1.Twitterfeed – lets you set up auto links so that when you blog or update your site you automatically Twitter with a link to the post.
2.Tweetdeck - see all your Twitter info in one handy dashboard.
3.Twitter Counter – tracks and analyzes your followers.
4.TwitterSnooze – very handy if you want to take a break from those who over Tweet. And we like the tartan background on the site.
5.Tweetchat – handy for following #tag topics. Remember to follow @hashtags so your #’s can be tracked too.
6.Tweetlater - schedule Tweets, manage responses and more.
7.TinyURL – makes links shorter.
8.Tweetburner – makes them shorter and lets you track links too.
9.Hoot suite – the ultimate Twitter toolbox.
10. And last but not least Twitter’s very own search.

President and Founder of Imagex Media, Glenn Hilton had a great post on his personal blog the other day where he shared his experience when trying to change his Twitter name and the solution that worked for him. Its a very valuable piece (and its something we’ve been asked about more than once) so we decided to share an excerpt of the post with you. Here it is:

Steps to Change Your Twitter Handle:

1. Pick a new handle that will work best for the brand that you want to create. Check out Hubspots’s Twitter Handles Dos and Don’ts and Strategy for Creating a Twitter Handle for input on this.

2. Log into your Twitter account and click on “Settings”.

3. Enter your new handle into the “username” field and then wait for Twitter to check for the availability of that username. If it’s not available then you may need to try your second or third choice.

4. As soon as you find your choice available, then enter your “Password” (in the grey box that should have appeared below) and then click on “Save”.

5. Immediately “Sign Out” of Twitter and then sign up for a new Twitter account by clicking on the “Get Started – Join” button.

6. During the setup of your new account make sure to use the OLD handle that you were using in your main account.

Once that’s done you’ll now have 2 accounts. Your main account will have your new handle (ie. @glennhilton) and will have retained all your followers. Your new account will have your old handle (ie @canuckfan82) and you can use that account if you want for a secondary purpose or to retain it to catch any direct messages or @replies that your followers or others may respond to. You can then get back to them from your main account and give a notification of the change. I also suggest making a clear statement in the bio of your new account, that your main account has moved. This is especially helpful for new people who may come across your account and want to follow you as it will send them on to your new account saving you both time in you not having to get back to them to notify them personally, and them having to later waste time in changing the account they want to follow. I actually added a note in all caps in the bio of my new account that says in “I’VE MOVED MY MAIN TWITTER ACCOUNT TO @glennhilton”

Thanks Glenn for solving this quandary!

There was a good article for Twitter newbies in this weekend’s Business Section of the Vancouver Sun called “Twitter Away, someone’s listening”. The article covers all the basics of Twittering: Tweets, Replies, Direct Messages, Links, Retweets and is a great read for anyone new to Twitter wondering how to get going.

What the article doesn’t cover in detail is why you would want to Twitter in the first place. This is a major consideration especially from a business perspective. Its true that Twitter is growing at a phenomenal rate: over 700% last year, and has over 4.5 million active users but these aren’t reason enough.


There are many business advantages to Twitter such as to learn, advertise and increase brand exposure but Twitter can be quite a distraction and if you don’t know why you are there or what you’re strategy is you can end up whittling away a lot of time with little to show for it in the end.

It is important (especially for business people) to have a Twitter strategy, to schedule Twitter time and to use Twitter as a marketing, PR or communications tools.

A good Twitter strategy should include who you follow – be selective and always check out the bio and links of people who are following you: don’t automatically follow people back. And don’t assume that just because someone is has thousands of people following them that their Tweets will be of interest (a few of these people really do put the “me” in social media). Take a look look at a couple of pages of their Tweets to make sure they add value in your area of expertise or target market.

The Sun is great for newcomers to Twitter or to those who have heard about it and are wondering what its all about and if you fit in these categories, I encourage you all to take a look but before you get too far, take time to work out how you are going to use this social networking tool productively.

Here’s the Vancouver Sun article.

Different Twitterers take different approaches to building their Twitter following. Some run about like headless chickens adding everyone and anyone while some only add their “cronies”. Few, it would appear, take time to factor in their brand or the brand of the companies they work for. Whilst these tactics might be fine for individuals Twittering for personal purposes, they are not good enough for corporations or business people.

