First off, let me just say that I am not an expert on Twitter. If anything, I am hanging on by my fingernails. Honestly, I’m not very social, and I find Twitter overwhelming most of the time. Right now, I am following around 250 people and have about 170 followers. I can’t imagine what it will be like when I am in the thousands. Eeeek! I know people keep talking about the potential of Twitter, but you have to know how to use it. I am slowly learning with advice from others and by trying to keep in mind what I like and don’t like.
What I like: I love to see conversations between people. I love the personal stuff. I actually feel like those are the people making connections. It doesn’t even have to be a long conversation. I love to get surprise retweets especially from people I don’t follow. I love that people are polite as a rule, thanking others for follows and retweets. I enjoy the challenge of making marketing statements for my book worthy of notice and retweets. The good thing about Twitter is that you can get instant feedback on whether or not your hook worked.
What I don’t like: I really don’t like when people follow me and the first thing they do is send me a Buy My Book DM. I hate that. I want dinner and kiss first at least. Seems like the Twitter feed is sometimes a big long infomercial of books, blogs, websites, etc. I hate when there is no personal touch at all. I know people are trying to market their books like I am, but break it up a little. Also, I hate that I feel like I am talking to no one because the Twitter feed goes so fast that I am never sure people actually read what I write unless someone comments. I’m Facebook trained, so I think they need a “Like” button or something.
What I learned: So taking from what I like and dislike, I apply that to my own Twitter use. I try not to get overwhelmed and actually stop and look at some of the tweets that are pushing blogs, books, websites, etc. I try to see it as an adventure because I don’t know what I may find. I make little comments to people if they say something funny or they make me smile. Slowly building relationships by helping others first. I focus on a few people at a time because otherwise I just get lost in a sea of Twitter feed. I used to think that I shouldn’t retweet someone’s book blurb if I hadn’t read it. What if it isn’t a good book and I retweet it and people think I liked it and buy it based on my retweet and then they blame me. Ok, paranoia aside, it isn’t about the book, it’s about supporting other authors. It’s about the person. That is what I have to keep in mind.
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