Followers, Friends and Freaks

By Kristal Kraft | Published: August 1, 2009

As Tweet Week continues  here on KrisTalks we need to learn about Twitter Followers, in particular how do you know who is following you?

Typically all you need to do is click on the “followers” list on your Twitter page.  For some reason that is not  working for me at the moment.  No surprise here, one of the screens we become all to familiar with is the Fail Whale.

Twitter Fail Whale That’s OK for now, because I have another Twitter resource I use for seeing who is Following me on Twitter.  That is Twitter Karma!

Twitter Karma is a great program that will go into your Twitter account collect all the people that are associated with it and present to you on the screen who these people are.

Each account will indicate if you are following each other, they follow you, you follow them.

How cool is that?

I also like the way Twitter Karma records the last time they Tweeted.

Why does it matter?  Well so many people sign up and never come back.  Essentially they are clogging up my Twitter system.  I just delete them.

Another good reason for keeping only active Followers in your system occurs when you get to a certain number of followers, you can only go above it if you have people following you back.  I’m not sure what the ratio is, but if you are trying to go over 2000 followers you must have nearly close to that folks Following you back.

Apparently this is a stop-gap measure to prevent spammers from following everyone in the Universe.

Here’s a screen shot of Twitter Karma so you can see how helpful it is.

TwitterKarma

Posted in Social Networks, Twitter | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Tweet Week Focuses on Hash Tags

By Kristal Kraft | Published: July 30, 2009

twittericons7birdiesAs we dig into learning the ropes on Twitter this week, it is important to know about Hash Tags. You have probably noticed, or maybe it went over your head so far (I know I saw a few flying over mine in the beginning) people using # in their comments.

Typically the #sign is bunched with meaningless letters, or even a phrase.

This actually has meaning.

Let’s put the use of the Hashtag into perspective.  On Friday there is a practice on Twitter where people will participate in Follow Fridays.  It’s a practice of introducing your Followers to other Twitter people by listing the people you like to follow.

By making a list you not only introduce others (think cocktail party here) to the world, but while doing so you boast your followers by offering them the opportunity to meet new people, or in Twitter Talk get more Followers.

hashtags on TwitterHere is an example where two different Hashtags were used for the same purpose.  In the first example @mizzle was probably running short on space so she abbreviated the #ff.

Taking this one step further, let’s say you wanted to collect all the Follow Friday Tweets on Twitter, you could.

To do that you simply put “followfriday” into the search box in the right column of Twitter.  Like this:HashtagSearch

As you click to search for all the #followfriday tweets, a new window will appear listing them.  It looks very much like your Twitter stream only all the Tweets will have the #followfriday in them.

What is interesting is if you remain on that window, reading the Tweets, as more come in they will accumulate until you refresh (hit F5) your browser.  A note at the top continues to tell you how many new #followfriday tweets have come in.

RealTimeResults via Twitter Hash Tags

Ok by now you are probably scratching your head, realizing there is some huge potential here using hashtags.  How right you are!

Hashtags can be used in a variety of very powerful ways.  My favorite use of Hashtags is to follow events, either while I am there and better yet when I am not.  Vicarious travel is so much easier on the body and cheaper too!

So let’s use the upcoming #REBCSF hashtag.  REBC is the acronym for Real Estate BarCamp and SF is San Francisco.  REBC’s are  happening all over the U.S. this year, they started a year ago so next week in San Francisco will the the first anniversary of REBarcamp, it’s going to be a big deal.  Well it’s a big deal if you are involved and in real estate.

Over the next few days there will be a steady stream of Tweets from people who are excited about going to REBCSF and what they are planning to do.  Using #REBCSF to promote the event is one way to garner recognition and add to the excitement.

During the event you will see #REBCSF tweets about what is happening during the day.  Photos and video will be included as well.  Whether you are physically there or not by watching this Twitter stream you will be in the “know” about #REBCSF.

hashtags-twitterHow do you know about a Hashtag?

This question came up in a recent class.  One would assume it necessary to go “register” a hashtag in a formal manner.  This is not the case.

When having an event, it’s probably a good idea to do a search for the term you want and if it’s not taken, use it.  Once the Twitter stream is developed for the Hashtag, others probably will not assume the same term.

If you are attending an event, the coordinator will probably publish (on Twitter) what the #Hashtags should be.

Since Twitter is so new, many event organizers forget or don’t know about the power of Twitter to communicate about events.  If this is the case, there is nothing stopping the group from creating their own #hashtags to use.