In our post last week on Top 5 Twitter Tips, we talked about the importance of strategy. Having a Twitter strategy is paramount. Before you set out on your Twitter adventures, take time to develop a follower/following strategy that fits with your corporate brand and your Twitter goals. By brand I don’t simply mean slapping up your logo on your Twitter site using the design functionality or picture (although that is important). Your brand is much more than just your logo. It is your company values, your promise to clients, partners and everyone you touch, it is what your company lives and breathes and what sets your organisation apart from the pack (for more on branding listen to our podcast series on that very topic).

Before you jump on Twitter and start following people willy nilly. Consider if this strategy is appropriate to your corporate brand. Put yourself in the shoes of those you are trying to attract. I know that when I check out a follower’s site and find that they are following way more people than they have followers I tend not to follow them because I am concerned they are simply going to spam. If your company’s brand encompasses blatant self promotion then having a high following to follower ratio is fine. If not then this Twitter tactic is not for you.

The converse can also be true. Many individuals and companies choose to follow very few other Twitterers. In Ruth Seeley’s post What’s really funny about Twitter she points out:

“But some of the Twitterati seem to have missed the point of social media entirely. For these folks, it’s all about who’s following them, not about the two-way exchange of information and ideas and the wonderful things that can result from the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. A respected British tech journalist Tweeted this morning that he had reached the 2000-followers mark, and seemed very pleased about it. Four hours later, he had 2009 followers – and was following a mere 145 people. I think we probably have to pardon him for not quite getting it: in his business, it’s still all about having an audience and a following.”

The British tech person Ruth mentions isn’t the only example of this. Here in Vancouver many of the Sun’s journalists are Twittering all of a sudden. I notice that many of them also have far fewer followers than they are following. As a visitor and a Vancouver Sun subscriber this follower to following ratio makes me feel like common Vancouver Twitterers are insignificant to the paper. Given the listening tools out there, effective listening can’t be the reason for this.

For those who choose to follow only few people, again ask yourself if this reflects your brand. If your brand image is exclusive then this approach will be great for you. For visitors, it may simply leave them cold.

So before you start using Twitter, determine what your follow strategy is and ask yourself: does this represent my company or personal brand? If it does, then you’re good to go, if not take time to reconsider and come up with an approach that does reflect your brand.

I’ve been on Twitter for almost 2 years now. At the start I was rather skeptical as to the value the medium brought especially from a business perspective: most of the “Tweets” (noun used to describe the statements people make on Twitter) were narcissistic comments made under the assumption that people were actually interested in hearing what others had for breakfast (for example).

I have watched Twitter usage evolve and today it’s much more sophisticated. Here’s a few tips for you to use to tweak your Tweets and get more out of your Twitter presence:

1. Add value – don’t just spout off about boring stuff. Nobody is interested in what color shoes you are wearing (maybe your underwear but definitely not your shoes!).

2. Share interesting stuff you’ve found on the web that relates to your business or area of interest.

3. Use TinyURL or a similar url abbreviation tool to shorten the length of url links in your Twitter posts so they fit in the 140 character limit.

4. Look at Twitter as a forum to let followers know what it is you do for a living – you never know who might read and say I need someone to do just that for me.

5. Don’t spam or sell.

6. If someone starts following you don’t automatically add them and follow (don’t be a sheeple) – take a look at the number of followers they have compared to their following. If they are following way more people than they have followers then it might be best to avoid them – chances are they are only looking to follow so that they can in turn spam you.

7. Don’t let Twitter suck up too much of your time – it can be very distracting.

8. Limit the number of people you follow to avoid Twitter overload.

9. Use Twitterfeed to feed your blog to Twitter.

10. Use Tweetscan to monitor whats being said about you or your company on Twitter.

Join me on Twitter to find out more and see for yourself how the medium is being used.

Here, in follow up to our podcast yesterday, are Julie Gibbon’s top 5 tips to help you make the most of Twitter.

1. Define Your Twitter Strategy

Don’t venture into Twitter for the sake of it. Like any marketing activity, decide what you want to get out of it and be consistent. Twitter is a great tool to make instant and powerful connections, but offers endless opportunities for distraction. Don’t fall foul of those distractions – decide on your strategy and stick to it. The old faithful “Who, What, Why, When, How” can always be counted on to keep you straight.

2. Employ Tools to Help

Your Twitter strategy can be made easier using the right tools. You might want to manage multiple accounts, or deal with multiple timelines – there are tools to help. See a definitive list of Twitter applications here: http://twitter.pbwiki.com/Apps (Thanks to @marismith for the link). Use them wisely.

