Twitter Basics – Choosing who to follow for first time tweeps

Twitter is the next evolution in collaboration. It helps me quickly solve problems and get questions answered and enables me to connect with subject matter experts in different fields.  It’s a global stream of real time knowledge that anyone can tap into and leverage, unconstrained by websites, circles, friends, groups, clubs, wealth, fame or power. There are no barriers to your answers anymore, there are only barriers to your willingness to reach them.  The answers to most questions are out there and its all kinda free.(meaning its not money we are trading as currency but personal data-Same as Facebook, LinkedIn and most other “Free” sites)

If your new or on the fringe of twitter you are probably saying mehhh, hows that again? When the new and uninitiated first get on twitter all they see is a bunch of gibberish that occasionally pertains to them.

An important part of your twitter experience will be dictated by who you choose to follow. Anyone you follow has their tweets displayed in the timeline you see when you log on to twitter.

If you follow people that consistently tweet junk(tweets that you do not find interesting, or valuable)  get rid of em and get someone new. No one is going to have hurt feelings because you stopped following, its just part of the twitter experience.

Heres a run down on how to find people to follow that will be valuable to you in the beginning as you are learning this brave new world. Again this is just one method in a million.

1. If you dont have a Twitter account go get one. Skip all the extra steps,  just sign up and verify the account.

2. Get a twitter client for your phone. Skip twitter if you are unwilling or adverse to doing that. To understand and really get twitter you need to be able to access it on the go. Its a tool, one of the best ever so make sure you keep it close.

3. Make a list of your passions, hobbies, favorite books. For example- Cooking, Running, Knitting, Dogs, Beer, 60 minutes, Camping, Republican, Liberal, Computers- Get 10 items on your list.

4. Go to WeFollow. Type your categories in their search field –

5. Look through the list and pick out 10 -20 people for each hobby or passion you have.

6. Now ease back. Relax and watch twitter work.

7. For the first week, check twitter regularly as you can. Force your self to do it. If you have followed folks that your passions and interest align with, every time you look at your stream it should be filled with stuff that has some interest to you. If you find your self looking at garbage, unfollow those that tweet about things that dont spark you.

8. Follow your timeline. Watch these folks that you have chosen to follow, interact. You will begin to understand how it all works. You will soon get what a reply, mention and hashtag is and come to understand how to use them. Interact with people. If someone you follow asks a question answer it, or ask them questions. Depending on who it is and what their personal twitter ethos is you may get a response, you may get a lot of reponse or you may get no response.

9. Twitter is no obligation. Thats a great thing. There is no obligation to reply and should be no hard feelings if not replied to. But start reaching out. Start following some folks that the people you follow, follow. And when you can contribute do so. Example- As you follow people and people follow you, you will catch questions and dialogs and all kinds of bits of conversations. Talk to them. Answer and ask questions if you can, and help people that you can.  Twitter gives you an unlimited reach. You just have to figure out if you want to use it and how.

10. As time passes and you become more familiar with your own little twitter sphere you will find out who you can reliably ask questions to about certain subjects and you will be able to identify those people that really enhance your twitter experience. I have key people areas of my twittersphere.  Cooking guru’s, sql jedi’s, and videography wizzes are just some of the relationships that I try to cultivate to ensure I have some go to people in times of need. And generally it works. You will get out of twitter what you put in.

As always thanks for reading and more thanks for comments. 🙂

You can always ask me a question or 2 @ferox11.