So what have your garnered from this post?  Let’s review:

  1. Use #hashtags to collect tweets into a followable stream
  2. Search for hashtags on the Twitter sidebar
  3. FollowFriday is a good way to increase your followers.
  4. If you are attending an event, seek out the organizers #hashtags, it there aren’t any create your own.

Thanks for stopping by on Day 4 of Tweet Week here on KrisTalks.  Feel free to email me if you have questions.  Come by tomorrow for yet another lesson on using Twitter.

Posted in Social Networks, Twitter | Leave a comment

Tweet Week ~ Talking Back on Twitter

By Kristal Kraft | Published: July 29, 2009

Twitter-27This post is the third in a series.  Here’s the last post on Growing Your Twitter Followers.

Tweeting is much more fun when you get a conversation going.  Even better when you have multiple people conversing.

That’s how friends are made, which is actually the point!

Trouble is unless you are sitting in front of your computer watching your Twitter stream, you may miss a comment meant for your eyes!  So few of us have the time to sit and watch the action all day long, but that really isn’t necessary.

You can tell when someone responds and mentions your name just by clicking on the @ sign in your sidebar.

@twitterYou see, when you are involved in a conversation on Twitter, the folks talking to you will add @KrisTalk to their comment. When they do this, the message is placed in your box, for you to view.

In the same column Direct Messages are also collected.

This is a handy feature that many newcomers to Twitter over look.  I know I was a visitor on Twitter many times before I noticed this feature.

Favorites is another feature I use frequently.  When ever I see something said I want to investigate further, particularly when someone posts a good link, I save it to FAVORITES.  By doing so it stays there where I can easily find it!

Ok so now you want to know how to save a Tweet?

Roll your cursor over the right hand side of someone’s tweet, like this…

TwitterFavorites

Notice how the star and the arrow appear when your cursor gets near that side of the Tweet?  I know, you are wondering how are you supposed to know something is there when they HIDE IT?

Don’t blame me, they didn’t consult with me on the design!

Now you’ve found it, remember to use it.

When responding to a tweet, just place your cursor on the person’s tweet, click on that arrow and the system will automatically add the @UserName to the Reply box. Like this:

replyTwitter

Of course if you like to type, you can always type your @RobertaMurphy in, but clicking on the reply this way is quicker and safer, no way to make a typo!

For Saving to FAVORITES, just click on the Star.

Summing Up Day 3 on Tweet Week

  1. Not all that is on the Tweeter screen is apparent.  Run your mouse cursor over the screen to see navigation options appear i.e., replying to a tweet and saving a favorite.
  2. Start a conversation by using the @sign to direct a comment at someone in particular.  You can try me @KrisTalk, when I see it I will respond.
  3. Check comments made to you as replies by clicking on the @YourUserName link.

Practice doing this until Tweeting becomes second nature.  Once you get the hang of it you will wonder why you thought this was so difficult!

Stop by tomorrow for the next post on Twitter.

Posted in Social Networks, Twitter | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Tweet Week Continues – Growing Your Followers

By Kristal Kraft | Published: July 28, 2009

This post is the second in a series.  Here’s the first post on All About Tweets.

twitterThe secret of using Twitter is to create an interesting group of people and enterprises with whom you can enjoy communicating.  Twitter offers many benefits to those who choose to participate in a civil, social way.

After all, Twitter is one big International  Cocktail Party.

It can be a delightful community to hang around to learn about what’s happening in the world and get to know other members of the community.  News travels fast on Twitter and being connected is part of the fun.

Of course first you have to Follow and be Followed, so here’s the technical scoop on How to…

You have of course completed your bio and added a photo of yourself.  This is very important, because if you didn’t you could be wasting your time trying to get people to Follow you.

As you Follow people, they will be checking out your profile, deciding if they want to Follow you back.  If you look like a spammer or an ax murderer, you can be assured no one will follow you back except maybe a spammer or an ax murderer. :)

Adding Followers can be done in this manner:

  1. People Search: in the top navigation bar you can Find People
    1. you know on Twitter by entering their names.
    2. Twitter can also search other networks your are a member of to find matches if they are also on Twitter.
    3. You can invite via e-mail
    4. Twitter will also suggest Followers for you
  2. Click on one of your Follower’s names:
    addfollowers

    1. It will take you to their profile where you can browse through their Followers.  If you like what you see, you can click and add those Followers to your list!  You can see how easy it can be to grow your list, including the Followers of people you know and like!

myfollowers-easymethods

3. Using Twitter Search – at the very bottom of Twitter pages there is a navigation bar, click on the “Search” link.TwitterSearch

You will end up on a new page with more options.  This one is very easy to miss.

