Entries in Twitter (6)

Friday
29May2009

Twitter "Thanks for Following" Messages: What Not to Do

DateFriday, May 29, 2009 at 7:00AM

One of the often touted benefits of Twittering to support your law practice is that it can be a great way to demonstrate expertise. You write smart things and link to smart resources about your subject area and eventually people start to think of you as a smart person with smart thoughts; in other words, an expert.

There is a dark side, though. You can focus so hard on demonstrating your own expertise that you come off as a boor.

Recently, a restaurant near where I live started following me on Twitter. I thought it was cool that they are on Twitter talking about their restaurant and using the platform to reach out locally, so I followed them back. This restaurant has been around for a few years and I have never eaten there; with my ongoing embargo against ever cooking anything or eating anything remotely healthy, that's saying something.

Shortly after I started following this restaurant on Twitter, I received this message: "thanks for following us. Stay tuned as we teach you all there is to know about Italian fusion cooking."

Mmm, no thanks.

I was really off put by the whole "let me teach you everything you need to know..." presumptuous vibe. Leaving aside that I don't know what Italian fusion cooking is and that I don't care one bit to find out, it's just obnoxious to assume that someone who follows you on Twitter has given you license to be some weird spaghetti svengali. This message would have had a whole different feel if it read, "thanks for following us. We're really into Italian food and look forward to hearing what you're into."

If Twitter is a conversation, then this message was a pretty bad way to start talking. Imagine yourself talking with people at a party when a new person walks and up joins the conversation by saying, "let me teach you all there is to know about..." You're going to immediately start figuring out how to down your drink, check your watch or fake a heart attack to get out of there.

In other words, what use is it to demonstrate expertise if you are so annoying nobody wants to hear about it?

Later the same day, I received another Twitter "thanks for following" message, this time from a lawyer I just started following. It was simple and straightforward and explained what he is interested in a nice, professional way. I've attached a screen shot below because it's a good example of how simple a thank you note can be when done right.

Simple and straight to the point. An e-elevator pitch dressed up as a Twitter thank you message. A great way to introduce himself at the Twitter cocktail party.

Using Twitter to demonstrate expertise is good. Behaving in a way that your followers will continue to care about your Tweets is essential.

 

AuthorErik Mazzone | Comment2 Comments | |
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Sunday
03May2009

Twitter Do's and Don'ts

DateSunday, May 3, 2009 at 12:45PM

This is what I have been waiting for.

A comprehensive list of things for lawyers to do and things not to do on Twitter. The cultural norms of what is acceptable (and wise) behavior in the Twitterverse and what is not.

Law firm SEO guru Steve Matthews has written an excellent article titled Lawyer Twitter Practices: 29 Do's and Don'ts. Aside from losing 30 minutes of my life spent researching the proper spelling of "do's and don'ts" (which apparently involves not putting an apostrophe at the end of either word, even though it makes dos look like a computer operating system name), I found this article to be a quick read and utterly packed with useful tips on how lawyers should handle Twitter. It is a great and practical complement to the recent article by Jordan Furlong on Twitter that I referenced here.

You should definitely read the article in full, but here are a few of Steve's points that I really like:

Do:

  • Do start by replicating your offline network on Twitter. There’s a much greater likelihood that people you already know in real life will follow you back. (#1)
  • Do keep a balanced approach when demonstrating your professional and personal characteristics; don’t veer too much in either direction. (#9)
  • Do use your real name as your username, the one that people know you by. Your name is your brand, after all!There is SEO value in Twitter only insofar as it can help extend the reach of your content and build a network — there’s no juice in the links you post or the URL in your profile. (#12)

Don't:

  • Don’t follow more than 100 people than are following you. (#1)
  • Don’t tweet more than 10 times a day or more than five times an hour. (#3)
  • Don’t feel compelled to answer the question “What are you doing?” – but don’t worry if you occasionally are. (#4)

I still am not buying the "Twitter is river" metaphor that Steve is selling, but he's wearing me down with his librarian logic and innate Canadian politeness. Maybe I will concede it is a babbling brook.

Gotta go follow some of Steve's advice myself, hope you do the same!

 

AuthorErik Mazzone | Comment4 Comments | |
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Tuesday
28Apr2009

Much Ado About Twitter

DateTuesday, April 28, 2009 at 9:51PM

If the sheer pop cultural weight of Oprah, CNN and Ashton Kutcher haven't instantly caused Twitter to jump the shark, I don't know what will. I'm a Twitter fan, but I confess to feeling a little Twitter-weariness setting in. Every time Rick Sanchez tweets another little part of my soul dies.

Just in time to revive me, though, is a thought-provoking post by Jordan Furlong, who writes the fantastic Law21 blog. In his article "Figuring Out Twitter" Jordan provides an in-depth analysis of Twitter as a communication tool and why that is different than Twitter as a marketing tool, a great list of things not to do on Twitter, and his own smart take on how to use Twitter well. Highly recommended.

I disagree with Jordan on a couple of points though.

I like to read the personal as well as the professional tweets (if that distinction even means anything anymore) of the people I follow. One of the great things blogging and microblogging has done to publishing is to knock down the fourth wall (as the theater people might say) separating the reader from writer. And yes, that is just a highfalutin way of continuing to tweet about where I eat lunch.

I also am not a fan of the "Twitter is a river" school of thought which Jordan credits to my friend and SEO whiz Steve Matthews. I'm not interested in a river. I'm interested in having conversations about cool things with interesting people. Sticking around long enough to hear, er, read, what my friends (the term "followers" makes me feel all David Koresh-y) have to say is a pretty important part of it. I may be in the distinct minority on this, but that's how I like using Twitter.

Read the article and do it quickly; I heard Dwayne from What's Happening just challenged Phil Donahue to a Twitter contest.

AuthorErik Mazzone | Comment2 Comments | |
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