put a space, their name with the @ in front of it, another space, then cut and paste their message. So it looks like:
RT @Randy_Gage: Do you make time for opportunity? http://ping.fm/3yTVP
Make sure there is a space after RT and after their name, before the message starts. And don’t forget the ‘@’ in front of their name, because that makes it a link to their page.
Once you start ReTweeting others, they often notice and return the favor. This gets your message and page in front of hundreds or even thousands of other readers, some who may decide to follow you. And ReTweeting good stuff also shows your own followers that you’re interested in providing value, not just hawking your miracle thigh cream. It also means you’re a good person and will receive your just reward in the afterlife.
7) ReTweet Pete
You’ll know this guy or gal by one look at their page. You couldn’t find an original thought there with a search party. Every tweet they do is a ReTweet. Dude, if we want to read what all those other people have to say, we’ll follow them. By all means, when you think something is valuable, ReTweet it and share with your followers. But if we follow you, it’s because we want to know what you have to say.
8) The Mysterious Stranger
So you get a message about a new follower and you click through to check them out. Nothing. No picture, no bio, not even the city they live in. Now if you just have the account to be in touch with a few friends and look for interesting stuff that’s fine. But if you are hoping to use social media to build your brand, expand your reach, or God forbid, actually make money, give us something to go on.
Put a pic on your page for God’s sake! If we go to your page and there’s only the Twitter graphic and no pic, it’s like a billboard that says, “Hi I’m Amish, just checking out this computer fad to see if it’s going to last.” Even 97-year-old mammies are emailing pix of their great-grandkids. If you don’t know how to load a photo yet, ask someone.
Make it a real photo of you, not your dog, cat, or llama. Please make it a current one also, and save your high school yearbook pic for the dating sites. We want to know who we’re conversing with. Likewise with caricatures or icons. Use them only if they really are an essential part of your branding.
List where you live. There are people that look to network with others in their town and some places are actually holding Tweet Ups where Twitterers in an area meet. And TwitterGrader lists the “royalty” in each town, and if you show up on that list you’ll attract more followers.
This is not Linkedin, or Plaxo. Keep with the friendly attitude of the site. Occupations like “Father of twins, Krispy Kreme addict, software developer and surfer” are okay here. “Engineer” is just boring and we’re afraid you might be Wally from Dilbert’s office.
Give us an idea of what you do, and why we might want to network with you. That doesn’t mean bludgeon us with a sales pitch. Just let us know how you might bring some value to us.
Your bio and your tweets should reflect who you are. Ideally they will anchor your brand in topic and tone. People should be able to take a look at your bio and the first page of your tweets and know what to expect if they follow you.
If you look at my page, you’ll see it mirrors what I do and who I really am. My posts are about success and prosperity, with a large dose of marketing. Just like me, they’re informative, sometimes snarky, direct, controversial, contain an occasional F-bomb, but always brilliant. And humble.
The majority of my tweets are about business. But you’ll also see posts about new Sci-Fi movies, fashion, or my Dr Pepper addiction, because that is stuff that’s part of me as well. I get a lot of comments from people that are really happy to learn more of my personal side, not just the business stuff. When you let down your guard a little, it shows us you’re human, and not a spam bot.
P.S. And what’s with all the “protected updates”? If you’re in the witness protection program, you probably shouldn’t be on Twitter.
9) The Codependent
Listen if you get your self-esteem from how many Facebook friends or Twitter followers you have, you have some unresolved childhood issues and need to call Dr. Phil.
We don’t want to get your tweets begging for more followers because when you get 200 you can go to bed, or crying because you woke up to discover there are two less people following you. And if you have to award prizes or give bribes to get people to follow you, what’s the point?
The people that respond to these pleas are the same ones that opt in to receive Spam emails. They’re looking for someone to talk to in the commercial break between Judge Judy and the Jerry Springer show. The whole idea is to create a group of people with commonalities and shared interests, so you can network and mastermind for mutual benefit, not accumulate a following of mindless boobs.
The same rules that govern direct mail lists, and email databases are in effect here. I guarantee you I make a lot more money from a few thousand followers on Twitter than a lot of the people with tens of thousands. The secret in any direct marketing list is having the right people on it. So don’t worry about quantity, do things that attract people that have an interest in what you do.
10) The Clueless Marketing Guru
These guys should know better, but they don’t. It’s one of the ironies of Twitter: The fact that there are some very bright marketing people – even Internet marketing gurus – that don’t get Twitter at all. Here’s the scenario:
Somebody tells them about Twitter, so their eyes get big at another chance to hawk their wares. So they set up a Twitter account, then do an email blast to their database, telling them to follow them. They get 5,000, 8,000 or 15,000 followers right away. Then the only time they send out a Tweet is to promote their next product launch. They tweet the link to their sales letter page and see the sales they make as proof that they’re a brilliant marketing genius that has figured out how to monetize Twitter.
What they don’t get is the people that bought are in their regular database and would have bought their shit anyway. So they’re really just wasting time, because they aren’t developing relationships or attracting new followers. In fact people that do follow them soon realize the only time they get a tweet from them is to pitch something. And meanwhile our guru is spending time maintaining their Twitter account when they could already reach the faithful with their regular marketing channels.
Then they go into radio silence for another three months and only surface when they have a new product launch. Guys, I know you think you’re an Internet marketing guru, but you might want to buy a clue.
The whole point of Twitter is to ENGAGE, speak with your market, listen to them, and make more connections. If you just see it as another email list to pitch, you’re missing the whole point.
11) The Quote Goat
Okay I’ll admit it: I like to read an inspirational or witty quote as much as the next guy. But we can go to the encyclopedia of quotations just like you did. If your whole stream is nothing but quotes, we don’t really need you. Once again, we follow people to learn their thoughts and insights, not just as a channel for robotic tweets.
Amazing New System Gets You Thousands of Followers!!!
Okay, so we’ve covered all the ways to drive people away and make yourself a pariah on Twitter. How do you attract people and build a strong and loyal following? How about trying this amazing new system? Put out good tweets with solid content. Engage people. Retweet others and be a part of the community.
Remember when the Internet was first blowing up, everyone was talking about the three ‘C’s: content, community and commerce. It’s not really that different today. The real king on Twitter is content. If you write stuff people care about, they follow you. And if you demonstrate that you are part of the community – by conversing, re-tweeting and offering value – the commerce will happen for you.
It is true that social media marketing is changing the way we market. It is a move away from interruption marketing and a move towards engagement with your tribe. And that’s a good thing. But there are still many principles that have always worked in traditional direct response marketing that work today as well. And one of those is that the quality of any list is much more important than quantity in terms off generating real response and conversions to sales.