Here’s what it looks like.  Now click on “Advanced Search.”Twitter Advanced Search

Advanced Search is a hidden treasure trove, a paradise for Twitter users wishing to define their objectives more clearly.  Here you can search in many ways, including a radius around where your market area is located.twitterSearch-advanced

By adding my town with a 15 mile radius, Twitter Search will return the most current Tweets occurring within this area.  It is now up to me to review and decide if these Tweeter folks are worthy of being in my Twitter stream!

With these tools you will find plenty to keep you busy on Twitter. Try at least one of these methods.  As you become more comfortable with the system you will see how easy it is to use.  You will also begin to see how Twitter can be beneficial in your business and personal life.

Summing Up Day Two of Tweet Week

  1. Let Twitter find your existing friends by searching through your address book.
  2. Do a name search for a few friends by using the “Find People” button on the nav bar.
  3. Use Advanced Search to look for Tweeters in your geographic area.
  4. Use Advanced Search to find people talking about a subject that interests you.  (haha! This is a trick suggestion, you will have to figure out how to do this on your own.  It can be done and you can figure it out! I challenge you!)

Be sure to let me know if you have questions.  I’d love to hear from you.

Since this week is Tweet Week, I will be writing about some of the Twitter Tools you can use to make your Tweeting easier on the road, in the office or at home.

Posted in Social Networks, Twitter | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

All About Tweets It Is Twitter Week!

By Kristal Kraft | Published: July 25, 2009

tweetie

Twitter is the most misunderstood social media application.  At first glance most people think it is really dumb.  I know I did!

Just the same I joined it anyway.  I followed a few friends made a few Tweets, then promptly forgot about it for 6 months or so. Then when it came time to gather at the NAR Convention in Las Vegas, Twitter was resurrected.

It was in Las Vegas that I discovered a new found appreciation for this very powerful tool.

In that far away place I was able to connect with my online friends, many of whom I’d yet to have the pleasure of meeting (in real life).  With Twitter’s help, I was also able to broadcast crucial and interesting concepts to my online friends who were not at the convention. They appreciated my efforts and I appreciated having value.

Two plus years later, Twitter is one of my favorite places to hang out.  I’m not there all day, but typically you will find me there at night.

Twitter has expanded my reach into the world.  I’ve made friends and learned things I never would have discovered.  I’ve both helped and been assisted with tech support issues on the network.  Posting there also increases traffic to my blogs.  My  lists of praises goes on and on. Guess you can say I’m an advocate for Twitter.

Getting Started on Twitter

Much has been written about the topic.  The best way to begin in any social network to to sign up and add a good profile, including a real photo of yourself.

Most agree having a photo is the first step to establishing your credibility on Twitter. Without a photo you get a stock avatar.  They all look alike, so it’s hard to tell the wackos from the real people.  If you want credible you need a photo.

The next step is a tad difficult.  IN 160 characters you need to say something about yourself.  It should be pithy, and at the same time let people know what you do, who your are and where you do it (assuming you are a geographically positioned business).  Of course being a REALTOR, I like to let people know I sell houses.  I only sell in Metro Denver, so that’s what I tell them.

My Twitter bio reads like this:

“I’m either Selling real estate in Denver or Shooting Colorado, it’s a big job but someone has to do it! “

Next step is to link your bio to your outside website.  I’ve chosen to link to my business card site that lists all my websites and blogs.  That way when someone wants to know more about me they can visit this site and get the entire story.  It is intended to present a more rounded personality, rather than just the one-sided business approach.  See if you agree, visit Kristal Kraft

Protecting Your Updates

At the bottom of the profile page you have the option to tick a box to protect your updates.  I’ve seen people do this and just don’t understand why they would.

When you check this box, no one can follow you. Or at least they cannot follow you until you give them permission.

Hummmm.  What’s the point of being on a social network if it’s not to be social?  Of course it’s up to you to allow others to see your tweets or not, but checking this box will not expand your horizons.  You might as well continue to DM your friends on a private network.

Understanding the System

Tweeting to the World

Once your profile is set up you can Tweet.  Actually you can Tweet without fully setting up the profile, but it’s not a good idea.  If you are going to say something, give people an idea of who you are first!  Let them see your photo instead of that generic avatar!

