Top Twitter Tips

1. Tweet useful content and links.

• Always keep your audience in mind.
• A tweet without a link is like a day without chocolate: edible but a little less tasty.

2. Engage your audience

• Direct message people who retweet you, to say thanks
• Respond to questions/comments directed @you
• Participate in the Twitter community, for example: #FF, #charitytuesday, #musicmonday

3. Don't tweet too much. Or too little.

• Tweet as often as is sufficient and necessary.
• Naturally this will change depending on what is happening externally (eg, a Haiti earthquake; you’re in the G8 Bloggers Tent, etc).
• Your twitter feed needs to be fed, but don't you don’t want to spam your audience. Overall, just be mindful of your audience.

4. Use #hash-tags.

• Hash tags allow your content to get found, and to appear in searches. Use them!
• Agree with your friends, colleagues, partners, allies to use the same hash tag.
• If you get enough people using your tag, it can appear in the 'trending topics' on everyone's Twitter page. That’s cool.

5. Who you follow reflects who you are.

• Some people like to follow lots of people.
• Others find they want to follow key people in their field – as this tends to give you a better, more reliable source of good content to retweet (RT).
• So it’s up to you, what your Twitter Strategy is. Either way, remember that all the updates from the Tweeters you follow will appear on your 'home' page.

6. Promote your twitter account.

• Add it to your email signature. Easy.
• Get others to promote it. Can take more effort :)

7. Track your links.

• Link your account to a popular link-shortener (eg, http://bit.ly, http://ow.ly).

8. Use Tweetdeck (or similar software).

Helps you to keep an eye on the Twittersphere. HootSuite is another good one.

• what people are saying about you
• what the people you are following are saying (in case you want 2 RT 1 of their tweets)
• who is retweeting your tweets.

9. Allow for retweets.
Keep enough characters free at the end so if someone RTs your tweet, they don't have to edit it.
For example:

Haiti: A Once in a Century Chance for Change. Beyond reconstruction: re-envisioning Haiti w/equity, oppty http://bit.ly/bSNVRe

when retweeted, becomes:

RT @Oxfam Haiti: A Once in a Century Chance for Change. Beyond reconstruction: re-envisioning Haiti w/equity, oppty http://bit.ly/bSNVRe

thereby using an additional 10 characters.

As with many things social media related, Mashable is a great Twitter resource.

If you're new to Twitter, a good place to start is here:

• http://mashable.com/2009/05/31/twitter-tutorials-youtube/
  

More really useful Twitter tips here:

• http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/05/08/5-tips-to-grow-your-twitter-presence/
  
• http://mashable.com/2009/04/16/retweet-guide/
• http://mashable.com/2009/06/25/twitter-seo-tips/

If you're an old hat at Twitter, dive deeper:

• http://mashable.com/2010/01/12/zen-social-media/

And if you have the time for more analysis:

• http://twitalyzer.com

What's your favorite Twitter tool?

dogs, cows...and men

....sleeping everywhere along the streets.


the mind boggles.

what is luxury?

all day long i edit and post stories, blogs, photos and videos of poverty around the world. but that doesn't really prepare one for the real thing.

it's my first time to india, and new delhi is steaming, dusty and dirty. and a jumble of people, and vehicles of all shapes and sizes. driving every which way. sort of how i like to drive. reminds me of boston really. the driving bit, at least.

i slept a couple hours in the afternoon, to try to combat jet lag. the rooms at the hotel caesar's palace are clean and perfectly fine for someone traveling with a charity (though i wouldn't quite go so far as some to say they are "elegantly appointed"). they do have key items though: working A/C and wireless internet.

i asked the receptionist where to get a decent meal, and she suggested mcdonald's. i think she just figgured that's what i would want. hmm. i tried to explain i wanted an indian meal. she sent me to the M Block market, where, after grabbing a bbq corn cob, and checking out the whole place, the only restaurant i could find beside McD's and Pizza Hut was "Yo! China". oh well.

with over 35,000 locations in over 100 countries, the big yellow M reigns supreme in the world of fast food. revenue was down in Q1'09 by 10% to $5B. yup, only $5B. for just the first quarter. but a growing global middle class, particularly in emerging markets like China, India and Latin America, is seen as a huge opportunity for Mickey D's.

and sure many businesses and organizations are looking to the new middle classes...

yet the reality of poverty still run deep and real... in india:

• 86% of the population lives under $2 per day; 44% lives under $1 per day
• 25% of the population does not have enough money to eat adequately

should be an interesting 2 weeks here...