Let’s say your church needs to raise $10,000 to fund a youth mission. I can get that quicker and easier with a sales letter to 400 people that attend your church than I would mailing to a rented list of 20,000 people. The letter will resonate with the parishioners and fall flat on the rented list.
In the last week I’ve received gorgeous four-color catalogs in the mail from a company offering cigars & humidors, and mail order wine. Both were very well done, with great copy and good layout. But I don’t smoke cigars or drink wine, so no matter how much money they spend or how effective they design these catalogs, they are still wasting their money mailing them to me.
You will sell a lot more grass skirts with an ad in “Hula Dancers Monthly” than you will with one in USA Today. You are reaching about two million more people with USA Today. But most are not qualified prospects. An even for the ones that are, you are fighting for their attentions with hundreds of other ads. The most lucrative marketing scenario is always working with a tightly targeted niche.
This principle works in Twitterville as well. If you sell commemorative stamps, you’ll do much better being followed by a few hundred or few thousand real stamp collectors than simply trying to follow thousands of random people hoping some will follow you back.
And you can find the people you’re looking for with Twitter.Search.com. Enter in keywords relative to your niche there, and it will display tweets from people on that exact topic. Then you can follow and engage with those people.
The Twitter Snob Controversy…
Now before we go, we may as well deal with an issue that keeps coming up: the “Twitter Snob” controversy. There is a school of thought that you should follow everyone that follows you, and I have been called a Twitter snob many times because I don’t do that. Guilty as charged.
But if you are an author, speaker, celeb or other very visible person, this just isn’t practical. And it doesn’t have anything to do with me being a snob or arrogant. (Not that I’m denying being either.)
I’m adding 300 or 400 followers a day, and a lot of times I just don’t have time to click through and check out each person’s page. If I follow all those people, I would need a staff of ten just to screen through the tweets. And the truth is, in a lot of cases, it doesn’t make any sense for them or me.
Some of those profiles deal exclusively with college scholarships (which I don’t need, since I’m a HS dropout and rich), Christmas decorations (which I don’t do, since I’m such a bitter, demented person), and a shocking number are devoted exclusively to coffee (which I don’t drink). There are profiles devoted to soap operas, motherhood, and printed in languages I can’t even read. And that’s not even taking into account the vacuous twits, MLM morons, or other terminally boring people we’ve already mentioned.
Now I’m on TweetDeck and I could easily follow everyone following me, and lead those woeful souls to think I’m reading their tweets, even though I’m filtering them out. But I’d rather just be honest about it. You have to make your own call.
Now for some of you, following everyone that follows you may make sense. If the numbers aren’t too daunting, you’re looking to meet lots more people, or you’re trying to assuage feelings of insecurity by amassing lots of online friends, go for it. For the sake of this post, I’m just dealing with the issue of the best marketing practices.
Now it doesn’t “cost” you anything to follow people and there’s no doubt that some will follow you, just because you follow them. And there are many on Twitter that just follow hundreds of people a day, figuring a good percentage will automatically follow them back.
If you build a huge follower base and start tweeting about anything and everything, you’ll get ReTweeted more often and that will get your page out there and you’ll pick up yet more followers. So I’m not saying it doesn’t work. It does to some degree. But you will always get better results if the people following you are actually interested in your area of expertise.
If you want to just follow people because a lot will follow you back, knock yourself out. But please don’t delude yourself into believing that following 1,500 random people a day to see who follows you back makes you a social media expert. That dog don’t hunt.
I’m an old school direct marketer that still believes it’s all about the list. And I would always opt for a tightly targeted niche that I can reach easily, with information that makes sense for them. And having a smaller list does allow me to actually read and interact with my followers in a meaningful way for both of us. Give it a shot!
Also check out the “Ultimate Twitter Resource” at http://prevential.com/twitter-tips/ There’s enough good stuff there to keep you hunkered over your computer getting repetitive strain injuries for weeks.
Okay kids, that’s all for now. Happy Twittering, and Peace out, Cub Scout.
-RG
P.S. And if you’re not following me on Twitter, what are you, a Godless Communist vampire or something? Do it now. I need the money. https://twitter.com/Randy_Gage
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Tremendous information as usual! Follow randy and gain infinite wisdom
Another great post with some usefull info!
I'm so tired of the quote goates. If you have nothing to say, don't tweet...
And let's not forget all the good that Twiiter does provide. Twitter helps me keep in contact with 60 real friends all over the planet. Twitter is making a significant contribution in keeping the world informed on what is really going on in Iran. I see technology helping to overthrow entire rogue regimes as it is becoming increasing impossible for these dictators to sensor the media. Twitter and Youtube are working against those who would attempt to isolate entire people groups from outside interference i.e. the forces of freedom and democracy. The old adage of divide and conquer is becoming increasing more difficult to advance because of this remarkable communication tool.
Create A Great Day
Randy - I love your candor and the way your Rants are written, just like you speak ! Direct and to the point. I joined Twitter last year some time at the recommendation of Agel leadership. .. even though I didn't have a clue about how to use it, the purpose, or why I would need such a thing except to get information from other leaders. Nevertheless, I see I am missing out on a whole world of social networking which would help me improve certain areas of my life - I am always open to new ideas, but sometimes feel like the old dog trying to learn the new trick !
Thanks for this information today - very helpful and enjoyable reading thru... when i figure out the retweet, I'll send it to some others !
Great post Randy. Entertaining, unique and informative as always and on the back of a twitter post well placed too. Hey, there's a lot of MLM trash outn there on autopilot right now and I hope a few will head this way and take a little bit of notice. What's the odds?
Mmm....maybe not!
I've been out of Randy's loop for a few years - saw someone mention him in a Tweet the other day - clicked on Follow - and I can honestly say I have missed his acerbic (I think that's the right word?) style and view on the world.
As I have recently embarked on a very new and very different kind of venture -- re-connecting with him couldn't be more timely.
If you read this Randy -- Hey Dude- -
Excellent article Randy. I'm totally in agreement with your "manifesto" and comments. Absolutely believe that we need to be giving value when we use our Tweets...occasional inspirational quotes is great, but not an hourly occurrence please!
And totally agree, it's not about the # of followers, but about the ones that are "listening" to you and are part of your tribe.
Thanks for another kool article!
David
Many thanks, Randy. You have once again provided me with valuable information on the Do's and Don'ts of Twitterville. As a recent newcomer to Twitter, it really helps to be associated with someone who takes the time to do the necessary research and generously share with the rest of the world! I will definitely RT!
Snot just came out of my nose from laughing at this post. Well done sir, well done.
Hey dudette!
Thanks for not posting a TwitPic of that!
-RG
I would have liked to see the snot. Can you reread it again - and capture the moment... like a rerun?
Hi Randy
This could be the BEST article you have ever written. In my experience there are a lot of sad people posting onTwitter and your clinical writing sums it up precisely!
