Savor the Success - Business Network for women entrepreneurs

Really, it's true. I'm the type of person who does not read instruction manuals. I'm the type of person who says, "New swimming pool? I'll test the waters by jumping off the high dive." Well, maybe not that type of person, exactly, because I have an intense fear of heights, but you get the idea.


So, when I first read that Twitter was the new Facebook, I thought, "Well, I better see what this is all about." I typed Twitter into Google. I created a profile, and I sent my first tweet. (That's Twitter language for "message.") It was: "Alisa is doing nothing anyone in their right mind would care about."


Yep. That was my first Tweet. And it was true, because I couldn't for the life of me figure out why my one follower at that given moment (why this stranger had wanted to immediately follow me was also beyond my comprehension) should care about what I was doing at any given moment anyway.


For a while, I used Twitter for one thing and one thing only: to announce my new blog posts. I still do that, but my use of Twitter has evolved. I can't say I'm the world's best resource on Twitter, but I am the world's best resource on learning how to use Twitter by first screwing up. This is what I've learned so far:

• If you have a new blog post and want others to actually click through when you announce it, tweet something more exciting than: new blog post. Give us a carrot, like: The best sex you will ever have---in 30 seconds or less---and it's free! Okay, well, you get the idea.

• You can Tweet about anything, but make it interesting. I now Tweet about more than just my blogs. I let people know about cool web pages and blogs that I am reading. I also ask questions, like: "How else can I wake up other than coffee? Already did coffee." If I've learned anything the wrong way, it's this: Tweeples (Twitter tawk for "Peeps") love to answer questions. I also share random bits of knowledge, such as the best way to roast broccoli. And I respond to other people's Tweets when it makes sense to do so.

• You only get 140 characters on Twitter. You know you've gone over your limit when the number on the upper right has a negative sign in front of it. And don't even think of ignoring that negative number. If you even try to post something longer than 140 characters, Twitter will just cut you off. Oh, it's vicious. Like right in the middle... Like that.

• Again, you only get 140 characters. Don't waste them by posting a long URL. Tiny it first by going to http://www.tiny.cc/ This site will automatically copy the tiny link into your clipboard (that thing on your computer that stores copied stuff), so as soon as you press "paste" it will appear wherever you want it.

• People can send you DMs from Twitter. It took me a while to figure out what the heck DM stood for, so I'll write it out in case someone else is just as clueless as I was. DM = Direct Message. These will come to your email inbox. Now, it might seemingly make sense to just hit "reply" and type a nice long message back to such a person. Um, so don't even think about it. I don't know precisely where such replies go, but they do not go back to the sender. No, if you want to DM someone back, you need to sign into Twitter, click on the button on the right that says, "Direct Messages" and then go to that particular message. If you run your curser over the message, you'll see a little envelope in the upper right. Click that. Then type your message (140 characters or fewer) and press the send button. It's possible there's an easier way to do this, but I have not screwed up enough on Twitter to figure it out yet.

• You can send a tweet to just one or a few people by putting the @ symbol in front of their Twitter handle, such as: "@alisabow You are the hottest thing since the invention of fire." Now, here's the thing. To see if someone responded to your discreet little tweet, go to the little button on the right that says, "@Replies." I just discovered this yesterday, and there were all sorts of replies people had sent to me over the past few, um, months that I didn't know where there. Ooops. Sorry! I'm really not a snob! I just had no idea!!

• You can create a really cool looking custom Twitter page. Just check mine out: http://twitter.com/Alisabow Now, I'm going to be honest here. I didn't learn how to do this by screwing it up. I didn't even truly learn how to do it. I read about it from Darren Rowse's TwiTip and then I asked Rebecca Zwar, my virtual assistant, to make it happen.

• If you want to get more followers, you need to do more than pray for a divine intervention. One way to do it is to follow other people. Again I learned about this quite by accident. I decided to follow a few of the Social Networking and Tech Gods that Darren Rowse and others swore were worth following. These are guys who have more than 8,000 followers. I mean, it's really crazy. In Twitter World, they walk on water. Follow them I did. You know what? They all followed me back! Here's another way: Tweet about someone else's blog. I did this recently---because I liked the blog. And the blogger immediately started following me. How cool is that? He also sent me a DM, which I did not immediately return because, well, you know.

• Sign up for Twitthat! I also learned about this cool little toolbar feature from Darren's Twitip. And it's nearly screw up proof. You just drag this little doo dad into your toolbar. Once you see the words, "Twitthat!" in your toolbar (that thing that is at the very top of your browser when the Internet is open), you know you did it right. Then, whenever you're reading something really cool and tweetable (Twitter tawk for "really cool") on the web, you just click on your little Twitthat! doo dad and a little box opens asking you if you are reading, looking at, watching, waiting for, laughing at... the list is too long to type. You just click on one of those and voila! You've just tweeted the webpage to all your tweeples (I think that's Twitter tawk for "friends.")

What have you learned from Twitter-by either screwing up or by doing it right the first time? Share your expertise in the comments area.

Alisa Bowman writes about the ups and downs of marriage at www.projecthappilyeverafter.com. Her most popular blog this week is about lessons she learned from her deathbed. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll love the invention of the Internet all over again.  

Super Free Tip of the Day: Put a call to action with every blog post. People like to be told what to do. For instance:

Follow Alisa on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Alisabow You will not be sorry. In fact, if you follow Alisa on Twitter, good fortune will come to you. You can also subscribe to her blog or e-newsletter at her website. If you do that, good fortune will come to your entire family. If you like her stuff, stumble it. If you really like it, tell two friends about it. If you do that, you will reach enlightenment.