This post isn’t going to be inflammatory, walking you through the ABC’s of why Twitter is good and why you should use it (although you should).
Rather, the post is here to make you think about Twitter in a way that you might not have before – to use as a scouting and hiring tool. What better a way to find the latest new influencers in social media?
And now without further ado…I give you – Patricia Mayo.
I’ve probably just become the envy and bane of every desk-chained slave of the corporate world… (please don’t hate me!)
Hi! I’m Patricia Mayo, and I get paid to do the stuff most get fired for doing. Officially, my title is “Social Media Strategist.” But really I just stick my head in the clouds, pull out great ideas, and play with those sites you probably need a proxy to visit at work.
My apologies in advance if I end up getting you fired… *sheepish grin*
How did I get such a great gig? Well – chances are you have already seen my work.
Blazing a Trail in New Media
I have ghostwritten countless search engine optimized articles, copy for websites, ebooks, and ever so infamous five page sales letters. As “Miche” I problogged at Audeamus for Creative Weblogging, which snagged a front page on The Issue and was named a top Social Entrepreneurship blog a few times.
I have also edited Master New Media’s articles, videos, and newsradar. ProBlogger recently featured my guest post “Tired of (Promoting) Your Blog? Flip It” as one of 13 submissions picked out of over 100 submitted in response to his open opportunity for guesting.
Nowadays I’m just a few inches away from launching ComHacker, a blog to help you get what you want out of what you do online, and co-host the WordPress Weekly podcast. Of course, that isn’t the end-all be-all to my story. For more, you can read Dan Pennington’s interview of me on Associated Content.
Yep, I’m pretty much everywhere all at once. The sad part is, that’s not even a quarter of the stuff with my name on it 😉 But honestly, I owe the majority of my recent success to Twitter.
I <3 Twitter
Why do I love Twitter? Let me count the ways…
Thanks to Darren Rowse of ProBlogger tweeting about the open guesting opportunity as it was posted, my submission was the ninth one completed, and one of the first to get picked. The early bird gets the worm!
Brad Williams – Mr. SnapFoo (yes he’s so awesome he deserves a Mr. before the site name) – tweeted about the WordPress Weekly podcast. I tuned in, and ended up being grilled in the after show. Apparently they liked what I had to say.
Of course, I’ve gotta send some love to all the tweeple who saw my tweeted works in progress and sent paying freelance work my way. That’s just plain awesome 😀 And I’ve been able to fulfill those orders because I found a few great developers through my gig post at the Startupers site, prompted by Startupers following me on Twitter.
And interestingly enough, apparently going from 3 followers to over 200 followers in less than a month is notable – because that’s pretty much how I qualified for this gig at NowSourcing.
Best of luck in all your endeavors – and I’m certainly looking forward to helping you be a raving success too!
Related articles:
- Interview: Darren Rowse on TwiTip (blogherald.com)
- Still don’t “get” Twitter? This one’s for you… (usegraymatter.com)
- Twitter is Amazing (pistachioconsulting.com)
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Patricia- It’s interesting, but all the reasons you gave for loving twitter are the same reasons I have loved blogging (hence, why twitter is often referred as micro-blogging).
Before I sold my marketing blog I wrote a post about how all the money I made from blogging came from my community. Not ads, not ebooks, just people helping people.
With this in mind, I am launching a new blog (since I am homeless right now) that focuses on twitter exclusively. Hopefully, with the power of these two mediums I can prove that anyone can build a stronger community than just relying on one or the other.
Anyway, thanks for your post, I really enjoyed it!
Paul
twitter.com/paulwilson
twitteru.com (coming soon)
THis has been an interesting read..I also love Twitter..for me..it’s just simply addicting and fun…also the people there are mostly friendly and helpful..^^
Thanks for this nice post..I will follow you in Twitter when I signed in back tomorrow…^^
Joy
https://twitter.com/yojspew
Internet Marketing Joy’s last blog post..Free Copy Affiliate Bootcamp
At this point in time, if I were to Twitter, it would take good time away from doing other more valuable blogging that I usually don’t have time for like: linkbaiting, researching topics, analytic research for further topics, networking with others, guest blogging… so I can’t validate my use of time with Twitter yet.
Am I wrong?
Seduction Tips’s last blog post..Valentines Day: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Good for you! Twitter is the BIZ. I am a total convert. I’ve landed guest posts and made great connections–true online networking at its best. And of course, I enjoy following you on Twitter. 🙂
Follow me on Twitter
You have done well with Twitter and Twitter has done well with you. Sounds good to me.
I enjoy finding new resources on Twitter, web sites, blogs, articles and so on. I have met people on Twitter and later met them in real life. Some I may never meet. Twitter has definitely cemented some new friendships and alerted me to more than one event that I then attended. I also learned about a snow storm on Twitter, having not looked out the window all morning. 🙂
Good writing skills are king. You must be the Queen. Congrats.
Jim Spencer’s last blog post..By: Chris Brogan…
Thanks all for reading, commenting, and giving me such a warm welcome!
@Paul I believe you’re absolutely right on the notion you can build a stronger community with blog + twitter, since a blog is your open portfolio. However, you don’t need to have your own blog in order to have an open portfolio. I am a case in point. Plus, the speed with which you can communicate will directly affect the speed with which you can network. Blogging twice a day probably can’t quite compare to twittering 60+ times a day.
