It’s been Tweeted and Retweeted so often that no one knows where it originally came from: “Facebook is for for friends who are now strangers, Twitter is for strangers who should be friends.”  And in a way, it’s true.  After all, half of the people I’m “friends” with on Facebook are people who are no longer much of a part of my life — but we’re Facebook friends so we can sort of keep in touch.  I have only a handful of family members on Twitter, but my Twitter lists are filled with professional contacts and references.

Facebook is personal and you begin your influence by first gaining personal friends to follow/like your blog, etc. Twitter is more for outside your personal sphere.
-Mandy, @DailyCupOfGrace

According to writer Jeff Goins, Twitter is a unique resource, a “conversation that connects you to the world.”  It can be very fast-paced.  It’s very real-time.  And it’s also very overwhelming until you get a handle on the fact that you don’t have to read each Tweet by everyone you follow.

Twitter is much more than a social media network; rather, it’s a global real-time information network
-Claire Diaz-Ortiz (@claired) in Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time

So why would you want to join another network—especially one that’s often more professional than personal?  Because it cuts out the spam and the junk: on Twitter, it’s all about quality content.  You follow people on Twitter not only because of who they are, but because of what they share.

I was attracted to Twitter because it seemed to be the more professional and serious sharing network. The simple fact that the content is reduced to text and links keeps so much foolishness (like Farmville requests and photos of people I don’t know) out of my feed.
-Trina Holden, @TrinaHolden

Why Twitter?

This week, I posed the question on Twitter itself: Why Twitter? The answers fell into several broad categories, but the Tweets themselves speak as to the varied uses and users of Twitter.

I had fun reading their tweets, but I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet and follow new people through the various hashtags I had Tweeted the question to.  Check out their responses and consider following some of them: they just might be the strangers who should be your friends!

Twitter Levels the Networking Playing Field

Twitter. It is such a great way to network and I think it levels the playing field. I can follow anyone I want and they can follow me. Twitter has increased page clicks, but frankly, Twitter has allowed me to connect with individuals and cultivate relationships that I wouldn’t otherwise have, from women in my community, to friends, to colleagues.
-Kristina, @kjpetrella

Twitter is the perfect network because it allows you to cultivate professional connections into personal relationships. <—-click to Tweet this  My fellow blogging mastermind group member Kristina summed it up: Twitter levels the networking playing field.  It doesn’t matter who we are, or how many followers we have: we can interact just as easily with our best friend on Twitter as we can with a New York Times bestselling author.

Twitter is about relationship that leads to conversation, and vice versa.
–Jeff Goins (@jeffgoins), in “What Is Twitter?”

Through Twitter, I’ve been introduced to awesome people in my industry…  Short of bumping into them at a conference or cornering them after a presentation, I never would have met or had the chance to form a personal relationship with many of these people.
-Jason Stambaugh (@jaytheson) in
“Social Media is Free, But it Comes with a Price” on Michael Hyatt’s blog

Why Twitter? Within 140 characters you can create a connection from around corner or across the world. Everyone matters here

— Jen Olney (@gingerconsult) May 3, 2012

I can find others who share those interests via #hashtags even if I don’t follow them (yet). Without email clutter! #allume — Tammy Skipper (@Tammy_Skipper) May 2, 2012

Twitter is a great tool for extending your influence. You can engage your “tribe” in real time, offering leadership and assistance in a way that would have been impossible just a couple of years ago.
-Michael Hyatt (@michaelhyatt) in “Do You Make These 8 Mistakes When You Twitter?”

Twitter is Smart for Business Marketing

In Twitter for Good, Claire Diaz-Ortiz gives a fascinating glimpse into the way organizations can use Twitter.  But Twitter is not just for non-profits; Twitter can be a powerful tool for small business marketing, as well.  Social Media Consultant Yasmin Bendror of yMarketingMatters tells us why in her response to “Why Twitter?”

Twitter is so appealing because it’s informal, concise, conversational and it reaches a large audience.  It’s the best self-selecting cocktail party to get the word out, hear fast breaking news and have a good conversation!

Twitter is far less time-consuming than other social media channels, plus the 140-character limit forces people to be more concise and clever.  There are a lot of social media sites to master these days, but the payoffs of Twitter can be significant for the small business, if you use it correctly.

But Twitter is not free — it takes time, and time is, after all, money.

