8 Twitter tips from a n00b

Those of you wondering about whether to start using Twitter might want to read friend David Murray's new article "How to use Twitter & whether to bother" on Ragan.com.

Murray, who is a technology skeptic, approaches Twitter as a gonzo reporter. While I'm sure this seemed like a good way to go, theMurr ended up getting a mash-note from the überbitch cartoon character of social media and flamed by one of the nicest people around. All in his first day. Probably not an auspicious start.

I'm quoted here and there in the article. Accurately and completely, of course. But reading the article makes me want to offer a few (entirely personal) tips based on my n00bish experience of a year or so on Twitter.

1. Twitter is not a social network. Twitter is micro-blogging.
2. Twitter becomes a social network.
3. "What are you doing?" is not a question you should answer.
4. "What are you doing?" becomes a question you are allowed to answer.
5. The shelf life of any "tweet" is about 20 minutes. But tweets are carved in stone.
6. Replies to your "tweets" are far more important than comments to your blog.
7. Twitter is a river you live beside. You don't have to see every passing boat or catch every fish to live beside it.
8. If your peer group is on Twitter, you miss a lot if you are not there, too.

More to come on each tip in the next few days!

Posted by Allan Jenkins at 11:09pm in Social Media | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Hopkins & Cook publish revised Social Media white paper

Lee Hopkins and Trevor Cook, two of Australia's the world's quick-witted thinkers about social media, have published the 3rd edition of their white paper Social Media (or how we stopped worrying and learnt to love communication).

In 46 pages of crisp writing, they cover the basics -- more, actually -- of blogging, podcasting, social networks (Facebook, Twitter) and virtual worlds (Second Life). Lot's of input from other social media users, and lots of links to best practice sites.

And it's free. So if you are new to social media, this is the place to go.

Posted by Allan Jenkins at 07:14pm in Communication, Social Media, Writing I Enjoy | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Would anyone like to explain the point of the IABC eXchange?

I stumbled into the IABC eXchange (that's how they spell it) today. Had a look around, came out and walked around some, then went back in. Wasn't any better.

Is there a point I am missing?

Here's the gush from the first page (which features a really tacky blue background and weird fonts):

IABC eXchange is an online tool for networking and collaboration. Developed based on member feedback, the IABC eXchange allows you to create member-only discussion groups, private working groups, and blogs that the whole world can view and comment on.

You have the power to designate who can join your conversation: Grant co-author access to fellow members, allow others to submit entries that require your approval to be posted, or make it a personal platform for sharing your ideas and opinions. The IABC eXchange also lets you create a personal profile, including a photo and information about your areas of interest to help you connect with your fellow members.

Stripped up of the really bad copywriting, I think it says "You can create an open, moderated or closed blog. You can put your photo and personal information on it, too."

Yeah, and I can do that in Facebook, Twitter and the blog you are reading, too.

But since I like playing with social media and trust IABC to guide me to communication nirvana, I jumped straight to the next page (which reverts to the standard IABC layout and fonts), where I was told:

The IABC eXchange is an online tool for networking and collaboration created exclusively for IABC members. Create your own blog, form private work groups or special interest groups with other members and share best practices. Make your pages visible to the world or only to selected members. Whether it's work related, IABC-related or purely personal, the IABC eXchange gives you the power to express yourself. Be Heard®

What the fuck? They just said that. But let's push on... The next page flips to stripped down, Times NewRoman font, in black and white. My choices are: 1) start a public blog or 2) start an IABC only blog. Since I already have a public blog, it would seem pointless to start a new one. On the other hand, creating a private blog for 13000 people in 70 countries seems even more pointless. So let's go with public.

A few steps later, I had an official, certified, IABC blog. How far IABC has come!

Technorati : iabc, iabc exchange, international association of business communicators

Posted by Allan Jenkins at 11:31pm in IABC, Social Media, Social Tools | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBack (0)

Modernista! vs Wikipedia. When smart-ass upstart takes on stuffy upstart

As I am increasingly tired of Wikipedian onanists purists deletionists, I was amused to hear of Modernista!'s idea of creating their own Wikipedia entry, then using it as their website. Smart, funny and oh-so-totally against Wikipedia's rules about companies editing their own entries. For good measure, the rest of Modernista!'s "site" is their newz link to Google News and their Facebook entry.

Update: the Wikipedians pulled it down.

Technorati : modernista!, rule-breaking, wikipedia
Del.icio.us : modernista, rule-breaking, wikipedia

Posted by Allan Jenkins at 12:21am in Advertising, Advertising & PR, Humor, Social Media | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

Map of the path not taken

I came of age before Gary Gygax's (PBUH) Dungeons & Dragons fell onto my radar. And I escaped the fad unscathed.

My first and only experience with D&D was in intelligence school (I needed remedial, you see) in the Navy, where the Dungeon Master and I rapidly came to collision ("Man, I don't need no 10-sided dice to decide if the fuckin' dwarf dies, just kill him"). I was soon booted from the Dungeon, but the DM was soon booted from the Navy on morals charges, so I call it even.

Since then, I have been utterly sure that I was never infected by the D&D virus. But I can see from the map below... and I have traveled a good bit of it... that I must be carrying antibodies.

Technorati : dungeons and dragons, geekdom, maps

Posted by Allan Jenkins at 10:39pm in Career management, Cartography, History, Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)