One of the best posts ever I have read on how to use twitter. Thanks for including the tools. Love your sense of humour too Randy!
Randy,
to be honest I stopped reading after 5 min. There is a very good reason for Twitter being limited to 140 char.
"Kiss" keep it short an simple,
your post seems to have a great input but hidden under a lot of blabla, sorry for saying that, but a good post is not wasting my time in terms of offering input.
Think about it...
A brilliant post! People need to really understand the power of 'Attraction Marketing'. That doesn't mean shoving information down people's throat.
To sum up this post..."Content is King".
As a whole the twitter community needs to up the bar with value.
More people need a lesson from Mr. Gage.
Derek Devin
http://www.DerekDevin.com
All great points. It seems thinking like a conventional marketer leaves you frustrated with Twitter, because Twitter isn't really about you, it's about them. Randy called it when he said to add the right kind of value to the right people and they will automatically spread the buzz about you.
The other thing to remember is that most people are using Twitter as a kind of entertainment. When you "enjoy" it and get out of the "I need more customers" mentality, you can make your time tweeting more like going to a party. And what do people do at parties? They socialize, they shmooze, they ask each other "what do you do?" After that, the ball is in your court.
I'd like to add another one of those don't be this guy. Trend packers. They take the trend keywords and stuff them in a tweet so when someone does a search say on Tehran included in the results is a link to their spam site.
carou145: Need a Lawyer for Dui/Dwi See our for free! http://spamsite Tehran iphone AT&T Iran Mousavi Argentina Confederations Cup Spain
Now why someone would do that is beyond me. If I'm trying to get information on Tehran why would I care about finding a DUI lawyer? I wish there was a way I could permanently block scum like this to show up in any searches I do.
Good article. Thank you.
Bob
Randy,
Very interesting post. As always, useful information and straight to the point.
You nailed it down.
Bests,
Pato
A very informative and well-written post. You had me laughing out loud in places...
In what category would you put people who's every other Tweet is an ad from a Paid-To-Tweet service?
Great work.
Karl
We'll have to create a "Twitter Ho" category for them!
-RG
This is among the move clever, witty, and downright USEFUL Twitter articles I've ever read. You have summed up all the big, egregious, what-are-they-thinking Twitter no-no's so well.
Thank you for making me laugh and learn, all at the same time. Two of my favorite pastimes.
And, by the way, just in case..Is there a place where we can go to be absolved of our Twitter sins, should we be so clueless as to commit them? Just wondering...;-)
Well you are not alone. They say the future of books is the USA Today model. I love Twitter and its brevity. But the whole point of a blog instead of a micro-blog is to be able to flesh out ideas in a much deeper context.
And my blog in particular, is for critical thinkers of prosperity, success and self-development.
-RG
Say three "Hail Fail Whales" and you're absolved.
-RG
I admit it, I'm a Twit and a Godless Communist vampire or something like that...
arrgh! this POST ROCKS... but i am lost as to the excitement of twitter...
prior to reading this post, i see the potential for the social connection and to follow people... but i guess i was stuck with the ability to email and connect... and not just post on the front page...
i know i am NOT a twitter expert or even proficient, and calling me a newbie doesn't scratch the service on my newness... i just now started to check out your twitter page like a week or so ago...
for me i see myspace as more of a connection tool than twitter. (and like the geek i am turning out to be i love the coding i can apply to myspace. -- i absolutely LOVE your twitter page! can't figure out how to get my custom html on my page) people in my group on myspace can see each others pretty faces, check profiles for the scoop, and easily read comments and click to read blogs.
i dont see that with twitter. i will read, reread and learn more about this from your great post.. which could be its own special report or ebook... lol like seth godin's little ebook on webpage design? and use it as a lead capture give away? hehehe i know, i know, you're way ahead of me.... i cant even figure out twitter LOL...
i am thinking twitter is an added medium and gets lots of lip service in the media, but when i log into twitter it just don't see the connection? :o(
i am with you 100% of the way, but still confused... and thanks to this post i think this old dog might learn a couple new tricks.
like you i HATE it when the freaks are bombarding everyone with their crazy ass messages.... and trying dump on everyone they are connected to...
on the flip side of that coin i dont self promote at all... i know i am a twit, and, a Godless Communist vampire or something and a dim wit... LOL....
thanks to your insightful blog i think i will give the link the once over and take a closer look at twitter....
with your permission of course since twit, and, a Godless Communist vampire or something and a dim wit doesnt fit well on a name plaque can i just call myself chip? rolfl
thanks, love the post... once again you ROCK!
P.S. yes i have too much free time on my hands today... ;o)
The Ultimate Twitter Reasourse -- no shit dude.. that is HUGE you are not kidding when you said it will give repetitive strain injuries for weeks.... YIKES!!!
thanks for the link and your words of wisdom... i will fit this into my daily learning some how... i was wondering what all the hype was about twitter... now i have more information than i know what to do with...
i should be more careful what i wish for? lol....
P.S. not wanting to take advantage of you and your free coaching... you have given so much information here and helped out so much i feel guilty not paying for it?
thanks again!
randy, where do you find the time to write all this?
I can barely keep up with reading your posts...
Thanks for an informative & fun lesson on Twitter.
I've just started social networking & and had no clue how to use Twitter. Now I know what to 'tweet'. I really don't care what other people are having for breakfast, lunch or dinner, why would anyone care what I was doing in my personal life. It just made no sense.
And I couldn't really see how you could market yourself. So you've given me a lot of insight & a little more confidence to start 'tweeting'.
There is much to like about Twitter and I believe your manifesto should be required reading. Twitter is a great place to meet people locally and all over the world. You meet people on Twitter just like you do anywhere else. It is part of my schedule every day and it is great checking in to see the news.
Thank you Randy for making my day easier.
Hallelujah!
Thanks for the info, I'm pretty sure that Twittering is not my cup of tea, at least at this time. I like a few barriers between me and people I don't know and while I'm not a 97 year old grand mammie, I don't share photos or personal info for the general public. 🙂
Randy,
Loved the Manifesto Remix! I'll be back to read more!
Betsy
Try that website again!
Now thats how you filter, and find the people you want following you. Randy, that was inspiring and impressive. Thank you... =)
Savvy Randy! But I certainly will reconsider before tweeting about my morning coffee blend of the day. I say thanks for bringing to my attention what's yawnable and what's better left unsaid when it comes to sending a tweet into twitter history. However I will have to say, the lead in question of "What Are You Doing?" tends to call out for a coffee report or some other momentary off the cuff action rather then tweeting a new marketing strategy or late news report, hmmmmm. Still valuable information Randy with your exqusite wit ever abounding~ @ julesgregory
-RG,
Twitter me this Millionaire Messiah,
With all the high tech connections stuff, IE; Twitter, Facebook,blogs...etc
Am I now on the leading edge by talking face to face "laser focused" with people that I want in my business instead of the "shotgun" approach?