I think there are five main reasons why it’s smart (and not too late) for any small business to jump on the Twitter bandwagon:

1. It is a great megaphone for branding
2. It is a great prospecting tool
3. It is a great networking tool
4. It is a great tool for staying connected with your customers
5. It a great tool to stay updated with your industry

That’s why I use Twitter!

-Yasmin Bendror (@yasminbendror) of yMarketingMatters

Twitter = Friends & Fellowship

It’s neat to be able to talk to people you would not have access to without Twitter, but I also use Twitter to keep in touch with friends. One of my best friends is on Twitter and most of our communication these days is Tweeting. It kind of makes us feel like 9-year-olds again, talking through signal flags or sign language! If you use Twitter with a “fun” attitude you can make it very personable and hysterically fun, too, rather than a “cold” and professional way of communication.
-Mandy, @DailyCupOfGrace

For many of us, the initial answer to “Why Twitter?” is simply “Friends!”  It’s all about connecting with others who share similar interests, it’s all about the conversation.  And, especially when we first sign up, it’s very much about being able to easily follow your friends who are already Tweeting.

To promote my blog and converse with like minded people. Also to share information. — Symanntha Renn (@MommaOfG) May 3, 2012

I use Twitter because Mary DeMuth told me to, I’m a communications guru and it connects me to so much encouragement & wisdom!

— Everly Pleasant (@everlypleasant) May 4, 2012

For encouragement. For refreshment. To make new friends. To realize I’m not the only one way more than I expected. — Rachelle Rea (@RachelleRea) May 3, 2012

I can build conversation & relationship with individuals who share my interests, or with a group sorted by #hashtags #allume — Tammy Skipper (@Tammy_Skipper) May 2, 2012

I <3 twitter because it is a place of connections. Where just a few words can reach across the miles and find #kindredspirits — Chantel (@springjoys) May 4, 2012

Twitter Teaches Writers the Art of Brevity
(and gives them a fun break from writing)

Twitter can make you a better writer… Twitter forces you to be concise.
-Jennifer Blanchard in “How Twitter Makes You A Better Writer” at CopyBlogger

We writers might deceive ourselves into thinking we are only on Twitter to hone our writing skills.  But the truth is, we Tweet when we’re procrastinating on writing.   <—-click to Tweet

You know what most of this crazy, social media platform maintenance is? Stalling. Procrastinating the real work you need to do, which is writing.
–Jeff Goins (@jeffgoins) in You Are a Writer

Because it’s fun… And writers need someplace to unleash their insanity before it eats them alive.

— Teens Can Write Too! (@TCWT) May 3, 2012

Or when we like to feel a bit more anonymous.

For real? 1. You all can neither see me, nor smell me.

— Simply Darlene (@SimplyDarWrites) May 3, 2012

Twitter is Just Plain Fun

Because it connects me with people in real time and I love using hashtags #justsayin #Allume

— Christin (@ChristinWrites) May 2, 2012

And sometimes? We just Tweet because it’s fun. Because hashtags lend themselves to inside jokes and our caffeine-filled Twitter parties bond us like little else.  And because our Facebook friends get confused if we use #hashtags on Facebook too often.

I use Twitter to have conversations—kind of like instant messenger on crack, but way more fun because you can (nicely and politely) join conversations.
-Kristina, @kjpetrella

2. it’s like a bunch o’ window-peepin’ from the comforts of home — into windows others have willingly flung wide open (scary) — Simply Darlene (@SimplyDarWrites) May 3, 2012

its so easy to isolate a group you want to connect with – and #twitterparties are so fast and fun!#allume

— Jennifer Seger (@afterthechapel) May 2, 2012

I use twitter like dinner uses dessert! It’s the fun, sweet way to keep in touch with many people in a fast pace world! @merrittsgret

— Mandy(@DailyCupOfGrace) May 4, 2012

Is Twitter for You?

The best social network is the one you’ll use, the one you’re the most comfortable with.
-Michael Hyatt (@michaelhyatt), “10 Ways to Generate More Blog Traffic” podcast

Twitter is not for everyone.  It is not even for all bloggers.  But it could be that you’ll fall in love with it once you join in, just like self-professed introvert Amy Lynn Andrews did:

If you’re one of the ones that doesn’t “get” Twitter like I was, chances are, you’re probably over-analyzing it. Just jump in. Find someone and watch what they do.
-Amy Lynn Andrews (@AmyLynnAndrews) in “How to Get More Twitter Followers”

If you decide that Twitter is for you, the simplest way to learn really is just to get your feet wet.  Here’s what Twitter, Inc. social innovation leader Claire Diaz-Ortiz has to say about the ease of Twitter:

Twitter works because it is simple and easy to use. The barrier to entry is low, and the potential for impact is high. The key is learning the most effective way to use the real-time information network to meet these aims.
-Claire Diaz-Ortiz (@claired) in Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time

(If you’re looking for a simple and effective way to use the Twitter network, like Claire mentioned, be sure to check out the Twitter 101 post on Buffer.  Use my referral link to put an extra space in your “buffer” and mine—it’s free!)