Twitter-shouting out to the world

What’s up with Followers?

Twitter has it’s own language. Friends are “followers.”  Yes, I agree having people FOLLOW you is rather spooky, but you will get used to it.

twitter-

When you respond or reply to someone you put the @ sign in front of their name. i.e. @KrisTalk  by doing this, the @KrisTalk message will end up in my “@ box” allowing me to read it next time I check out my @ box!

There is another benefit from using the @ sign.  Since these replies are public, many others will see the response and if they are enjoying the conversation, they will follow you.

TwitterFollowFriday

To follow you all they need to do is click on the @KrisTalk and it will bring up that person’s profile, click “follow” button and you can increase your Followers too!

On Fridays many Twitter people broadcast the names of people they follow (see graphic above).  The reasoning is twofold, they introduce others increasing their exposure while doing what is considered a good thing.

So What is a RT?

More Twitter Talk to understand is the RT concept.  RT stands for ReTweet, it is simply someone repeating what someone else said.  When you see a RT it will also give credit to the original Tweeter.

Retweet

In this example tcar made the original comment and it was picked up by smmi who basically cut and pasted what @tcar said and published it.

The beauty of this habit is how the Tweet will travel outside of your circle and continue flowing to other circles.

ReTweets are a good thing.  Of course if you plan on RT’ing, please do so in moderation.

Twitter has a Private Back Channel

Not all communication on Twitter is public.  On occasion it is necessary and very simple to send a DIRECT message to a Follower in your group by putting a D (space)KrisTalk.  It looks like this                      D KrisTalk

Adding the space is critically important if you want the message to get to the other person.  If you forget the space the message will go public and most likely the person it was meant for will not see it.

Summing Up Day One of Twitter Week

  1. Join Twitter
  2. Create your profile
  3. Add a photo
  4. Write an interesting yet informative 160 bio
  5. Go Follow folks (more on how to do this later) for now follow me. @KrisTalk
  6. Watch on Friday for people you might like to Follow
  7. Send someone a direct message (be sure you are following each other, otherwise it won’t work.

Next time I will talk about finding the right people to Follow to increase your sphere.  It’s not about numbers, it is truly about relationships.

Be sure to subscribe to this blogs RSS feed.

Posted in Social Networks, Twitter | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Keeping Your Priorities Straight

By Kristal Kraft | Published: July 24, 2009

organization-issuesThe daily deluge of things we must do never seems to end.  Now with adding social media to the mix we find ourselves doing the fun stuff and ignoring the things we don’t like to do.

Social media takes on a life of it’s own. We want to be social and certainly feel a need to keep up with our online friends, but is this our top priority?

Maybe, but probably not.

What runs me off the tracks is the constant barrage of emails landing in my inbox.  Just the meer sight of them causes me to respond, more rapidly than necessary. Next thing you know I look up at the clock and the minutes have passed through my lifestream, never to be recaptured.

Yet, my pile of paperwork continues to grow. Yikes!

My solution to this problem has been to create file folders in my outlook and rules. My email rules sent the fun and fabulous social networking email directly to the file.  Out of sight, out of mind while I chug away at my money tasks.

Later in the day, I browse the files, attend to the important and let the rest wait until I get around to it!

Controlling my time is an issue I deal with daily.  I have to make a conscience decision to prioritize my work.

If I don’t control it, it will control me.

Social media has become a way of life for many, it’s fun and a great way to expand your ambient awareness, but if it doesn’t pay the mortgage, it shouldn’t be a top priority.

Posted in Getting Organized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

When was the last time you used one of these?

By Kristal Kraft | Published: July 23, 2009

Dex Telephone booksOnce upon a time, not so long ago, this yellow book was a staple in our lives.  It provided handy information about an area, an address, a telephone number and helped us find a new place to do business.

On top of all that, it made a great booster chair, door stop or a weight to press out wrinkles in important papers.

That was then, but what about now?

Now most people don’t even answer the phone when it rings.  Alexander’s bell ringy-dingies until it rolls over to voice mail.  Why answer when typically the caller is someone you don’t want to talk to anyway?

We don’t need to pick up, we already know who is calling and what they want. We aren’t buying, paying or playing so one ringy dingy, two ringy dingy, hang up!

Our communication today is the cell phone, usually a smart phone.  Yes it’s smart enough to transmit a message without ever having to connect two people.

