Twitter for Dummies - Laura Fitton [69]
We answer these question and more in this part, and we promise we won’t put you through an existential crisis.
Chapter 10
Finding Your Tweet Voice
In This Chapter
Diving into Twitter
Deciding whether to tweet for work or fun
Figuring out who you’re tweeting to
Being yourself on Twitter
Knowing what to keep personal and private
If you let it, Twitter can conveniently become an integral part of your day-to-day life. Twitter is available almost everywhere — you can update your Twitter feed many ways on many platforms. Wherever you have Internet or cellular coverage, you can more or less use Twitter. The mechanics are pretty easy.
But as you get up to speed and even “embrace the twecosystem,” writing and sharing in only 140 characters at a time definitely takes some getting used to. It may seem a bit limiting at first, but over time that limitation changes the way you write and communicate. If you plan to use the service with some regularity, you’ll probably want to think at least a little bit about how your updates compare with the image you want to convey.
In this chapter, we explore different approaches to using Twitter and how you can find your own unique voice.
Finding Your Voice, Whether for Business or Pleasure
When you first sign up for a Twitter account, you don’t follow anyone yet, and nobody follows you. Updating your feed may seem a bit awkward. You’re tweeting into the void, you have no idea who’s really listening (if anyone), and you’re almost certainly wondering what the heck the point of tweeting even is. Don’t feel bad — most everyone’s first tweet (see Figure 10-1) is a little awkward. But if you follow our advice, you should be able to get the hang of Twitter in no time!
Figure 10-1: Michael’s example first tweet.
When you start following users and other users start following you, you may want to think about what sort of things you want to share with your following. For many new users, one of the great debates is whether to use Twitter for business or pleasure, and we address that a lot in this chapter. You might have joined Twitter for either reason (or both). As you come to embrace the medium to its fullest, you will find yourself figuring out what kind of voice you want to use on Twitter. The answer, as with so many answers about Twitter, depends entirely on what you want to get out of the Twitter experience.
Part of determining your identity on Twitter involves choosing your username (which we cover in Chapter 2). If you choose a nickname or pseudonym for your username, you probably aim for Twitter personal use. If you use your business name as your Twitter handle, you likely intend to create a presence for your company. But if you use your real name as your username (which is probably the best way to go), it simply implies that you are who you say you are — and you can take your account in the direction that makes the most sense to you as you evolve. That’s one reason why you probably want to use your real name or some variation of it.
Whatever name you pick, you can change it at any time on your Twitter account’s Settings page. We explain how to make this change in Chapter 2.
No matter what you name your Twitter presence, you need a voice and personality that’s uniquely yours. We go over some tips and thoughts on how to make your Twitter voice your own in the section “You as you on Twitter,” later in this chapter.
Your business on Twitter
Can you use something as simple as Twitter for business? Absolutely! However, you can’t exactly adopt the usual salesperson “Sell! Sell! Sell!” mentality on Twitter. To operate as a successful business presence on Twitter:
Master the art of give and take.
Figure out how to engage your Twitter base in conversation.
Give your audience, clients, and customers a reason to read your tweets.
Twitter is a conversational medium, and for businesses to mesh well with user expectations, companies and businesses need to understand how to navigate the landscape as a brand. You can read about strategies and