Twitter is where you can personally thank a brand for their product, publicly tell a fellow blogger why you loved their post, or ask a question and get the answer straight from the pros — all of which can be the first spark of a productive relationship. If you are committed to being intentional about the relationships you’re forming online, Twitter is the network for you.
-Trina Holden, @TrinaHolden

I signed up for Twitter before I even had an internet connection at home.  All I wanted to do was be able to read my friend Ashleigh’s (@heartandhome) Tweets without seeing all her @replies in my RSS feed reader, too. She was the only one I followed for a long time.  But signing up for Twitter was the beginning — of a hobby in social media.

Now, I turn to Twitter for gathering information and for finding out which blog posts are the ones to read today.  I Tweet to ask technical questions and to pass on social media info.  I use Twitter to share great blog posts and pithy quotes.  And, of course, I use it for fun chats with my friends.  Even when I can’t make the #allume and #inRL Twitter parties, I love reading through bits of the transcripts later — it’s like being in a room full of friends and actually being able to listen in on all the conversations around you.

How about you?  Do you Tweet? Are you thinking of signing up for Twitter? Comment and share your username so we can follow you. And tell us, why do you use Twitter?

More Twitter 101:

• Why Twitter is Confusing
• How to Set Up Your Twitter Account and Profile
• Who To Follow
• Tweets, @’s, RT’s, #FF, and more
• How I Keep Track of Twitter and Tweets
• Buffer
• Twitter as a Tool for Bloggers
• A Few Do’s & Don’ts

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And when it comes to answering that question in 140 characters or less, there are a few easy do’s and don’ts to keep in mind—especially if you want more people to actually be interested in what you have to say about what’s happening.

1. Be Helpful

Twitter is a real-time information network.  It’s a great place to go for information and help, especially within relevant hashtags.  But if you want help from people when you need it, be helpful when they need it.  It’s the Golden Rule again.  If you can answer someone’s question, if you can help them out by a Retweet, do.  You don’t have to answer everyone’s questions all the time (unless they @mention you, of course!), but you’ll never regret being known as a helpful Tweeter.

The real beauty of Twitter lies in the fact that it is not a one-to-one service, but rather a one-to-many service—allowing you to both follow and learn from all the many individuals who do not personally follow you. When people ask me “What’s the first thing I should do when I sign up for Twitter?” I say “Help someone.”

-Claire Diaz-Ortiz (@claired) in Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time

(Don’t Be Offended if No One Helps You)

I’ve asked questions on Twitter and not gotten responses.  It happens; don’t be offended.  Remember, Twitter is very much real time.  Few people read back through hashtag threads.  If you don’t get an answer the first time, ask again, at a different time of day, in a different way, maybe even in a different hashtag.  Or, if its appropriate and important, @mention a person or two you are sure could help you.  (@wpbeginner is great about answering WordPress questions when I do this!)

2. Engage & Interact

Interact with people.  You don’t have to @reply to every Tweet in your Timeline, but make a list of people you want to follow and interact with, and do.  Let them know their Tweets are heard.  Thank them for the great article they linked to.  Tell them they made you laugh.

For every Tweet you compose yourself, try to reply to someone else.  Consider the 20 to 1 ratio, especially when it comes to promoting your own links—do a lot of investing in your followers before you ask anything of them.  Don’t just drone on about yourself—interact with and engage others in the conversation.

Be social.  Twitter is about conversation, not monologue.
-Jeff Goins in “20 Essential Tips for Better Twitter Etiquette”, @jeffgoins

(But Don’t Spam)

Just because you follow someone really famous doesn’t mean they want you to @reply with a “LOL” every time they say something witty.  Your @replies are more likely to get noticed (and get you a follow) if they are helpful, interesting, or encouraging, rather than too frequent or too spam-like.