@Joy Thank you so much ^.^ I definitely agree, Twitter is way super helpful =)
@Seduction Twitter is your “all birds in one shot” service. All the things you mentioned, “linkbaiting, researching topics, analytic research for further topics, networking with others, guest blogging” – all of that is only bolstered by using Twitter. You can 1. linkbait by letting people know you posted about them or posted something that might interest them, 2. research topics by polling your followers, 3. conduct analytic research by polling your followers or asking for resources in Twitter, 4. network with others more rapidly than any other service 5. get guest blogging gigs through your Twitter network =)
@Michael Hi Remarkablogger! I really enjoy following you too ^.^ So useful =D Thanks for the luv!
@Jim Flattery will get you everywhere ;P Haha ^.^ It’s really hard to detail every way I’ve benefited from Twitter – and just can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t use it to promote themselves!
always knew u had it in ya… using the right tools helps put you in the right place.
Will
I love twitter. I just started using i-lights in connection with twitter and it rocks. We are encouraging members of our kayak club to sign up for twitter accounts. Twitter will allow us to communicate weather cancellations or spontaneous midweek excursions. I also started using Jott, will let you voice post to your Twitter account. Those who fail to take advantage of Twitter are missing the boat.
ARGH! Yet another super batch of excellent ideas on which I need to followup…but would appreciate a wee bit more time in the day to do so! ARGH!
Ah well, ’tis life – I’m off to learn more about Twitter too.
Barbara Ling (aka Owlbert)
https://www.twitter.com/owlbert
Barbara Ling (aka Owlbert)’s last blog post..Seize Your Perfect Domain Name via The Owlbert Way! Day 5 of 5
The problem with twitter is that the service is down more often than it is up. Imagine if you wanted to write a blog entry and your server said “not now — I’m overcapacity yet again.” Then 10 minutes later, same thing; 30 minutes later, same again.
Ultimately, a 140 character thought becomes a struggle against the system that is twitter.com.
Imagine if you went to Google to search for something only to find out it was down. Not once in a blue moon, but daily, hourly. Just how long will you use something like that?
Using twitter is an act of pure frustration. I am ready to jump ship for anything more reliable.
@ Mark They have improved the service alot now and it seems to be up more than it is down (was the opposite not long ago). I think the extra funding they got from VCs probably helped them out and also got a couple more hamster’s to help power their servers 🙂
– Simon Slade
Right. Considering the 300,000 jobs of writers et al out there, if I got a $2000 freelance job after wasting my time checking in like a house-arrest inmate? Jobs have been and always will be secured by proper networking and more personal meetings.
Twitter isn’t a professional’s tool, it’s a toy. It will get old, and people will move on. Twitterphiles may love the “Me me me me,” next step in a world where self-importance rules all, but that’s why Twitter too, will be replaced.
I would never use twitter to hire for my business, and I write. If you get hired by it, good for you. It isn’t something I’d hold my breath over, jobseekers.
KW
I just don’t understand Twitter. It seems like it’s facebook status updates….and thats it?
I guess I’m just a few years too old.
Use LinkedIn. Much better than twacker or whatever it’s called.
Twitter sucks.
“The problem with twitter is that the service is down more often than it is up. Imagine if you wanted to write a blog entry and your server said “not now — I’m overcapacity yet again.” Then 10 minutes later, same thing; 30 minutes later, same again.”
I AGREE COMPLETELY!!! This was posted in 2008, well I just started using Twitter 2 days ago. Can’t get a simple profile setup due to issues pointed out to them months ago. STILL NOT FIXED.
I’m done with this service, Twitter Sucks!!!!
One of the many reasons I find Twitter unsatisfactory is their lack of customer service. They are unresponsive to a major degree. For example, if you have log-in problems, you have to submit a support request. To submit a support request, you have to log-in. Does anyone else see the problem here?
If you send an email to the address provided – support @…. – you get a robo-mail telling you how you need to have a ‘strong’ password and sending you to their password troubleshooting page. That then leads to the forums and support pages which can only be accessed by logging-in. If you send another e-mail, you just get the same robo-mail.
One of my acquaintances who has to use it for his job put it rather succinctly: “Twitter is run by twits who tweet”. After my experience, I have to agree.
Think Twitter doesn’t suck? Your wrong. Here’s why.
There are too many idiots on it. “I’m putting the lid down.” “I’m dropping my pants.” “I’m sitting down.” Do these people want to have a stalker? Is that why they do that? Or are they just idiots?
The biggest problem is the 140 character limit. That is not enough to say anything meaningful. Youtube has a limit of 500 characters for comments on videos and sometimes thats not enough. A normal blogs, email and instant massaging can do the same thing as twitter but your not limited to 140 characters and they can do it better.
Thats not to say that Twitter can’t be good. They need to increase the limit to at leas a 1000 characters but normal blogs, email and instant massaging will still do the same thing but better.
After a while all those who love twitter will see its huge flaws and twitter will die. But of course by that time Google would have bought it for a billion dollars.
Lone Wolfs last blog post..Short Story: Ten Feet Behind Her
still think it sucks…
Twitter is for people with an overinflated sense of importance.
Get over yourselves . . . NO ONE is that important!!!
Why would I care to read a running commentary of every moment of your life – minute to minute thoughts, what movie or TV program you just watched, or what you had to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner – WHY, WHY, WHY.
Twitter is a soapbox for people to shout from – unfortunately no one really cares what you have to say, they only care about what they have to say – it’s a pointless social utility for people with an overinflated sense of importance; egomaniacs, if you will.
I’ll say it again, Get over yourselves . . . NO ONE is that important!!!
For me Twitter is just an advertising medium, and very annoying one I might add. 99% of all links are affiliate links. People tweet about ebooks and iPads they try to sell to other marketers, selling something else. There is almost no “regulars” on Twitter. Granted, Twitter is often the first one to report about disasters, etc., but how often do we have “the end of the world”?:)
Twitter: the perfect mediums for n00bs who have absolutely nothing to say.