Just a thought.
-djm
Powerful. Thank youl
Hey Randy, awesome! Funny and valuable.
As a network marketer myself, I cringe when I try and connect with other marketers who obviously never spend anytime on twitter other than doing that MLM Moron strategy with automation.
Twitter rocks and helps build awesome relationships. When it sinks in, you gotta love it!
Thanks for an awesome post!
George
Nice post, but bummed you didn't point to the actual 11 people ruining twitter.
Great post. We all have a few like this.
Thanks
Jason Berkes
good stuff randy...not sure if i will ever twitter again!
i love great quotes that provoke thoughts, but you can read those on your own right?
i love to RT b/c i only follow brilliant people, but you prob follow some of the same! (most of my RT are for those in my "other life" that i would like to see raise the bar!
i do occasionally post food thoughts....but not a play by play!
anyway....when used correctly, twitter is a great tool. i do appreciate people like yourself that will set the record straight!
hope to hear your wisdom in houston for art's mastermind event!
Randy...
Once again your post is informative and generous, your candor is refreshing...
and the comments it elicits have me wondering why people don't seem to understand that twitter is an "in addition to..." not an "instead of..." tool for getting into relationship?
Keep on keeping on... you are appreciated!
~MK
No need to feel guilty - I'm sure he takes paypal!
-RG,
Spot on!
I don't want to be the "REtweet" guy but I half to do it.
-djm
love it! You got it in one (or 11).
Plus thx for useful tip/ link on twitterlyzer. Turns out I'm an emerging nobody!
Don't go-a-chanin'
Jason
Thank you for this sound advice as I do not want to be considered an MLM moron. If you don't mind, I will follow you in hopes that you will donate to Toys for Tots - a restricted check for Discovery Toys. Being who you are, I feel you would want to give the needy children real educational toys, books and games.
RosalindawithDT
Actually I do Toys 4 Tots every year. Already sent my check this year. And I also take a bunch to the shelter here. Glad you're on the cause.
-RG
Leaders are READERS!!!
This is definitely worth re-tweeting!
There just isn't enough on this topic...
Thanks Randy!
Hey Randy -
One more note... this is so tempting to do for facebook too... man! That gets REALLY unbearable sometimes!!!
cncastro
This is some of your best work.. Brilliant Mr. Gage! Thanks for blazing a trail.. 🙂
You crack me up Randy.... =)
I dig your honesty.
I must admit I am guilty of #7 ...... for now anyway.....
Soon my website will be done... and I will have more to say... but I feel that it is a bit premature for me to start in with it as of yet. 2 weeks at the latest (Dec. 7th) it should be up and finished.
I know I know... there are probably many things I can do now to create that following I need.... but what? is the question I ask myself....
Often I go to twitter and read from you, EricWorre, MorningCoach, and many different people related to the fashion industry... by the time I am done my time is up and there are other things I need to tend to. For example... researching the internet for the best wholesale prices on fabrics & notions, manufacturers, and most importantly the whole design process..... from concept to creation, even for a single design it takes many many hours. I am giving birth to this site single handedly, except for the graphics my friend is working on for me for my site...
I will put forth the effort to be more alive on Twitter... I promise =) I do not want to be a part of the 11 people you speak of....
xo =)
You are the best Randy!
Funny post Randy. A lot of truth to this one.
I've been some of these guys in the past.....Hell, I might be some them now 😉 But business is good and you're following me, so I guess that I pretty much abide by the rules.
Well, sorry take me as I am. I have many dimensions including pancakes for breakfast.
Great info. For all those on Twitter I am torn by the plagiarizer. I appreciate the fact that people put my stuff out there, but without acknowledging me, I get bothered.
Don't want to unfollow...what to do....
Thank you again, Randy, for providing us with valuable info on Twitter Dos and Don'ts. I'm learning... I created a Twitter account last year, ready to really getting into it until I found myself and my life literally consumed by it everyday. And I stopped logging to my account just to find many unwanted messages and to read those repetitious tweets. However, with a new refreshed mindset now, I'm beginning to see something that I wasn't aware of before in terms of my business opportunities between the US and Japan. I'm now seriously thinking of modifying my 300 huge website that I have and perhaps connect my business with a new strategy using Twitter. Althought it is vague yet.. but I began to see something that I never thought of before. I will continue to search for various possibilities, perhaps getting better at the use of Twitter first lol, with your helpful tips - Dos and Don'ts. I will definitely use 'RT' @ ...:-) Twittering/or facebook has not been my cup of tea, at least until now, as I normally find myself more comfortable dealing with people in person, not over the Internet. We are grateful for your time, kindness, and love for people in writing such a very long blog explaining the Dos and Don'ts on Twitter. I enjoyed reading today's blog that is very informative. Randy, simply, you're the BEST. Hugs:: -saachi
I have another sin to add to your list .. those people who send out a ton of "Thanks for the RT" messages, and then list those that ReTweeted them... why on earth do I care ? What a waste of space, and definitely encourages me NOT to RT any of their messages.
Rhonda,
I understand ... and when I don't thank people for RT'ng me people ask why I didn't do that. How to discover the group that appreciates you may be a matter of group rules of etiquette. I do lean toward thanking people vs ignoring them. Being grateful seems to be a muscle you work or lose. Being annoyed appears to be a permanent fixture of being human. I keep my upsets close and all too often forget to say thank you.
Michael
I always like to thank the people that RT blog posts or other things I want to get the message out on. And because Twitter just does replies to the people addressed now, it doesn't clog up the streams of other followers.
-RG
Randy,
I first commented to this Manifesto on: 2009-09-29.
Since I am now involved in the social media daily, I have noticed something that prevents me from reposting tweets or blogs.
FOUL LANGUAGE!
I understand that this may be personal to me & may not concern everyone, although I have noticed some of the industry leaders I follow mention it too.
There are people I know that would gain much from some blogs or even tweets, but.....I won't take the chance of losing respect of people I admire by reposting.
Thanks!
g
Randy,
I came back to this page since the link was seen in fb home page and reread it again. I'm pretty new to twitter, although I created the account last year but never got to it seriously getting actively involved with it. About the attempt in adding more followers, in return I often follow them back as a courtesy, unless their accounts are more of a sexual nature, I add them because I think retweeting or RT'ing that I do for some people in their favor whom I respect and admire so that more people would read what I tweet and would find out about what they do/blogs. Additionally, I do Rt'ing the quotes that I liked (I love quotes) In other words, I am not in the position, or at least not yet to monetizing or giving the value to the followers/following for one of the businesses that I've just begun lately, and also until I come up with specific ways to modify my exisiting business to a larger scale using my twitter account. Is it a good way, or it is unnecessary, since a tiny number of my twitter account wouldn't make any difference in spreading the words for them who are in the particular industry. Thanks for your input.