“Don’t hound influential people… Win their trust and influence by being remarkable and serving them first.”
-Jeff Goins in “20 Essential Tips for Better Twitter Etiquette”, @jeffgoins

3. Promote Others Before Yourself

Your Twitter stream should be more about other people than about yourself or your blog posts.  Retweet Tweets and links that you think should get noticed.  Add your own comment to promote and reinforce the original Tweet—it’s easy using Buffer, HootSuite, or TweetDeck, and if you’re using Twitter.com without the Chrome add-on for Buffer, just copy and paste.  (Just be sure to keep spaces between those usernames and the links and your comments so that they get an appropriate @mention and the links actually work!)

Loved hearing my friend on the radio! RT @natashametzler: Check out @TrinaHolden ‘s radio interview #realfastfood j.mp/IQEQLx

— Gretchen (@merrittsgret) May 1, 2012

(Keep Retweetability in mind when composing your own Tweets: “120 is the new 140.”  Leave room for “RT”, your own @mention, and someone else’s comments!)

When it comes to sharing the link love, you don’t have to just Retweet.  You can easily create your own curiosity-piquing “why you should click this link” Tweet—be sure to @mention the author of the link, too.

If you want to give some more Twitter “Klout”, add Twitter users to Lists.  Promote your favorite users with the Follow Friday hashtag (#FF).  (You can even give them +K on Klout if you understand that stuff!)  Become known as a good Twitter cheerleader within your tribe.  (@ChristinWrites is a fabulous example of this in the #allume circle.)

(But Don’t Just RT)

A Timeline full of nothing but Retweets might look like you have nothing original to say.  Don’t fall into that trap.  Spread out your RT’s using something like Buffer.  Be sure to fill the rest of your Tweets with something creative and original.

…people like hearing from you when you really have something to say (and not when you don’t).
-Jeff Goins in “Twitter Lessons: After 20,000 Tweets”, @jeffgoins

4. Listen Before You Speak

Think before you Tweet. Don’t Tweet angry. If you Tweet from multiple accounts, check which account you are in prior to Tweeting.  Be yourself.
-Kristina, @kjpetrella

Nothing’s worse than Tweeting something really goofy or lighthearted only to realize that your entire Tweet stream is filled with some heartbreaking news.  Listen before you speak; read the latest Tweets in your Timeline before Tweeting for the day.  It’s the easiest way to keep from sticking your foot in your virtual mouth.

This is also helpful if you have your latest Tweets in the sidebar of your blog: Tsh (@simplemom) shared at Relevant (now Allume) that she always tries to make sure her last Tweet of the day isn’t just a silly @reply to someone, because that’s what will show in her sidebar the rest of the night.  It’s the reverse of blogging, where you create before you engage—in Twitter itself, engage a bit before you create.

(Don’t Say Too Much)

Listening first is the easiest way to keep from saying too much (which could even land you in Twitter jail, if you’re not careful!)  But it can also keep you from being original and creative, or even from saying enough.  You’ll strike a balance as long as you keep the extremes in mind and use helpful tools like Buffer.

5. Be Original: Be Yourself

The safest way to be original is to be yourself.  If you love others and are passionate about what you do, it will come out in your Tweets.

Don’t be afraid to let your personality come through in your choice of content and in the commentary you add to it.

-Simon Blakely in “The Ultimate Guide to Becoming an Amazing Twitter Curator” on the Buffer App Blog (@simonblakely)

(Don’t Be Afraid to Have Fun)

The people who are the most fun to follow on Twitter, who have the most engagement from their followers, are the ones who are fun and interesting, the ones who are just themselves.  Have fun on Twitter: be social.

For Further Reading:

The Beginners Guide to Twitter – from Michael Hyatt
20 Essential Tips for Better Twitter Etiquette – from Jeff Goins
Do You Make These 8 Mistakes When You Twitter? – from Michael Hyatt
17 Twitter Marketing Tips from the Pros – from Social Media Examiner
8 Twitter Tips – from Blogging with Amy

More Twitter 101:

• Why Twitter is Confusing
• How to Set Up Your Twitter Account and Profile
• Who To Follow
• Tweets, @’s, RT’s, #FF, and more
• How I Keep Track of Twitter and Tweets
• Buffer
• Twitter as a Tool for Bloggers
• Why Twitter?

Want more Tech Tips? 

Click here to subscribe to the RSS
or get them delivered right to your inbox.

I could name countless bloggers who were read by thousands before they ever got a Twitter account.

