Why I think you should use your real name on Twitter

If you don't use your real name on Twitter...

• I'm not sure who you are.
• I forget who you are.
• If I meet you in person I'm confused as to who you are unless you say I'm @TwitterIDSoandSo.
• I start to wonder who I am talking to.
• I don't quite trust you because I'm not exactly sure who you are.
  

If you already have a Twitter ID and don't want to change it because everyone knows who you are already then at least put your real name in your bio on your Twitter page. Why do so many of you not use your real name in the bio? And if you are all paranoid and don't want anyone to know who you are why are you even on Twitter? If you are cautious and worried about Twitter psycho's can you at least put your first name in your bio so I know you are a real person. If you are promoting your business via Twitter you could still put your real first name in the bio line so I know there is a person behind the business. I like people. I want to do business with people.

Thank you for listening to my Twitter rant.

PS. This post is not directed to anyone in particular. I have lots of Twitter friends who don't use their real name and even though I wish they would use their real names I still love them.

People on Twitter Listen

I think Twitter is such a sensation because people want to be listened to - they want to be heard. I often hear people say, “I don’t understand Twitter nobody cares if I'm going to the grocery store or taking a shower”.

What these non-tweeting people don't understand is that some people do care. In today's society most of us are glued to our computer screens. We don't pick up the phone as much as we used to because we don't want to bother the person and sending an email is easier anyway. Neighbors and friends don't just stop by now they send evites to plan a BBQ one month in advance.

Remember in the show, I Love Lucy how Ethel would stop by Lucy's everyday just to say hi and ask what she was doing? It seems people don't have time anymore to ask. I think Twitter is filling that void in our life!

Our friends, family, spouses and neighbors are all so busy they rarely stop to say, “how are you? or what are you doing?”

Many of us on Twitter have found it to be a very gratifying experience connecting us to other people.

I personally get all warm and fuzzy when I announce on Twitter I’m going for a hike with my dog and one of my followers responds saying have a great hike or asks me how the hike was. It feels good to be listened to, heard and acknowledged.

I try to explain to my non-tweeting friends that Twitter is not really about broadcasting yourself. It is more about building relationships. For the most part, my friends don’t get it. Although, I’ve noticed many of them have set up Twitter pages and are lurking still trying to figure out what the point is. If they would just take the leap, jump in and participate in some conversation they might understand.

Thanks to all my Twitter friends for listening.

PS. While I was writing this I tweeted that I was drinking coffee and getting ready for a hike, a Twitter friend @Ribeezie responded before I finished this post. I love my Twitter friends!

Twitter is Magical!

I like Twitter. My Twitter friends get this. My real-in-person friends don't. They think I'm weird. But I'm okay with that.

Ever since I first heard about TweetUps I wanted to attend one. A year or so ago I started asking if anyone was interested in a local TweetUp... no response. Since Twitter has grown so rapidly in the last 6 months I decided to ask again because this time I knew I had a handful of local followers. I got responses this time! People said yes they'd love to participate in a TweetUp. One woman @LissaRankin volunteered her office space at Clear Center of Health in Mill Valley. Others (@pobutler) offered to bring things. Lissa and I decided to co-host the TweetUp and to make it a potluck. We weren't sure how many people were going to come.

Last night I arrived at Clear Center with my vegetarian springrolls in one hand, sparkly water and wine in the other and walked in to be greeted by Lissa's coworkers, charming husband and adorable daughter. They were so nice and welcoming and told me Lissa was coming a little bit later. We rearranged the meeting space, got tables set up, put out our food and wondered if anyone was going to show up. They did! One by one people came walking in with food or drinks in hand. I think we had 20 people total. Four men, the rest women.

I wasn't sure what to expect with a room full of strangers but what I found was a room full of interesting, friendly people. It was probably the most relaxed and comfortable event full of strangers that I've ever been to. But I guess we aren't really strangers. We see each others tweets, we follow each others lifes. We carryon conversations.

I had a strange experience earlier in the day. A local business owner contacted me for something else and I wrote him back asking if he was on Twitter and invited him to our TweetUp. He wrote me back basically telling me he thought Twitter was a waste of time. He said if I can figure out how to make magic with Twitter then God bless me. Well guess what? I think I did figure out how to make magic with Twitter. Last night I was in a beautiful, warm, friendly office filled with wonderful people who I now consider friends. I would have never had this experience if it weren't for Twitter. It feels pretty magical to me!

Thank you to everyone who came to the TweetUp!

Photos from the TweetUp!

Social Networking Etiquette

Just found this great video on the blog Social Media 101 explaining Social Networking better than I've ever heard it explained before.

So many people are still trying the "get rich quick schemes", the bullhorn shouting look at me stuff and the same old marketing techniques. I keep telling people it is not about that anymore. It is about creating relationships with people, building trust and being real.

Tara Hunt said in her book The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business "Turn the bullhorn around, Stop talking and start listening."

If you are thinking about using Social Media to sell your next product or service please watch this video before doing so. Thank you.



Thanks to Scott of @UnMarketing for creating this video (and tweeting about it so I saw it).

Authentic Tweeps

If you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed I don't have a lot of patience for AutoDMs. They annoy me. I feel they are not authentic. And I especially do not like the AutoDMs trying to sell me something. To me, Twitter is about building relationships, getting to know people and sharing information.

Example of annoying Auto DM: Thanks for the follow! Would You Like to Know How to Get 16,000 Followers in 90 Days. (Um, NO!)

Today I got an authentic DM from someone and I was so impressed I decided to tweet about it and let others know.

With the flood of new users and celebrities to Twitter I propose we try to remind people to stay authentic, be real, be yourself and don't just try to sell something.

In talking to @relocatedyank who also received an authentic DM today I came up with the hashtag #AuthenticTweeps. Let's spread the word about #AuthenticTweeps and teach these new users what Twitter is all about.

Okay, I'm getting off my soap box now.

Thanks for listening.