Saturday, January 10, 2009

I Have Been Officially Been "Twitterfied"

It's finally happened; at last, I've succumbed to the latest social networking phenomenon, at least as far as I know. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's true: I've been "Twitterfied," and no one is more astounded by the event than yours truly. For months I ridiculed the entire concept of Twitter as being "the most pointless activity ever," and yet here I am, jumping my happy behind on the bandwagon with my own cutesy pink profile.

Let the madness commence.

Peg Corwin, a SCORE Chicago volunteer, put together a comprehensive list of posts that can help people get the best out of Twitter (which I found courtesy of Personal Branding Pro Meg Guiseppi). Also, SEO Marketing Consultant Jennifer Slegg wrote an excellent post back in March of last year about how to market your blog without spamming your followers. Interesting stuff, that. Me and my newbie self didn't even realize something like that would be a problem, but the implication there is that it's pretty widespread. I'm guessing it's just as widespread now, if not more so, since Twitter's popularity has grown so much since the post was written.

Most of you have probably heard about this already, but in case you haven't and you're also new to the Twittering scene, be sure to read this article about a nasty phishing scam going around on the site. Can't say I'm surprised; the "Koobface" virus has been floating through Facebook space since at least December.

Well, I suppose at the end of the day, what's most important is that we have more ways to communicate/stalk one another today than ever before. And if you're a budding author trying to make a name for yourself, it's probably best to take advantage of as many of them as possible. Does twittering really translate into book sales later on down the line? Let's hope so!

Oh, one more thing: Does anyone know how to add a Twitter feed to your blog page? Just curious...

4 comments:

  1. Ooo, I'm not good with new things. Once I get the hang of it, I'm okay, but until then, these donkey heels just dig in. Guess I'll learn to Twitter sooner or later. :)

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  2. I'm the same way. Like Amy said, visual learner. So far I've just been tinkering around with it, looking at other peoples' "Tweets" and imitating what some of them do. I figure I can give it a month or so and then reevaluate. I'll let you know how it goes!

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  3. Hi L C! Come on over to www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com A great writing community over there. -C

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  4. Thanks for the tip, Carole! I really appreciate it. It'll be nice to have some support.

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