I didn't explain well as I read it back. English! English! I know there are a lot of noisy networkers out there tweeting and pitching their business without any consideration of others, as you indicate the above that it is not a good way and professionaly way of using Twitter. But, I added them anyway and follow them back to increase the number of followers so that more people would be access to the information about those who are doing the great things for the world. That is what I mean by asking 'Is it a good way, or it is unnecessary, since a tiny number of my twitter account wouldn’t make any difference in spreading the words for them..' Thanks again for your time.
Randy,
Thanks for this great post on Twitter. I like to read anything about this subject and your really shed new light on marketing.
Thanks, Randy!
Awesome post, great characterization of some of the Twitter followers we love to hate haha good stuff.
Great post! This should set many people in the right direction.
IAM INVOLVED IN NETWORK MARKETING.
A good portion of us call it The HiveMind. In addition to marketing, which hasn't been my focus, you can learn and interact with top quality professionals in any profession and learn from them and their interaction with their colleagues. This particularly true with the media and political professionals and activists.
It is an instant two-way communication that can evolve into a collaborative effort of disparate experts working on an issue, problem (like the oil spill), marketing or anything you can imagine. You truly can build a tribe, big or small, of your own and follow and participate in other tribes.
I've had one of my questions asked at a White House press conference by a national WH reporter for a major network. How could I have ever had that done any other way but Twitter and the HiveMind?
I love the whole concept of the HiveMind!
-RG
Great read. I'm almost the Quote Goat, but admittedly it is more to document quotes I run across and enjoy than to spam followers with unoriginal content. The proliferation of TMI Guy, Reply Guy, and MLM Morons leave a bad Twitter taste in my mouth, so I'm not as diligent about personal tweets as I probably should be... but I'm working on it. I enjoyed this post though, man. Keep 'em coming. Looking forward to seeing you in Houston at MM6. Cheers!
I'm having endorphin withdrawls after the laughing from reading this blog. I'm very aware of the impact social media is having on business. I'm still in the learning curve. I must say that I have concern with the paradigm shift occuring in society relative to communication and relationships. Physical connecting seems to be coming extinct. Many business's are a numbers game, no doubt. I concern myself though, with where social media is taking us away from our own true characters. Matrix comes to mind.
Great info as I am new to twitter and thought it was a common courtesy to follow back. I to am already tired of the Quote Goats, I mean.. I have my Jim Rohn quote book I can read it myself when I want! I am not fond of the constant pitches and of course all of what you mentioned in your post. I think a lot of this has been said several times, I just don't get why the people that due these things don't seem to absorb the "deadly sins" as you put it and continue to piss people off? People listen to what Randy is saying it is true! And lastly I guess I won't be pitching you wine, coffee, or cigars you snob!
This was immensely helpful. I have been dabbling with Twitter but haven't really understood it. I think I am starting to get it. Never too late to improve.
Well, I was on Twitter a while ago. I was trying to get help finding a job, not once did I get any help with that, well at least I'm going to school now. I don't know if I was doing it right or not; had a bazillion followers and I appearently sent messages to people I didn't even know. Messages that I would NEVER in my reality send to people. Anyway, I guess I need a course in Twitter cause I just don't get the point of Twitter at all, it was not helpful to me at all. If someone can explain to me how to use it without all the Bullshit, I would be happy to join it again.
Such an excellent and thorough article, Randy!
THANK YOU!
It shows that you have done your research, and found the real use- Vs. abuse- of Twitter.
I try to reply every tweet, unless it is a promotion, as I have noticed that even you take the time to thank me if I quote you or retweet you...
But you are soo right about the niche: some of my people are just interested in my fitness tweets, others on my wellness, marketing and mindset tweets, since I publish everything that is helping in my personal & professional development... Including retweeting you ; ) LOL
Since some people only like my tweets in Spanish, I opened a new account ONLY IN SPANISH, and a separate one in English; but my original account is my favorite, because it reflects who I really am as a person and in person.
Cheers & keep spreading the GOOD PROSPEROUS WORD out there...
Monica Sancio.
Randy , thank you so much for this message.
I do find your Prosperity TV very valuable. As I am In Direct Sales (MLM) I still do not find this message to harsh.
All I have to say is thank you very much and look forward to learning much more from you.
Dear Randy,
Thank You very much, it's a real pleasure to read your articles.
I'll try to translate your post into Russian for my team.
Waiting for your coming to Russia in july'11.
Best Regards,
Elena
RT @randygage: The best possible overview of all that's right/wrong with Twitter, delivered in RG's brilliant no BS style.
RT @randygage: The best possible overview of all that's right/wrong with Twitter, delivered in RG's brilliant no BS style.
I am fairly certain that putting a period in front of the @ symbol (as in .@randy_gage) send the message to that person ONLY.@pablodefleurs
I am fairly certain that putting a period in front of the @ symbol (as in .@randy_gage) send the message to that person ONLY.@pablodefleurs
You got me! I was a Twitter Whore, and I didn't know it. Since reading this post, I unsubscribed 2,000 follows, and now my Twitter Stream is interesting. It's all about what I'm interested in, and what my followers (according to my recent e-mail survey) are interested in. Took about 6 hours, but it was 6 hours well spent. Thanks so much. FitOldDog
Tremendous information as usual! Follow randy and gain infinite wisdom
Another great post with some usefull info!
I'm so tired of the quote goates. If you have nothing to say, don't tweet...
And let's not forget all the good that Twiiter does provide. Twitter helps me keep in contact with 60 real friends all over the planet. Twitter is making a significant contribution in keeping the world informed on what is really going on in Iran. I see technology helping to overthrow entire rogue regimes as it is becoming increasing impossible for these dictators to sensor the media. Twitter and Youtube are working against those who would attempt to isolate entire people groups from outside interference i.e. the forces of freedom and democracy. The old adage of divide and conquer is becoming increasing more difficult to advance because of this remarkable communication tool.
Create A Great Day
Randy - I love your candor and the way your Rants are written, just like you speak ! Direct and to the point. I joined Twitter last year some time at the recommendation of Agel leadership. .. even though I didn't have a clue about how to use it, the purpose, or why I would need such a thing except to get information from other leaders. Nevertheless, I see I am missing out on a whole world of social networking which would help me improve certain areas of my life - I am always open to new ideas, but sometimes feel like the old dog trying to learn the new trick !
Thanks for this information today - very helpful and enjoyable reading thru... when i figure out the retweet, I'll send it to some others !
Great post Randy. Entertaining, unique and informative as always and on the back of a twitter post well placed too. Hey, there's a lot of MLM trash outn there on autopilot right now and I hope a few will head this way and take a little bit of notice. What's the odds?
