UnChat Event (#SWChat)

Thanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

UnChat Event

No topic or questions were pre-defined.

The participants who joined were asked at the start of the event what hot topic(s) they would like discussed.

The most popular were chosen.

Event Statistics

• No. of Tweets = 917
• No. of Contributors = 86
• Reach = 250,000
• No. of impressions = 2,400,000

Summary

Full Transcript Report via @hashtracking

Questions Asked

Q1) How do you separate levels of #SocialMedia info :fluff/substance, signal/noise (Thx to @CHopeMurray)
Q2) Should #SoMe measurements like #klout and #kred be a factor in who you engage with ? (Thx to @mbhahn)
Q3) What do you think about the LinkedIn password leak recently and how they handled it? http://t.co/XhTikJYz

Shared Reference Material

• Accessing Kredibility via Greg Stevens
• LinkedIn Passwords Leaked By Hackers via BBC News
• eHarmony Hacked; Passwords Leaked Online via abc News
• Why Isn't LinkedIn Proactively Alerting Members To It's Security Breach? via Mack Collier
• What Your Klout Score Really Means via Seth Stevenson
• Last.fm Password Security Breach via Last.fm
• SeeSaw for #SWChat via Gigi_Peterkin
• If Your Firms Not On Twitter & You End Up In A Social Media Firestorm via Puffles
• Is Social Media Right For Your Organisation? via GuideStar
• LinkedIn Was Breached. Now What Do You Do? via Nicole Perlroth

Useful #SWChat Links

Next Event | Schedule | Reminders | Archive | Advisors | Q&A | About |

How NOT To Get Twitter Followers (The Sequel)

After the huge readership of my blog post How NOT to Get Twitter Followers, I just had to do a follow up. However, I just want to clarify that I am referring to the use of Twitter for business purposes in my observations and not as a personal account.

How NOT to Get Twitter Followers (The Sequel)

1. Taking It Personally

I follow lots of people, regularly, whom I think may have something interesting to say or may add some value around my chosen subject matter - The Social Workplace. I'm always on the look out for good content that expands my knowledge or I can share with my followers.

However, if after a period of time it appears you are adding little or no value to my stream, than I may choose to unfollow you - BUT it's nothing personal, it's just business.

2. Not Listening Or Engaging With Others

In my previous post I stated that you should listen more... BUT I now think a metric is needed to guide people. Listening three times as much as you push out your own content is a good starting point, but the more you listen the more knowledgeable you will become.

There is nothing more frustrating than someone who constantly pushes out their own content ignoring the great content around them (see Twitter: Learn to listen and stand out from the crowd...).

Pie Theorem: For every piece of the knowledge pie you share you will receive two slices in return. You don't always need to be the baker...

3. Blah Blah Blah In Your Bio

Your Twitter bio should be your sales pitch of who you are if you introduce yourself to someone for the first time. If you waffle, or are too vague, then I don't have the time or patience to delve deeper to find out if you are indeed worth following.

Make it easy for people to want to follow you.

(Example Bio I saw today: "Walking tight-ropes and eating kittens. It's what I do. " - huh????)

4. Re-Tweeting The Same Content Constantly

I know a Twitter stream can be fast flowing sometimes and your followers may miss Tweets from time to time. It is therefore ok to Re-Tweet your content, but not again and again and again.

5. Expecting A Follow Back

There is this myth that if you follow someone you MUST follow them back. Why? Where does it say that in the Twitter handbook? I don't care about the quantity of followers I have, I am much more interested in the quality of content they can provide me and my followers.

If you follow me expecting an auto-follow back, go and follow someone else.

6. Putting Quantity Over Quality

Tweeting quality content infrequently is going to get my attention much more than Tweeting rubbish content all of the time. Whilst this may seem like obvious addition to the list, if you look at your own stream you will see many people do not follow this advice.

7. Not Giving Credit

Removing the original Tweeters name from a Re-Tweet is a big no no no no! This can be give the impression that you are stealing someone else's content (whether that is your intention or not) and is a quick way to get blacklisted by the Twitter community.

8. Only Re-Tweeting Other People's Stuff

If all you are doing is Re-Tweeting other people's content, why am I following you? I may as well just follow those people instead.

Be original and interesting...

9. Tweeting Broken Links

Sending out broken links can be so frustrating for the recipients of your Tweet. Whilst this is often caused by the re-shrinking of links that have already been shrunk, it is still your responsibility to ensure the content you distribute is valid.

Always check any links that have been shrunk before you Tweet your content.

10. Paying Too Much Attention To Your Klout Score

I know this is the complete opposite of the previous number 10 option in my original post.