But the names aren’t important.  It’s the fact that they had something to say worth reading.  And that carried over into their Twitter accounts when they got them, making them someone worth following.

Twitter can be a great tool for bloggers.  I have blogging friends who get the majority of their traffic from Twitter.  However, less than 2% of my traffic comes from Twitter (at least according to Google Analytics, which may not always calculate Twitter referrals correctly).

Twitter is not for generating traffic; Twitter is for creating relationships. <—click to Tweet this

Twitter has increased page clicks, but frankly, Twitter has allowed me to connect with individuals that I would have never been able to before, from women in my community, to friends, to colleagues.
-Kristina, @kjpetrella

Should you as a blogger be on Twitter?  Maybe.  Especially if your readers are.  But if your average reader has never even heard of Twitter, then please, spend your online time blogging, and put Twitter very low on your priority list. (Check out Amy Lynn Andrews’ post on choosing social media platforms for more on this.)

That being said, if you as a blogger decide to try out Twitter, here are some tips for not only utilizing the tool, but keeping it in the box.

1. Be Yourself First, Your Blog Second

Before you ever try to promote your blog on Twitter, just be yourself.  We probably don’t want to hear about what you have for dinner every single night (unless you’re The Pioneer Woman), but we do want personal glimpses into your life that have nothing to do with your blog.

If your Twitter feed is all self promotion, then it’s a turn off. I feel some personal stuff is important, too. I like it when certain people and authors I follow also Tweet personally, because it makes me feel like I know them.
-Mandy, @DailyCupOfGrace

2. Share the Twitter Love

Retweet.  Reply.  Retweet some more.  Add Twitter users to Lists.  Share favorite users with the Follow Friday hashtag (#FF).  Be a good Twitter cheerleader in your niche and circle of friends/interests.  The Golden Rule of Social Media is to promote others if you want to be promoted.  Be helpful if you want to be helped.  Engage thoughtfully and personally with your followers.

3. Don’t Auto-Tweet Your Blog Posts

Please don’t auto-Tweet your blog posts.  Or, if you do, don’t let it look like you do.  The plugins and apps that scream “NEW POST!!” and make every post tag a hashtag?  They make you and your blog look automated at best, spammy at worst.

It’s okay to tell people in the body of the Tweet that it’s a new post.  It’s even okay to auto-Tweet your blog posts, if you’ll forget otherwise to Tweet them (Networked Blogs is an easy non-plugin method that will automatically post your blogs to Twitter and Facebook).  If you’re a master at crafting post titles, you might even get some clicks on those auto-Tweets.  But please don’t Retweet the same automatically worded Tweet five times on the day your post went up.  Reword it each time.  Don’t give away the whole post.  Craft your Tweets to pique interest, to get clicks—whether you’re promoting someone else’s post or your own.

4. Keep Twitter in the Tool Box

Twitter is only a tool.  It won’t make or break your blog if you forget to Tweet about a post.  Use Buffer so that you can RT generously without spending all day on Twitter.

Make yourself a social media plan, mission statement, checklist, manifesto—whatever you need to remind you of the important steps and keep yourself on track so that you can finish Tweeting and turn off the computer.  (Because, of course, if you’re a blogger, you know that you need to blog before you Tweet, create before you engage.)  Try out the T.W.E.E.T. Method (Target, Write, Engage, Explore, Track).

Additional Reading:

It’s about Conversation not Pitch, Nagging or Complaining – from The Gypsy Mama
How to Organize Your Blogging Time – from Blogging with Amy
One Easy Way to Build Your Brand on Twitter – from Blogging with Amy
How to Make the Most of Twitter Beyond the Obvious – from the Buffer App Blog
10 Golden Rules of Social Media – from Gigaom
Does Twitter Make You A Better Writer? – from Jeff Goins
The Ultimate Guide to Twitter Marketing – from CopyBlogger
Top Twitter Blog Marketing Tips – from ProBlogger

More Twitter 101:

• Why Twitter is Confusing
• How to Set Up Your Twitter Account and Profile
• Who To Follow
• Tweets, @’s, RT’s, #FF, and more
• How I Keep Track of Twitter and Tweets
• Buffer
• A Few Do’s & Don’ts
• Why Twitter?

Want more Tech Tips? 

Click here to subscribe to the RSS
or get them delivered right to your inbox.

a guest post by
Chantel Brankshire, @springjoys

Why I Buffer

I’m not the techiest of techie people, but technology fascinates me. Watching the rise of social media like Facebook and Twitter, I’ve seen the great potential that they have as tools for growing circles and nurturing ties with people who are seeking information or encouragement. I’ve watched as some people successfully harnessed that potential and others struggled to get their footing.