Mmm....maybe not!
I've been out of Randy's loop for a few years - saw someone mention him in a Tweet the other day - clicked on Follow - and I can honestly say I have missed his acerbic (I think that's the right word?) style and view on the world.
As I have recently embarked on a very new and very different kind of venture -- re-connecting with him couldn't be more timely.
If you read this Randy -- Hey Dude- -
Excellent article Randy. I'm totally in agreement with your "manifesto" and comments. Absolutely believe that we need to be giving value when we use our Tweets...occasional inspirational quotes is great, but not an hourly occurrence please!
And totally agree, it's not about the # of followers, but about the ones that are "listening" to you and are part of your tribe.
Thanks for another kool article!
David
Many thanks, Randy. You have once again provided me with valuable information on the Do's and Don'ts of Twitterville. As a recent newcomer to Twitter, it really helps to be associated with someone who takes the time to do the necessary research and generously share with the rest of the world! I will definitely RT!
Snot just came out of my nose from laughing at this post. Well done sir, well done.
Hey dudette!
Thanks for not posting a TwitPic of that!
-RG
I would have liked to see the snot. Can you reread it again - and capture the moment... like a rerun?
Hi Randy
This could be the BEST article you have ever written. In my experience there are a lot of sad people posting onTwitter and your clinical writing sums it up precisely!
One of the best posts ever I have read on how to use twitter. Thanks for including the tools. Love your sense of humour too Randy!
Randy,
to be honest I stopped reading after 5 min. There is a very good reason for Twitter being limited to 140 char.
"Kiss" keep it short an simple,
your post seems to have a great input but hidden under a lot of blabla, sorry for saying that, but a good post is not wasting my time in terms of offering input.
Think about it...
A brilliant post! People need to really understand the power of 'Attraction Marketing'. That doesn't mean shoving information down people's throat.
To sum up this post..."Content is King".
As a whole the twitter community needs to up the bar with value.
More people need a lesson from Mr. Gage.
Derek Devin
http://www.DerekDevin.com
All great points. It seems thinking like a conventional marketer leaves you frustrated with Twitter, because Twitter isn't really about you, it's about them. Randy called it when he said to add the right kind of value to the right people and they will automatically spread the buzz about you.
The other thing to remember is that most people are using Twitter as a kind of entertainment. When you "enjoy" it and get out of the "I need more customers" mentality, you can make your time tweeting more like going to a party. And what do people do at parties? They socialize, they shmooze, they ask each other "what do you do?" After that, the ball is in your court.
I'd like to add another one of those don't be this guy. Trend packers. They take the trend keywords and stuff them in a tweet so when someone does a search say on Tehran included in the results is a link to their spam site.
carou145: Need a Lawyer for Dui/Dwi See our for free! http://spamsite Tehran iphone AT&T Iran Mousavi Argentina Confederations Cup Spain
Now why someone would do that is beyond me. If I'm trying to get information on Tehran why would I care about finding a DUI lawyer? I wish there was a way I could permanently block scum like this to show up in any searches I do.
Good article. Thank you.
Bob
Randy,
Very interesting post. As always, useful information and straight to the point.
You nailed it down.
Bests,
Pato
A very informative and well-written post. You had me laughing out loud in places...
In what category would you put people who's every other Tweet is an ad from a Paid-To-Tweet service?
Great work.
Karl
We'll have to create a "Twitter Ho" category for them!
-RG
This is among the move clever, witty, and downright USEFUL Twitter articles I've ever read. You have summed up all the big, egregious, what-are-they-thinking Twitter no-no's so well.
Thank you for making me laugh and learn, all at the same time. Two of my favorite pastimes.
And, by the way, just in case..Is there a place where we can go to be absolved of our Twitter sins, should we be so clueless as to commit them? Just wondering...;-)
Well you are not alone. They say the future of books is the USA Today model. I love Twitter and its brevity. But the whole point of a blog instead of a micro-blog is to be able to flesh out ideas in a much deeper context.
And my blog in particular, is for critical thinkers of prosperity, success and self-development.
-RG
Say three "Hail Fail Whales" and you're absolved.
-RG
I admit it, I'm a Twit and a Godless Communist vampire or something like that...
arrgh! this POST ROCKS... but i am lost as to the excitement of twitter...
prior to reading this post, i see the potential for the social connection and to follow people... but i guess i was stuck with the ability to email and connect... and not just post on the front page...
i know i am NOT a twitter expert or even proficient, and calling me a newbie doesn't scratch the service on my newness... i just now started to check out your twitter page like a week or so ago...
for me i see myspace as more of a connection tool than twitter. (and like the geek i am turning out to be i love the coding i can apply to myspace. -- i absolutely LOVE your twitter page! can't figure out how to get my custom html on my page) people in my group on myspace can see each others pretty faces, check profiles for the scoop, and easily read comments and click to read blogs.
i dont see that with twitter. i will read, reread and learn more about this from your great post.. which could be its own special report or ebook... lol like seth godin's little ebook on webpage design? and use it as a lead capture give away? hehehe i know, i know, you're way ahead of me.... i cant even figure out twitter LOL...
i am thinking twitter is an added medium and gets lots of lip service in the media, but when i log into twitter it just don't see the connection? :o(
i am with you 100% of the way, but still confused... and thanks to this post i think this old dog might learn a couple new tricks.
like you i HATE it when the freaks are bombarding everyone with their crazy ass messages.... and trying dump on everyone they are connected to...
on the flip side of that coin i dont self promote at all... i know i am a twit, and, a Godless Communist vampire or something and a dim wit... LOL....
thanks to your insightful blog i think i will give the link the once over and take a closer look at twitter....
with your permission of course since twit, and, a Godless Communist vampire or something and a dim wit doesnt fit well on a name plaque can i just call myself chip? rolfl
thanks, love the post... once again you ROCK!
P.S. yes i have too much free time on my hands today... ;o)
The Ultimate Twitter Reasourse -- no shit dude.. that is HUGE you are not kidding when you said it will give repetitive strain injuries for weeks.... YIKES!!!
thanks for the link and your words of wisdom... i will fit this into my daily learning some how... i was wondering what all the hype was about twitter... now i have more information than i know what to do with...
i should be more careful what i wish for? lol....
P.S. not wanting to take advantage of you and your free coaching... you have given so much information here and helped out so much i feel guilty not paying for it?
thanks again!
randy, where do you find the time to write all this?
I can barely keep up with reading your posts...
Thanks for an informative & fun lesson on Twitter.
I've just started social networking & and had no clue how to use Twitter. Now I know what to 'tweet'. I really don't care what other people are having for breakfast, lunch or dinner, why would anyone care what I was doing in my personal life. It just made no sense.