However, there has been significant changes recently to Klout's algorithm's in the way they measure influence which has left many of us confused and infuriated. For this reason, all the credibility Klout had established has been lost and will take some time for users to accept this once again as a reasonable measure of influence.

SOME FINAL PEARLS OF WISDOM (REPEATED)

Remember, your Twitter account is just an extension of you and your business - a great social communication channel in a very public arena. Take Twitter seriously and treat the people that follow you with respect. Who knows where that next lead or opportunity will come from...

How NOT to get Twitter followers

My Twitter stream is an essential part of my business and my life (yes I have the S.A.D disease where there is no cure). I have put an extraordinary amount of time into identifying the right knowledge flows that are both inspirational and informative to me and my business.

Whilst building up my Twitter stream there were certain idiosyncrasies that instantly put me off following someone. I thought I would share these with you in the form of How NOT to get Twitter followers, as I am sure I am not alone here in my thoughts.

Disclaimer: These are based on using your Twitter account for business purposes not for personal use (though many of the idiosyncrasies would still come into effect for personal use too!)

How NOT to get Twitter Followers

1. Don't use your own Human Face as your Twitter Avatar

These are just some of the classic examples I came across:

• Using your pet - People do business with people not with their pets. Am I really going to take you seriously if I am tweeting with Mr. Snuffles?
• Adding funny clown hats and fake moustaches - Why on earth????
• Using your company logo - unless you are a well established enterprise, then I would not recommend this. I am more likely to build a relationship with you when I see a human face than a nice company logo
• Using the default Twitter Avatar - To me this shows you don't understand how social media or business works. Therefore I am unlikely to contact you....ever
• Using a cartoon image - Hahahaha but I am not going to contact you...
• Using a picture of your loved one or baby - Awww isn't that sweet....still not going to contact you.....
• Using a provocative picture - Yes I may contact you but not for the reasons you would like me to....

2. Starting your Twitter Bio with Personal Stuff

Yes, you maybe a proud dad of two and a wonderful husband, but don't include that in your bio. Your Twitter bio has a limited number of characters - use it wisely to give a good impression of you and your business.

If you MUST add that info, add it at the end never at the beginning. I'm busy, I might only read the first 5 words of your bio before making a decision to follow you or not.

3. Having an Animated Twitter Avatar

If the thought is that you will stand out from the crowd, you succeeded. But not for the reasons you would like me to think. You want your tweets to stand out from the crowd not your Avatar!

(I saw one recently with a rotating head - WHY????)

4. Using Strange Twitter Names

Having Twitter names like "ILuvSocialMedia" or "Ifollowbaccc" is an immediate put off for me. I want a face and a name to do business with. Which leads me nicely on to my next idiosyncrasy...

5. Including Follow Back in your Twitter Bio

Adding "I'll follow you back" in your bio is a big no no. I don't want anyone to follow me back just because I follow them. I follow people because I hope they will be inspirational and informative in their tweets to me and I continue to follow when they do. I hope my followers think the same of me.

(btw If you are that desperate for friends, go down to your local pub and buy everyone a drink!)

6. Adding words like "Expert" and "Guru" to your Twitter Bio

Only other people can call you an expert or guru. If you include it in your bio it suggests you need convincing of the fact not others (bit of Sigmund Freud deep thinking here...)

7. Not Tweeting Regularly

If you don't tweet regularly you either have nothing to say or you don't understand social media. Either way why would I want you in my Twitter stream?

8. Tweeting about Personal Stuff

Some personal stuff is ok, it shows a human side to you and your business. But if you do it regularly I will unfollow you. My advice is to use Facebook for your personal stuff, or at the very least have a separate Twitter account for personal stuff so if people are interested they will follow your personal account.

9. Not Listening or Engaging with Others

If you are just constantly pushing out your own content and not listening to, or engaging with me then why would I continue to follow you? (see my previous post Twitter: Learn to listen and stand out from the crowd...)

10. Ignoring your Klout Score

Ok, this might be a contentious inclusion here whilst it is still in beta mode, but I believe Klout will play an influential role on Twitter when it comes to business (see http://klout.com/). Where there is an over-crowded market in what you and your business have to offer, what is going to make you stand out from the crowd?

Klout will show how other people perceive you and how influential you are when it comes to your area of expertise. This could be the deciding factor when all other things are equal.

Some Final Pearls of Wisdom

Remember, your Twitter account is just an extension of you and your business - a great social communication channel in a very public arena. Take Twitter seriously and treat the people that follow you with respect. Who knows where that next lead or opportunity will come from...