Naturally, from my seat at the sidelines, I could only learn so much about the hows and the whys of it all.  But plunging in gave me a taste of why it is so easy to start strong and burn out quickly when you are trying to create a little niche for yourself in the massively overwhelming world of social media. It doesn’t matter how great the tools are, if you don’t know how to use them effectively to reach your target audience, they aren’t worth a whole lot.

Facebook wasn’t so bad. By the time pages started popping up, and it occurred to me to create one for my own little corner of the web, I’d been using it long enough to have a feel for the basics. With Twitter, on the other hand, I just didn’t think I could ever really fit in. The setup and ideas were simple enough, but I wasn’t prepared for the high paced environment or the level of commitment it seemed to require. My initial reaction was to immediately have an information overload and retreat into the shadows for a few months while I tried to recover. Twitter seemed to require at least twice as much commitment as my Facebook page. Combine that with the high speed style of Tweets and Retweets and mentions, and it was a perfect setup for being instantly overwhelmed. Quite honestly it was about all I could do to master good blogging techniques and keep up with the necessities for my personal blogging efforts, as well as my team writing responsibilities.

My time for Tweeting and social media comes in little spurts. I couldn’t figure out how to maintain an active online presence on Twitter without being on my computer all day or flooding everyone with a dozen Tweets at once a few times a week or month. Thus began the (very casual) quest to find what I knew must be out there—a way to streamline social media so that I could control it, instead of fighting with it or letting it control me. If one could schedule blog posts, why not Tweets?

My first introduction to scheduling Tweets and attempting to master Twitter came through Hootsuite. It helped a little, but it just wasn’t what I was looking for. And then, early this year, I met Buffer.

When our master mind group was discussing the benefits of Twitter and how to use it effectively, Buffer was mentioned somewhere along the way and I signed up –  mostly out of curiosity, partly out of necessity as we decided to try it for YLCF’s Tweets. It didn’t take long before I realized that this was exactly what I needed to make Tweeting not only fit feasibly into my schedule, but maybe even actually enjoyable! It was a load off of my “social media presence” back in so many ways.

Now that I don’t have to worry so much about the functions of Tweeting regularly, I’ve had more time to dig into what makes Tweeting successful instead of just ordinary. In short, Buffer not only saves valuable time, but it maximizes the efforts I put in to Tweeting.

Before, Tweeting felt like so much work with so little rewards. But thanks to Buffer, our click-through count on YLCF’s Tweets is slowly growing. In the span of a week or two, they went from a steady “0” on average and “2” on a good day to 3 or 4 on average and are even hitting 12 or more on great days. It is progress, and I have faith that this is just the beginning.

“I don’t want to be a ‘Twitter Ninja.’ I just want to be a little bird who Tweets a sweet song several times a day. And all that in four minutes a day, please.”
-Trina Holden, @TrinaHolden

How I Buffer

The thing I love most of all about Buffer is that it is so very easy to use. There’s no need to read pages of FAQs or to spend hours trying to figure out how to make it work. There’s not a lot of pages or settings to wade through. It is as simple as it gets when it comes to Social Media Management, and yet it has the qualities of a highly effective tool.  Buffer takes almost all the work out of Tweeting, leaving time to enjoy the benefits and the relationships.

Once you’ve signed up for an account with Buffer, it only takes a click or two of your mouse to connect it to your Twitter account and then you are good to go. From your dashboard you can write Tweets to your heart’s content (at least until you reach the Buffer limit!), hit the “add to Buffer” button and let Buffer automatically add them to the queue to be Tweeted through out the day and week.

While “too much of a good thing” might be a good thing sometimes, I don’t think this applies to Twitter: too many great Tweets all at once can be just as bad as too few. In both cases, a lot of great content and good efforts can end up being like whistling at the wind if not spaced properly and regularly.

Buffer has helped me to strike what feels like a suitable balance when it comes to Tweeting. It has given us the regularity we need to get proper notice, but it has spaced our Tweets in such a way that they don’t overwhelm. And yet, all I have to do is focus on using my spurts of time to create quality Tweets. There is no more manually scheduling each Tweet. I no longer have to worry about accidentally double-Tweeting something that another team member tried to Tweet, or double scheduling Tweets for the same exact time accidentally. (You don’t know how many times my Tweets were frantically deleted or rescheduled!)

