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I already use RSS to keep my readers updated and interact with them in the comments. Why do I need to be on Twitter?

It used to be that you’d set up a new site, make sure that people could easily subscribe and keep up with your posts, respond to readers in the comments, and that was all there was to staying connected with those who wanted to stay updated with your site. As Twitter has become almost ubiquitous these days, many are slowly moving away from the feed reader to using Twitter exclusively. I’ve had several people tell me they can’t remember the last time they opened their feed reader.

There are many, I imagine, who are not happy with this turn of events. They don’t understand Twitter and don’t see the value in engaging with their readers this way, but that’s a rather short-sighted view of things.

Building relationships

The great thing about Twitter is that it’s a two-way conversation. Sure, people visit your site and who subscribe to your feed can comment on posts, and you can reply, but Twitter allows regular interaction with your followers, on more than just your blog posts. It’s a much more effective way to develop relationships with readers, and people are much more likely to stay engaged in your site’s content if they’re also engaged with you on a bit more personal, immediate level.

What if I have multiple web sites?

Okay, so maybe you get the reasons to use Twitter if you’ve got a web site, but what if you have multiple sites? For many, having a separate Twitter account for each site is the way to go because the content of their sites is different. For example, I have Twitter accounts for one of my kids sites, and my Solutions for WP site, along with my regular personal Twitter account. I would likely annoy many of the followers on my main account if I tweeted posts from my kids site on a regular basis and tweeted incessantly about “Mommy stuff”.

How do I manage multiple accounts on Twitter?

I use TweetDeck. I know there are several options for managing multiple accounts on Twitter, but I have found TweetDeck to be so easy to use, I haven’t even bothered checking out the others. Looking for other options? Check here.

Brand your Twitter page

Don’t take the easy route by just choosing one of the default templates. Take the extra time to brand your Twitter page. There are plenty of Twitter templates available for download.

Have fun at the Twitter party

Twitter is like a party. You go, you mingle, you have conversations, and take a break from your work. You’re not at the party too long before you know who to avoid. It’s “that guy” who is selling something. It’s usually insurance or financial planning. You can tell what is foremost in his mind. It’s not having a good time and getting to know people. He’s not really interested in people in general except that they are potential clients, and you can tell within a couple minutes of talking to him.

How to do the Twitter party the right way:

Go – show up, tweet a couple of times a day at least

Mingle -  get to know lots of people, follow the most interesting and important, especially in your niche.

Relax – this isn’t all about work. You’re not there to sell yourself. You’re there to develop relationships.

Have conversations – retweet, ask questions, be genuine, be yourself, get to know people and share stuff about yourself. This is the part where you tell people what you do, share the latest thing you’re working on, talk about what you love and what you’re excited about

If you’re involved in social media- Twitter in particular- just to market yourself, people can often tell. Just like they can tell when they start talking to “that guy” at the party that he’s trying to work the conversation around to what he does, what he sells and feeling you out to see if you’re a potential customer. Don’t be that guy.

I wondered what her web site looked like and wondered if other monarchies and royal families were keeping up with the times as well as Queen Rania.

Queen Rania’s site features a lovely color scheme, but a rather surprising lack of attention to detail. There are problems with the layout, aspect ratios of photos and typos here and there.

The British royal family has it’s own YouTube channel as well, and a very extensive, thorough web site.

I love the clarity of the Danish and Norwegian Royal sites. The use of gray really puts the focus on the beautiful photographs.

The Dutch Monarchy’s site is beautiful, with a very nice color scheme dominated by royal blue.

The site of the Swedish Royal Court is very nice, but could use a little help in the main body of the site.

The Belgian site is not great, but functional.

Will somebody please tell the King of Spain that you’re supposed to smile for pictures? (Particularly the one you want to put on the home page of your web site.)

And finally, the Japanese Imperial Household site. It is in serious need of an update and more pictures would be nice.

photo credit: nosha

I love Twitter. This was not always the case, but I have come full circle and have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon with everyone else. But, nothing’s perfect, and I have a few pet peeves to share, along with some collected from other Twitter users who were kind enough to contribute:

• Tweeple, Tweeps, Peeps – I’m sorry. I don’t know why. I can see how many people would think they’re sort of cute, but I really don’t care for these “words”, especially when used in the possessive sense. Referring to me as one of your Peeps makes me feel insignificant. (Don’t worry- I won’t hold it against you.)
• Lame, impersonal Auto DMs when you follow someone.
• People who only tweet links.
• People who only tweet strange, enigmatic thoughts. You have no idea what they mean and they never explain.