We text.  We email. We Twitter, DM, Instant message, Skype, IRchat and soon Google will let us Wave.  How cool are we?

My  iPhone has a GPS on it.  It knows where I am, what is playing at the movies closest to me.  It can lead me to all the open houses in the area.  When I run out of open houses, I can then drive-by all the homes for sale nearby.

Heck, when I get hungry I can choose a food category, shake my silly little wonderful iPhone and it will spin a dial like a fancy Las Vegas slot machine, entertaining  me with anticipation of what restaurant it will choose for me.

Then there is  Google Voice. This handy service means you call Google and ask “Where is the nearest Starbucks?”  It will determine your location and deliver the answer to your phone, complete with map instructions to get there.

Yellow Pages you just don’t cut it anymore.  Thanks for the memories, but we are moving on.

Posted in Getting Started | 5 Comments

When Blog Flodder Runs Dry

By Kristal Kraft | Published: July 10, 2009

Dead End SignRunning out of inspiration is not a question if it will happen, but when. Don’t worry even the best of us experience it.

The daily grind of digging for a topic tends to wear thin, particularly when there are other things in life that are screaming out for attention.

Each individual treats blogger’s block differently.  Some decide to give it up and come back later, sort of a R & R from blogging.

Others just give up completely, leaving all the hard earned efforts to melt away in cyber space.

Tips for filling the well

Record Your Thoughts in a Journal

To keep the inspiration flowing, carry a journal with you.  When an interesting topic crosses your path, don’t trust your memory, write it down.  Continue to record your topics in an organized list so you can visit it when you need a new topic.

This practices works great for developing a series, i.e. Top 10 Reasons to Move or my insane project 100 Denver Real Estate and Relocation Tips in 100 Days!

Look to the Masters

Following in the footsteps of masters is a great way to find inspiration.  Much has been written about real estate blogging and fortunately it is published on the web.  Teresa Boardman author and creator of the St. Paul Real Estate Blog wrote a post on the Real Estate Tomato several years ago.  She took the time to list 101 Real Estate Blog Topics. It’s good, very, very good and I dare anyone deep in the throes of bloggers block to visit.  I guarantee they will come away with enough inspiration to light their creative fire.

Posted in Blogging Tips | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Do You Hang with the Herd?

By Kristal Kraft | Published: June 24, 2009

A buffalo herd on the ridge with the Rocky Mountains in the backgroundHerd mentality is the norm.  We all know it and experience it every day.  What is it about the herd that is so appealing? Is it about competition, getting there first or is it simply the fact we love being among the human race?

Seldom does herd mentality get us exclusive privileges.  Instead we get to pay higher prices, wait in longer lines and generally compete at a much higher cost.  Is it really worth the effort?

I guess only you can answer that, but consider this first…

When it comes to business it is always best to not have to compete. Niches have become famous for this very simple reason.  Becoming a rock star in your niche means traveling the road less traveled, but having greater reward for doing so.

Therein is the secret of successful blogging.  Find yourself a niche, work it.

Don’t follow the herd and get lost and trampled in the crowd. Be unique, when you see the herd forming, smile, wish them well but turn and follow your own path.

If it’s to be, it’s up to thee.

Posted in Blogging Tips | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Branding Yourself Without the Pain!

By Kristal Kraft | Published: June 18, 2009

branding-yourself

Branding yourself in business is a matter of picking a name/logo and consistently exposing it to your consumers as much as possible.  When it comes to branding yourself on social media all of a sudden road blocks get thrown you your way.

The shear number of social media groups is overwhelming and more hit the market everyday!  If you have a common name, others may have gotten there before you, thus requiring you to deviate from your brand.

Another issue we all deal with seems simple but can get out of hand rather quickly; that’s regarding user names and passwords.  Manytimes your user name is the one displayed on the social media network. Obviously the best user name to use in this case is your “brand.”

Chances are if you plan on joining each and every social media group that comes along, eventually you will get there too late to have your brand/user name.

The solution is to coordinate the choice of your name with a user name that is available on most of the social networks you will be using.  Thankfully, there is a site that offers a shortcut to finding what that user name might be.

Dial User Name is a real time saver.  It is a simple to use as typing in your user name then clicking to check the dozens of social media sites for your name’s availability.  Yes, it will take a few minutes to run the query, but relax, grab yourself a cup of coffee. When you get back to the computer, you will see the results.

Posted in Social Networks | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

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