With Buffer, I can see at a glance what is in our Buffer and when it is going to Tweet. I can rearrange the order of Buffered Tweets by simply dragging and dropping them where I want them.

Buffer’s browser extensions even allow me to easily create and Buffer a Tweet from content on any page on the web. In some browsers, it makes customizing  Retweets from Twitter.com a breeze. In every browser, it is another built in time saver for the busy blogger.

But that’s not all that Buffer offers its users.

Buffer enables me to analyze our statistics based on the Tweet and is helping me to unlock the mystery of what works on Twitter and what doesn’t. With a simple analysis of each Tweet, I can track how many Retweets, mentions and click-throughs each individual Tweet is getting.  Instead of just guessing at what catches our follower’s eyes the most, I now have something solid to go from, and it has been enlightening.

“I’ve heard that Facebook is all about the image, and Twitter is about the element of surprise. The point was that, if you are sharing a link, your Tweet should pique interest and create curiosity rather than spelling it all out. I’ve learned a lot from following Sarah Mae — she’s the master of this. Rarely can I resist clicking on a link she shares ’cause her Tweets are so intriguing.”
-Trina Holden, @TrinaHolden

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but for Twitter it creates the clicks. Using our stats, I have been learning to increase our clicks by using snippets instead of descriptions. A few well chosen words can go a long way in getting clicks. If it hadn’t been for Buffer, I may have not seen how effective this was.

Buffer has also joined up with Tweriod to put an end to the struggle to figure out when to Tweet to reach the maximum number of followers. Based on the report I just got for both my personal Twitter and for YLCF, I have some tweaking to do to my Buffer schedule. Once again, they’ve made it easy enough that you don’t have to be technically savvy to figure it out.

Buffer has blown me away with just how simple it makes all the things that I use to dread about Twitter. Now, instead of being overwhelmed when I see “Twitter” on the to-do list, I get excited about the results I’m seeing already, and the potential that this is creating to increase our reach and make our Twitter journey a successful one.  I can’t wait to see where Buffer takes us in the months ahead.

If you are finding yourself floundering in the world of social media, I hope this encourages you to take heart. Not everything about creating an online presence has to be hard, and I hope you’ll go and sign up for Buffer right away, and see how it can make Tweeting worthwhile.

For more information, check out these articles:

• How I Increased My Facebook Engagement by 200% with Buffer from Brandon “Oxhorn’ Dennis
• How to Be Unique on Twitter: Buffer App Tips from A.R.Karthick
• Social Media Tool: Buffer from Blogging with Amy
• How to Become a Twitter Ninja in Less Than 30 Minutes a Day from Michael Hyatt

Chantel is an ordinary girl with an ordinary life, sharing the joy that He gives in every ordinary day, filling life with laughter and love and so many little things. She blogs at A Beautiful Song and writes and Tweets for YLCF. Follow her on Twitter at @springjoys.

More Twitter 101:

• Why Twitter is Confusing
• How to Set Up Your Twitter Account and Profile
• Who To Follow
• Tweets, @’s, RT’s, #FF, and more
• How I Keep Track of Twitter and Tweets
• Twitter as a Tool for Bloggers
• A Few Do’s & Don’ts
• Why Twitter?

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They don’t.  I promise.  No one who follows more than 100 people reads every Tweet of every person they follow.

So how, amongst those hundreds of Tweets, do they find the Tweets by their friends, the Tweets that they actually want to read and re-Tweet?  They use lists!

You can set up public lists that other people can see and follow.  We have a public one for the YLCF Team, so people can easily find and follow all the YLCF writers.  I have a public list for technical Tweeters.  It’s not only the Twitter list I go to when I want to catch up in the tech world or find out if someone’s had an issue with the same thing I have on Facebook lately, but it’s a way for me to promote those technical Twitter users.  By publicly “listing” them, it shows up on their Twitter profile that they’ve been “listed” so many times.  It gives them some “klout”, you could say.  (And no, I won’t try to explain klout.com to you because I don’t understand it myself!)

Not only that, but people can subscribe to your lists and you can subscribe to other lists.  You can even make lists of people you want to follow on occasion but that you don’t want to actually follow.  (In other words, you can add someone to a list without following them or having their Tweets appear in your Timeline.)