3. Create Your Follow Policy

Don’t waste time dithering about whether to Follow someone or not. Decide on your Follow Policy from the outset and don’t stray from that – it’ll save you lots of valuable time.

4. Be Social

A community relies on interaction between members. Don’t forget to offer value to your community and you’ll receive value in turn. Engage with as many relevant people as you can – it’ll pay dividends and enhance your Twitter experience. Remember, your social network (on Twitter and elsewhere) is part of your business capital. Make sure it gives you best value, and protect it.

5. Measure, Measure, Measure

As Guy Kawasaki (@guykawasaki) points out “Twitter is arguably the most powerful advertising mechanism since television” – and you wouldn’t run a television ad without measuring the results. Use tools to track and measure results in the same way as any marketing campaign.

Follow Julie on Twitter @juliegibbons and join our Twitter community at @outsmarts.

Our first podcast of the year was recorded on Hogmanay (the last day of the old year) with Julie Gibbons of PeopleMaps . Its our first trans Atlantic podcast, the topic is Twitter. In this podcast we talk about PeopleMaps, their online personality reports and how they are using Twitter to build awareness and grow their community.  

Watch out for a blog post addundum to this podcast, giving Julie’s top Twitter tips, very soon.

[audio:http://www.out-smarts.com/podcast18.mp3]

Podcast: Download

Here is a reblog of our Jan 1st 2008 predictions post with our review and predictions for 2009 in red.

2006 was the year of YouTube and 2007 was the year of Facebook so what will 2008 bring?

2008 was definitely the year of Twitter.  2009?   Likely mobile or geographical based social networks like BrightKite (or similar) will take off.  As well, tools that allow you to consolidate social networking efforts will grow more popular (like FriendFeed).

I predict we will finally see companies grasping the potential of social media marketing. Little light bulbs will start switching on as executives and entrepreneurs finally get it. Social media marketing uses the collaborative nature and social gathering and sharing places of the Internet to spread awareness of a product service or organisation.

How right that was.  In 2008 we started the year with blank looks from most business people when we talked of social media marketing.  Happily, we ended the year with executives calling us for our advice as they finally recognised the power of social media to help them effectively reach their markets and build loyal communities.

We’ll see more organisations take advantage of tools like Flickr and YouTube to improve customer service and enhance satisfaction using product images, video demonstrations as well as to spread awareness via unique and innovative clips.

I blogged about this recently and yes, amateur video for business did take off in 2008, especially on Facebook where its easy to add video and share with your audience.  Alas much of the content isn’t unique nor is it innovative (although there are some veritable gems out there).  Hopefully that gets better in 2009.

Organisations will recognise the benefits of blogging outlined just today in an article by Duct Tape Marketing called Blogg Dammit! and implement effective blog strategies.

Approximately 2000 new blogs are started every day and there is no sign of blog popularity waning but microblogging and Twitter in particular was definitely the de  rigueur style of blogging in 2008.  Watch out for Twitter to explode even more in 2009 and for it to go mainstream.

Social Networks will no longer be the domain of youth and students and will instead become a vital component in any business’s on-line presence – networks will ad capabilities to attract these audiences.

The fastest growing segment of the population adopting social networking in 2008 was the over 35′s.  Need I say more?

Where collaboration was key in 2007, mobility will be the mantra of 2008 with technology making it easier to access and interact with blogs, photo and video sites and collaborative tools such as wiki’s wherever you are.

Last time  I was on the bus, practically everyone around had a smart phone.  In 2009 geo based applications will continue to proliferate.  We will see more social applications centred around these capabilities this year and marketers will begin to more effectively take advantage of these geo capabilities to promote products and services.

A new age in marketing is upon us and its going to be an exciting year for us all.

This will be even more the case in 2009.  With the econony taking a downturn companies will have to find ways to be more effective on tighter budgets.   Many traditional organisations will be forced to adapt or face extinction.

Whilst 2008 was the year that organizations recognised social media marketing’s potential, 2009 will be the year that companies will acknowledge the fact that social media is less expensive than traditional marketing approaches, more effective in terms of reaching a highly targeted audience and more versatile.  2009 will be the year that social media becomes an integral component of any company’s marketing mix.

Here’s to peace, prosperity and social media proliferation in 2009!  Happy New Year to all our visitors, friends and colleagues.