And I couldn't really see how you could market yourself. So you've given me a lot of insight & a little more confidence to start 'tweeting'.
There is much to like about Twitter and I believe your manifesto should be required reading. Twitter is a great place to meet people locally and all over the world. You meet people on Twitter just like you do anywhere else. It is part of my schedule every day and it is great checking in to see the news.
Thank you Randy for making my day easier.
Hallelujah!
Thanks for the info, I'm pretty sure that Twittering is not my cup of tea, at least at this time. I like a few barriers between me and people I don't know and while I'm not a 97 year old grand mammie, I don't share photos or personal info for the general public. 🙂
Randy,
Loved the Manifesto Remix! I'll be back to read more!
Betsy
Try that website again!
Now thats how you filter, and find the people you want following you. Randy, that was inspiring and impressive. Thank you... =)
Savvy Randy! But I certainly will reconsider before tweeting about my morning coffee blend of the day. I say thanks for bringing to my attention what's yawnable and what's better left unsaid when it comes to sending a tweet into twitter history. However I will have to say, the lead in question of "What Are You Doing?" tends to call out for a coffee report or some other momentary off the cuff action rather then tweeting a new marketing strategy or late news report, hmmmmm. Still valuable information Randy with your exqusite wit ever abounding~ @ julesgregory
-RG,
Twitter me this Millionaire Messiah,
With all the high tech connections stuff, IE; Twitter, Facebook,blogs...etc
Am I now on the leading edge by talking face to face "laser focused" with people that I want in my business instead of the "shotgun" approach?
Just a thought.
-djm
Powerful. Thank youl
Hey Randy, awesome! Funny and valuable.
As a network marketer myself, I cringe when I try and connect with other marketers who obviously never spend anytime on twitter other than doing that MLM Moron strategy with automation.
Twitter rocks and helps build awesome relationships. When it sinks in, you gotta love it!
Thanks for an awesome post!
George
Nice post, but bummed you didn't point to the actual 11 people ruining twitter.
Great post. We all have a few like this.
Thanks
Jason Berkes
good stuff randy...not sure if i will ever twitter again!
i love great quotes that provoke thoughts, but you can read those on your own right?
i love to RT b/c i only follow brilliant people, but you prob follow some of the same! (most of my RT are for those in my "other life" that i would like to see raise the bar!
i do occasionally post food thoughts....but not a play by play!
anyway....when used correctly, twitter is a great tool. i do appreciate people like yourself that will set the record straight!
hope to hear your wisdom in houston for art's mastermind event!
Randy...
Once again your post is informative and generous, your candor is refreshing...
and the comments it elicits have me wondering why people don't seem to understand that twitter is an "in addition to..." not an "instead of..." tool for getting into relationship?
Keep on keeping on... you are appreciated!
~MK
No need to feel guilty - I'm sure he takes paypal!
-RG,
Spot on!
I don't want to be the "REtweet" guy but I half to do it.
-djm
love it! You got it in one (or 11).
Plus thx for useful tip/ link on twitterlyzer. Turns out I'm an emerging nobody!
Don't go-a-chanin'
Jason
Thank you for this sound advice as I do not want to be considered an MLM moron. If you don't mind, I will follow you in hopes that you will donate to Toys for Tots - a restricted check for Discovery Toys. Being who you are, I feel you would want to give the needy children real educational toys, books and games.
RosalindawithDT
Actually I do Toys 4 Tots every year. Already sent my check this year. And I also take a bunch to the shelter here. Glad you're on the cause.
-RG
Leaders are READERS!!!
This is definitely worth re-tweeting!
There just isn't enough on this topic...
Thanks Randy!
Hey Randy -
One more note... this is so tempting to do for facebook too... man! That gets REALLY unbearable sometimes!!!
cncastro
This is some of your best work.. Brilliant Mr. Gage! Thanks for blazing a trail.. 🙂
You crack me up Randy.... =)
I dig your honesty.
I must admit I am guilty of #7 ...... for now anyway.....
Soon my website will be done... and I will have more to say... but I feel that it is a bit premature for me to start in with it as of yet. 2 weeks at the latest (Dec. 7th) it should be up and finished.
I know I know... there are probably many things I can do now to create that following I need.... but what? is the question I ask myself....
Often I go to twitter and read from you, EricWorre, MorningCoach, and many different people related to the fashion industry... by the time I am done my time is up and there are other things I need to tend to. For example... researching the internet for the best wholesale prices on fabrics & notions, manufacturers, and most importantly the whole design process..... from concept to creation, even for a single design it takes many many hours. I am giving birth to this site single handedly, except for the graphics my friend is working on for me for my site...
I will put forth the effort to be more alive on Twitter... I promise =) I do not want to be a part of the 11 people you speak of....
xo =)
You are the best Randy!
Funny post Randy. A lot of truth to this one.
I've been some of these guys in the past.....Hell, I might be some them now 😉 But business is good and you're following me, so I guess that I pretty much abide by the rules.
Well, sorry take me as I am. I have many dimensions including pancakes for breakfast.
Great info. For all those on Twitter I am torn by the plagiarizer. I appreciate the fact that people put my stuff out there, but without acknowledging me, I get bothered.
Don't want to unfollow...what to do....
Thank you again, Randy, for providing us with valuable info on Twitter Dos and Don'ts. I'm learning... I created a Twitter account last year, ready to really getting into it until I found myself and my life literally consumed by it everyday. And I stopped logging to my account just to find many unwanted messages and to read those repetitious tweets. However, with a new refreshed mindset now, I'm beginning to see something that I wasn't aware of before in terms of my business opportunities between the US and Japan. I'm now seriously thinking of modifying my 300 huge website that I have and perhaps connect my business with a new strategy using Twitter. Althought it is vague yet.. but I began to see something that I never thought of before. I will continue to search for various possibilities, perhaps getting better at the use of Twitter first lol, with your helpful tips - Dos and Don'ts. I will definitely use 'RT' @ ...:-) Twittering/or facebook has not been my cup of tea, at least until now, as I normally find myself more comfortable dealing with people in person, not over the Internet. We are grateful for your time, kindness, and love for people in writing such a very long blog explaining the Dos and Don'ts on Twitter. I enjoyed reading today's blog that is very informative. Randy, simply, you're the BEST. Hugs:: -saachi
I have another sin to add to your list .. those people who send out a ton of "Thanks for the RT" messages, and then list those that ReTweeted them... why on earth do I care ? What a waste of space, and definitely encourages me NOT to RT any of their messages.
Rhonda,
I understand ... and when I don't thank people for RT'ng me people ask why I didn't do that. How to discover the group that appreciates you may be a matter of group rules of etiquette. I do lean toward thanking people vs ignoring them. Being grateful seems to be a muscle you work or lose. Being annoyed appears to be a permanent fixture of being human. I keep my upsets close and all too often forget to say thank you.