Lists aren’t static directories of Twitter handles, but rather living Twitter streams from individuals you choose. Not only can you use lists to organize the people you follow into relevant groups, but you can also follow the relevant Tweets of people on lists—even if you aren’t following those individuals.

-Claire Diaz-Ortiz (@claired) in Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time

But the private lists?  That’s where you make your Twitter actually usable, if you end up following way more people than you can really follow all the time.  I have a “must-read” list that is the one stream of Tweets I really want to read.  You know, my best friends and closest mentors on Twitter.  It’s the list I do go back and read if I happen to have been off Twitter while traveling, etc.  And I’m in the process of creating a “my circle” list, that contains the people I do want to try to keep up with and reply to.

Because truly, Twitter is not meant to be completely and exhaustively read.  That’s why people re-Tweet things—so that they’ll be seen by someone who might have missed them the first time.  I found this out when I was new to Twitter—I emailed a friend and ask, “Did you know you Tweeted a slight variation of the exact same thing three different times today?  Was your Twitter account acting up or was that on purpose?”  She graciously explained to me that she had done so on purpose—she Tweeted her link to catch the morning Twitter crowd, the lunch break crowd, and the late night crowd.  She happened to be one of very few people I followed back then, so all three were there on my Twitter home page.  But for the rest of her followers—who also followed many others—they’d be doing well to catch one of the Tweets.

When I finally figured that out, I stopped stressing about missing Tweets.  I realized that Twitter is a constant, never-ending stream of information, and that I can’t hope to absorb it all.  It’s there when I need it.  It’s there to help promote my friends.  But I don’t have to read every Tweet of every person I follow.

And when I made that private list of people whose Tweets I really, truly wanted to read every single word?  It was a very short list.  Not only that, but it was easily caught up on.  And that is the power of lists.  You can have one for your innermost circle, one for the circle you’d like to keep up with and re-Tweet on occasion, and then the rest?  You’ll just see them as they fly by on your screen.

Which leads me to how I actually keep track of Twitter.  Because I don’t know about your internet connection, but mine is really slow.  And the old Twitter.com only loaded once in a blue moon.  Thankfully, I discovered the Twitter Gadget for my Google home page.  It’s enabled me to actually use Twitter on a regular basis.  It’s a fabulous tool I recommend all the time, along with the Google Reader Gadget!  That way Twitter is always there, but I can take or leave it.

Now, when I want to do some serious scheduling of Tweets, or following of hash tags, I turn to HootSuite.  The free version has a limit to how many Twitter accounts you can use in it, but that won’t be a problem for most users.  It also allows you to schedule Facebook page updates.

TweetDeck has both a software (which annoys me and I couldn’t figure out) and a web-based version.  A lot of my friends use TweetDeck—especially on their smart phones—but so far, in the web based Twitter applications I’ve tried, I’ve vastly preferred HootSuite.

If you like to follow Tweets on a certain subject, or want to know whenever someone Tweets about your website/company without @mentioning your username, you can type it in the search box and save it as search.  You view a Saved Search just like a #Hashtag but without the #.  (Click here to read more from Twitter Help about Saved Searches.)

And, in case you really want to follow someone without them knowing it, you can subscribe to their Tweets via a feed reader with a special RSS URL.  You’ll see every single @reply they make, but you’ll be able to follow them without their knowledge.

Buffer is a great way to schedule your tweets, so that you don’t hit people all at once with your brilliance—or with the links you love. Just type your Tweet and hit “Buffer” and it will publish your Tweet when it thinks it will be most likely seen. (Watch for a guest post coming soon with more details on Buffer!)

Ever wish Twitter had a Facebook-style “Like” button?  It really does!  Just click the star above a Tweet to “Favorite” it.  It’s a great way to keep track of favorite Tweets you want to refer back to, just keep in mind that it’s all public: the author of the Tweet will be notified that you’ve Favorited their Tweet and anyone can view your Favorite Tweets on your profile.

Further Reading:

How to Use Twitter Lists – from Twitter Support
About Favorites & Where To Find Them – from Twitter Support
Social Media Tools That Will Save You Time – from Michael Hyatt

More Twitter 101:

• Why Twitter is Confusing
• How to Set Up Your Twitter Account and Profile
• Who To Follow
• Tweets, @’s, RT’s, #FF, and more
• Buffer
• Twitter as a Tool for Bloggers
• A Few Do’s & Don’ts
• Why Twitter?

Want more Tech Tips? 

Click here to subscribe to the RSS
or get them delivered right to your inbox.