With the bleak weather and economic outlook we’re all in need of some reasons to be cheerful this month.  Thankfully there are many social media reasons to be cheerful.  Here are our discoveries of the month (and we have more than usual so enjoy!):

Intranet Connections – a great tool for any company looking to put the benefits of social media to use internally.

Pipl – wondering about your on line profile?  Use Pipl yourself and see.

In my constant search for tools that help me Twitter more effectively I found Twhirl, Tweetscan and Brightkit this month although none of them effectively manage Twitters from different times zones or auto replies (if you know of another share it please!).

Want to create a vector – try Vector Magic.

Blippr, Second Brain – new social media sharing sites, one for organizing media (books, music and movies etc) the other for online content.

Gliffy – create flow charts and diagrams.

I wrote this article to submit to article sites with the goal of driving traffic, spreading awareness and further establishing Out-Smarts expertise. Its longer than our usual blog posts and contains lots of juicy details on micro blogging for anyone wondering how to best use it for business purposes.  Enjoy!

Microblogging is quickly becoming one of the most popular technologies on the Internet with adoption of tools like Twitter growing at an exponential rate.

As the number of people using these technologies grows, the way people take advantage of them is becoming more sophisticated: they are being used more and more as a business tool. This article explains what microblogging is and introduces the most popular microblog sites. It discusses how these are being used from a business and marketing perspective and provides tips on safe and effective use of these forums.

What is a Microblog?
Microblogs are very simple internet technologies that allow users to post short statements or sentences, usually limited to 140 characters on a central site. The post can be made available to anyone or only to a chosen audience. Much like the Facebook status box these services were used initially as a forum to share triviality (like what was for breakfast) with a wide audience but people quickly tired of the banality and now the way microblogs are used is becoming more sophisticated.

Sometimes seen as a factor in the evolution of blogging, micro blogs are, as the name suggests, like mini blogs in that they allow you to post information and streams of consciousness and make these available to the world over the Internet. Unlike a blog, however, a microblog doesn’t have unlimited room for creativity – you are forced to get to the point.

Which Microblog?
By far the largest microblog is Twitter (according to Hitwise in Australia alone the popular microblog grew by over 500% new users in one calendar month this summer). Twitter was founded in 2006 and quickly gained attention by winning a prestigious South by South West Blog award in the spring of 2007. Although the site is growing at a tremendous rate, the user volume is still very small in comparison to social networking behemoths like MySpace. Using a simple clean interface, users can get set up and start Twittering really easily.

Another microblog technology that is growing in popularity is Plurk. Plurk differs from Twitter in that it provides a more visual “timeline” interface showing your “Plurks” and those you are following on a time sheet-style screen. Just launched in May this year, Plurk is a little more complex than Twitter to use but once you get the hang of it, it definitely appeals to those left brained people among us.

The omnipresent Google of course has its own version of a microblog which they obtained in late 2007. Jaiku has since been closed to new users as they beta test the latest version (which seems very visually appealing with a nice map interface). Request a beta invite to try it out.

The other major player in the microblog scene is Pownce. This one is very similar to Twitter in its look and feel but it has more capabilities in terms of being able to share files and events. Also Pownce doesn’t limit you to 140 characters so you can add more detail to your posts.

Newcomers in the field Spoink promote microblogging by phone from wherever you happen to be. Nothing new in that since most of the other offerings allow you to post from your mobile but what is different about Spoink is that it features the ability to podcast from anywhere. This is one to watch.

Microblogging for Business
Now that we know more about microblogs and the tools in this arena, let’s take a look at how companies and individuals are using microblogs to benefit their businesses.

The first thing any company or professional should do is to ask themselves: is a microblog pertinent to my business? are my peers using this service? and, more importantly, are my customers either using or listening (monitoring these forums) to microblogs? The early microblog adopters tended to be the youth market and the tech community but more and more mainstream professionals and companies are becoming active as time goes on. If you decide that your audience is applicable then the benefits of microblogging actively are numerous:

• A microblog presence is a stellar way to establish expertise and build awareness of what you or your company does. Build your brand by regularly posting on your subject area. Remember to add your logo and branding to the design of your microblog page and link to back to your blog if you have one so that your microblog contacts are aware of it and can click to read more. Threadless, the T shirt company that has made social media marketing an art form uses Twitter (@threadless) to update their audience regularly in this way.
• Microblogs are a great way to expand your network and build your contacts. To do so share neat links and always add value for your followers, if you do this effectively you can sit back and watch your contacts expand.
• Microblogs provide a good source for the latest information in your industry – if you’re following the right people, that is. Be cognizant of this as you add friends. Check out posts and look for those that add value, are industry luminaries or are using the forum in innovative ways. Network with peers in your industry to develop your knowledge and to build better partnerships.
• Microblogs are shorter than blogs and more concise so if you only have a few moments you can hone in on the juicies more readily. If you don’t have time to blog but still have something pressing you want to share, microblogs are a great way to do this quickly and effectively.
• Microblog technology can be used to expand the reach of your service and spread word quickly. An example is the police and fire services using Twitter to get the word out in emergency cases. The Los Angeles Fire Department (@LAFD) uses Twitter to spread fire related Tweets to interested parties.
• By linking or announcing new articles or changes to your site from a microblog you can drive more traffic to your site. Twitter is now the 4th largest driver of traffic to the Out-Smarts blog.
• Use microblogs for research by monitoring what’s being said about your product or industry so you can keep ahead of the pack. It’s also an excellent medium to elicit feedback on an issue you need more information on or are in the dark about. Tweetscan is a very simple tool that facilitates listening.
• Some companies are using microblog technology too collaborate on projects with decentralised participants or colleagues in short blasts. The CBC recently did this to great effect on Twitter during the Canadian federal election and were able to incorporate feedback from Twitterers on the ground in many constituencies.
• While direct selling on microblogs is discouraged, many companies use it to bring awareness of the existence/benefits of their products and services to new markets or to provide customer service updates. Whole Foods (@wholefoods), an organic food chain headquartered in Texas does exactly that whilst adding value by Twittering on community events and organic topics too.

Effective Twittering Tips
I have it on good authority that the Twitter microblog site is this year’s web 2.0 tool of choice for net savvy professionals to communicate with and grow their networks. Here are some tips for you to use to tweak your “tweets” and get more out of your Twitter presence:

1. Add value – don’t just spout off about boring stuff. Nobody is interested in what color shoes you are wearing (maybe your underwear but definitely not your shoes!).
2. Use TinyURL or a similar url abbreviation tool to shorten the length of url links in your Twitter posts so they fit in the 140 character limit.
3. Don’t spam or sell.
4. Friends and Followers – be selective about who you follow. Before you follow someone, check out their recent Tweets to see if they are of interest to you before you add them (they may not be of interest at all). If someone starts following you, don’t automatically add them and follow – take a look at the number of followers they have compared to their following If someone is following way more people than they have followers then it may be best to avoid them. They could be “Follow Spammers” more interested in gaining exposure than in finding interesting Tweets.
5. Don’t let Twitter suck up too much of your time – it can be very distracting. Instead schedule it in to your week and spend a few minutes each day updating and enjoying.
6. Limit the number of people you follow to avoid Twitter information overload. If you’re following too many people, you might miss that gem of information.
7. Use Twitterfeed to feed your blog to Twitter.
8. Monitor the Tweetosphere and make sure you are aware of anyone who mentions you so that it comes to your attention and you can be ready to counter any adverse Twittering. Use Tweetscan to monitor what is being said about you or your company on Twitter.
9. Don’t click on a link from anyone you don’t know or trust. Many Twitterers use TinyURL or similar to shorten URLs (I do) but this camouflages the true source so you don’t know what you’re clicking on. These could be disguised links to potentially dangerous sites or viral downloads so be careful.
10. Read the Twitter blog for updates and information on malware and spam issues.
11. Secure your Twitter name. Get a Twitter profile in your business name before someone else does.
12. Use common sense when Twittering and remember that most of these announcements can be seen by anyone and everyone. You don’t really have to announce that you’re away from home.
13. If someone you’re following overloads you with spam then use the Twitter block at the right of the side panel to block them and let Twitter know too.
14. Call on the community. If something adverse does happen then make your community aware of it. You will be amazed at the support, advice and action of the collective.

Conclusion
If you decide that your business can benefit from microblogging, participation in these sites can really impact your online marketing efforts, drive more traffic to your site and increase brand awareness. Before you start microblogging, take some time to check out the different offerings to find out which is best for you. Once you choose, schedule time to microblog and grow your contacts and always look to add value and tell your community something they don’t know. If you decide to hold off on microblogging for now, keep this on your radar: with its speedy user adoption rate. It’s only a matter of time before, like social networks, these become mainstream.

Follow Out-Smarts on Twitter: @Outsmarts.