Michael
I always like to thank the people that RT blog posts or other things I want to get the message out on. And because Twitter just does replies to the people addressed now, it doesn't clog up the streams of other followers.
-RG
Randy,
I first commented to this Manifesto on: 2009-09-29.
Since I am now involved in the social media daily, I have noticed something that prevents me from reposting tweets or blogs.
FOUL LANGUAGE!
I understand that this may be personal to me & may not concern everyone, although I have noticed some of the industry leaders I follow mention it too.
There are people I know that would gain much from some blogs or even tweets, but.....I won't take the chance of losing respect of people I admire by reposting.
Thanks!
g
Randy,
I came back to this page since the link was seen in fb home page and reread it again. I'm pretty new to twitter, although I created the account last year but never got to it seriously getting actively involved with it. About the attempt in adding more followers, in return I often follow them back as a courtesy, unless their accounts are more of a sexual nature, I add them because I think retweeting or RT'ing that I do for some people in their favor whom I respect and admire so that more people would read what I tweet and would find out about what they do/blogs. Additionally, I do Rt'ing the quotes that I liked (I love quotes) In other words, I am not in the position, or at least not yet to monetizing or giving the value to the followers/following for one of the businesses that I've just begun lately, and also until I come up with specific ways to modify my exisiting business to a larger scale using my twitter account. Is it a good way, or it is unnecessary, since a tiny number of my twitter account wouldn't make any difference in spreading the words for them who are in the particular industry. Thanks for your input.
I didn't explain well as I read it back. English! English! I know there are a lot of noisy networkers out there tweeting and pitching their business without any consideration of others, as you indicate the above that it is not a good way and professionaly way of using Twitter. But, I added them anyway and follow them back to increase the number of followers so that more people would be access to the information about those who are doing the great things for the world. That is what I mean by asking 'Is it a good way, or it is unnecessary, since a tiny number of my twitter account wouldn’t make any difference in spreading the words for them..' Thanks again for your time.
Randy,
Thanks for this great post on Twitter. I like to read anything about this subject and your really shed new light on marketing.
Thanks, Randy!
Awesome post, great characterization of some of the Twitter followers we love to hate haha good stuff.
Great post! This should set many people in the right direction.
IAM INVOLVED IN NETWORK MARKETING.
A good portion of us call it The HiveMind. In addition to marketing, which hasn't been my focus, you can learn and interact with top quality professionals in any profession and learn from them and their interaction with their colleagues. This particularly true with the media and political professionals and activists.
It is an instant two-way communication that can evolve into a collaborative effort of disparate experts working on an issue, problem (like the oil spill), marketing or anything you can imagine. You truly can build a tribe, big or small, of your own and follow and participate in other tribes.
I've had one of my questions asked at a White House press conference by a national WH reporter for a major network. How could I have ever had that done any other way but Twitter and the HiveMind?
I love the whole concept of the HiveMind!
-RG
Great read. I'm almost the Quote Goat, but admittedly it is more to document quotes I run across and enjoy than to spam followers with unoriginal content. The proliferation of TMI Guy, Reply Guy, and MLM Morons leave a bad Twitter taste in my mouth, so I'm not as diligent about personal tweets as I probably should be... but I'm working on it. I enjoyed this post though, man. Keep 'em coming. Looking forward to seeing you in Houston at MM6. Cheers!
I'm having endorphin withdrawls after the laughing from reading this blog. I'm very aware of the impact social media is having on business. I'm still in the learning curve. I must say that I have concern with the paradigm shift occuring in society relative to communication and relationships. Physical connecting seems to be coming extinct. Many business's are a numbers game, no doubt. I concern myself though, with where social media is taking us away from our own true characters. Matrix comes to mind.
Great info as I am new to twitter and thought it was a common courtesy to follow back. I to am already tired of the Quote Goats, I mean.. I have my Jim Rohn quote book I can read it myself when I want! I am not fond of the constant pitches and of course all of what you mentioned in your post. I think a lot of this has been said several times, I just don't get why the people that due these things don't seem to absorb the "deadly sins" as you put it and continue to piss people off? People listen to what Randy is saying it is true! And lastly I guess I won't be pitching you wine, coffee, or cigars you snob!
This was immensely helpful. I have been dabbling with Twitter but haven't really understood it. I think I am starting to get it. Never too late to improve.
Well, I was on Twitter a while ago. I was trying to get help finding a job, not once did I get any help with that, well at least I'm going to school now. I don't know if I was doing it right or not; had a bazillion followers and I appearently sent messages to people I didn't even know. Messages that I would NEVER in my reality send to people. Anyway, I guess I need a course in Twitter cause I just don't get the point of Twitter at all, it was not helpful to me at all. If someone can explain to me how to use it without all the Bullshit, I would be happy to join it again.
Such an excellent and thorough article, Randy!
THANK YOU!
It shows that you have done your research, and found the real use- Vs. abuse- of Twitter.
I try to reply every tweet, unless it is a promotion, as I have noticed that even you take the time to thank me if I quote you or retweet you...
But you are soo right about the niche: some of my people are just interested in my fitness tweets, others on my wellness, marketing and mindset tweets, since I publish everything that is helping in my personal & professional development... Including retweeting you ; ) LOL
Since some people only like my tweets in Spanish, I opened a new account ONLY IN SPANISH, and a separate one in English; but my original account is my favorite, because it reflects who I really am as a person and in person.
Cheers & keep spreading the GOOD PROSPEROUS WORD out there...
Monica Sancio.
Randy , thank you so much for this message.
I do find your Prosperity TV very valuable. As I am In Direct Sales (MLM) I still do not find this message to harsh.
All I have to say is thank you very much and look forward to learning much more from you.
Dear Randy,
Thank You very much, it's a real pleasure to read your articles.
I'll try to translate your post into Russian for my team.
Waiting for your coming to Russia in july'11.
Best Regards,
Elena
RT @randygage: The best possible overview of all that's right/wrong with Twitter, delivered in RG's brilliant no BS style.
RT @randygage: The best possible overview of all that's right/wrong with Twitter, delivered in RG's brilliant no BS style.
I am fairly certain that putting a period in front of the @ symbol (as in .@randy_gage) send the message to that person ONLY.@pablodefleurs
I am fairly certain that putting a period in front of the @ symbol (as in .@randy_gage) send the message to that person ONLY.@pablodefleurs
You got me! I was a Twitter Whore, and I didn't know it. Since reading this post, I unsubscribed 2,000 follows, and now my Twitter Stream is interesting. It's all about what I'm interested in, and what my followers (according to my recent e-mail survey) are interested in. Took about 6 hours, but it was 6 hours well spent. Thanks so much. FitOldDog