@johawke - Posting play-by-play for airing TV show. No spoilers, please–I’ve no cable & Netflix is behind two seasons! And…people who curse in their Tweets. Grow up! Get a chatroom! My kids are liable to see this.

@ElToroDeRata – Peeps who follow just to get followed.

@LynnEnsMom – horrid overwhelming hideous backgrounds.

@dtsn – when pressing enter on the twitter home page it does not submit the tweet box

@inspirationbit – too many duplicated tweets from the same person; huge FollowFriday lists; not including any Bio on Twitter page

@DavidJGarcia – 30 one-word @replies in a row. Ideal replies have enough context to add value for outsiders–otherwise: DM.

Your turn- what are your Twitter pet peeves?

Have you ever gone off on an endless search for the perfect button, icon or graphic for your site to promote your profiles on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, etc.? There are lots of free graphics available, and Char Polanosky and I have launched a new site called My Social Buttons to put them all in one place for you.

UPDATE: this site has been sold. Neither I nor Char are associated with the site any longer.

The site is in beta, which means we have only just begun to gather everything that’s out there. We’ll be adding other social media sites, many more icons and buttons, and you’ll even find exclusive graphics on My Social Buttons that you won’t find anywhere else. All of the buttons on the site at the moment are free.  We just ask that you save the buttons you want to your computer first before you add them to your site or your clients’ sites.

And, if you really want to show of your social prowess, check out some of the t-shirts, mousepads, mugs and even baby items we have created to go with the social movement. They make great gifts, awesome conference schwag, and they are perfect for use as doorprizes or ice breakers at corporate training sessions.  Here are my favorites- the “feed me” onesie and bib:

Fellow Perfomancing Hive member, Sid Savara recently reviewed a new virtual assistant service that offers unlimited tasks for just $59 a month.  Take a look a the article not only for an interesting review of the service, but also for an excellent example of how to write a review article. He is clear, easy to read, offers visual aids and very thorough.

Just a side note…  what do you think about the above service business model?  If you’re in the virtual assistance business, does it concern you?

Considering using a VoIP service like Skype or something similar?  This article compares the 10 best free VoIP options.

A great post from Char: 5 Easy Ways to Market Yourself Online

I recently did some work modifying the premium WordPress theme One Theme for a client, and found it to be an excellent theme right out of the box.  There are many options for layout, featured posts, header and logo customization and ad management in the admin panel, and without any custom modifications at all you can have a very sharp looking site.

And finally, some more recent work of mine: two sites still a bit in development, but nearly finished, and I have really enjoyed working on them with some wonderful clients.

(Please do not link directly to these images, but rather download the one you want to use and save it wherever you normally host images for use on your site. Also YOU MAY NOT take these buttons and host them on your own site. You may give an example or two in a post if you like, but you must link back here for users to download the buttons.)

Rather be Plural? Here is a “Follow Us” version:

By the way… want to follow me on Twitter?? Click here.

What’s the point?

I personally have avoided things like Twitter, and didn’t care about getting a Pownce invitation and had never even heard of Jaiku until I went about writing this post. I had heard of Tumblr, but didn’t really see the need since I have a blog. I really saw them as a way of wasting a lot of time with things of relatively little value. However, for some the real value is just the ability to more easily connect with others.

Have I changed my mind?

Having tried them all in the last week or so, I think I at least get why people use them so much. And, though I have this blog, it’s just a small part of my online activities and having a way of aggregating them all in one place is a nice idea. Jaiku or Tumblr works best for this purpose. I decided to start a Tumblelog and maybe I’ll keep using it, maybe not – we’ll see. I do like the fact that you can pull all your feeds into one place there (I’m still working on that), and the ability to completely customize it really appeals to me, of course. I will probably also release a Tumblr theme sometime soon.

So, stop on over and read the post and either comment there or come back here and tell me what you think. Are you using any of these? I have some Pownce invites left, if anyone wants to try it.