I've now been using Twitter 'properly' for about 2 weeks. I started using it again just before my bootcamp organised by Sew You and Kitschen Sink, just so I knew why I found it difficult and could ask decent questions. I wanted to learn to use Twitter because I don't like letting things beat me, and I was having the following problems with Facebook.
My problems with Facebook
1. Constant changes of the way things work, including the latest introduction of 'Timeline' - this is awful, and was the last straw. I don't want people to look too closely at all my old stuff, I want them to judge me on what I'm doing right now, not four years ago.
2. Random privacy control rubbish - I keep being 'checked into' places I'm not at, just so that someone else's business shows up on my newsfeed
3. Trying to run a business profile, a personal profile, and a facebook page - I annoyed one person with marketing stuff, even though it was my business profile, and keep forgetting I have a personal profile
4. Facebook being full of children, and/or childish people - there's so much drama on FB, it makes me feel very paranoid.
5. Etiquette problems - I've annoyed people in the past by doing stuff which is against their personal facebook etiquette, and not doing somethings which seem totally opposite because it's what someone else expects. This is the fundamental issue with facebook - everyone uses it so differently, it makes me even more paranoid.
6. Constantly being asked to be involved in competitions which I know break the FB rules - eg 'like' this photo please!
7. Most evenings I'd end up in a ball of mess ater using FB because I'd done or NOT done something someone else expected me to do
Problems I had with Twitter
Every time I tried Twitter instead of FB, I'd end up in the same ball of mess. This time it was because I couldn't understand what was going on. I knew what RT meant, and why people used @ symbols. But what's with the # (hash tag)? Plus everything moves SO QUICKLY.
It occurred to me though that this swiftness might counteract the problems I have with FB - things move so quickly that people are surely only going to judge me on the last few things I say.
I also used to blog A LOT a few years ago, but time constraints have meant I haven't been expressing opinions about my home life. Twitter is often referred to as micro-blogging, and I wondered if this might help me get back to my roots of talking about ME as well as my business.
BOOTCAMP
During Bootcamp, all these issues were dealt with. We talked about etiquette, what is expected of you on twitter. There really isn't very much which is frowned upon as far as I can tell - you follow people, you don't have to ask permission, if you unfollow, no one minds.
Obviously I'm not going to tell you everything which was discussed, I want you to go to one for yourself, but here are the first three changes I made
1. A new profile picture
2. A new bio
3. Installing a twitter app on my smart phone
A week later
So, I think Rowan and Abi must be witches of some kind. A week of using twitter regularly, using the advice they gave me, these are the changes
1. 100 more followers on Twitter
2. 28 more likers on my FB fanpage
3. I now use FB more like I used to, mainly as a way to chat and keep up with friends, and I remember to use my fan page if I want to talk business
4. Website traffic increase of 80% - that's an average of 14 people a week, up to 162 in one week
5. Not only have I had more traffic, I've had more sales. Up until last week, I'd only sold 2 things on my website - last week I sold 3 items.
6. I've also been featured in a blogpost here - http://www.intheseheels.co.uk/2012/02/07/life-is-one-big-canvas/ - from one of the sales
7. Another sale is for another blogger, who I hope will review :)
8. I thanked the Leeds Guide for the feature using a tweet, and they retweeted it to their 11,000 followers
So, I took a lot away from that workshop - very simple, small things which when they were said to me made total sense but which I hadn't even considered. It's not really magic - I hope it's fair to pass on these two pieces of advice.
1. Twitter is like real life - treat people and conversations on Twitter as you would in real life.
2. Decide who you are on Twitter and what you want from it - and stick to it
My problems with Facebook
1. Constant changes of the way things work, including the latest introduction of 'Timeline' - this is awful, and was the last straw. I don't want people to look too closely at all my old stuff, I want them to judge me on what I'm doing right now, not four years ago.
2. Random privacy control rubbish - I keep being 'checked into' places I'm not at, just so that someone else's business shows up on my newsfeed
3. Trying to run a business profile, a personal profile, and a facebook page - I annoyed one person with marketing stuff, even though it was my business profile, and keep forgetting I have a personal profile
4. Facebook being full of children, and/or childish people - there's so much drama on FB, it makes me feel very paranoid.
5. Etiquette problems - I've annoyed people in the past by doing stuff which is against their personal facebook etiquette, and not doing somethings which seem totally opposite because it's what someone else expects. This is the fundamental issue with facebook - everyone uses it so differently, it makes me even more paranoid.
6. Constantly being asked to be involved in competitions which I know break the FB rules - eg 'like' this photo please!
7. Most evenings I'd end up in a ball of mess ater using FB because I'd done or NOT done something someone else expected me to do
Problems I had with Twitter
Every time I tried Twitter instead of FB, I'd end up in the same ball of mess. This time it was because I couldn't understand what was going on. I knew what RT meant, and why people used @ symbols. But what's with the # (hash tag)? Plus everything moves SO QUICKLY.
It occurred to me though that this swiftness might counteract the problems I have with FB - things move so quickly that people are surely only going to judge me on the last few things I say.
I also used to blog A LOT a few years ago, but time constraints have meant I haven't been expressing opinions about my home life. Twitter is often referred to as micro-blogging, and I wondered if this might help me get back to my roots of talking about ME as well as my business.
BOOTCAMP
During Bootcamp, all these issues were dealt with. We talked about etiquette, what is expected of you on twitter. There really isn't very much which is frowned upon as far as I can tell - you follow people, you don't have to ask permission, if you unfollow, no one minds.
Obviously I'm not going to tell you everything which was discussed, I want you to go to one for yourself, but here are the first three changes I made
1. A new profile picture
2. A new bio
3. Installing a twitter app on my smart phone
A week later
So, I think Rowan and Abi must be witches of some kind. A week of using twitter regularly, using the advice they gave me, these are the changes
1. 100 more followers on Twitter
2. 28 more likers on my FB fanpage
3. I now use FB more like I used to, mainly as a way to chat and keep up with friends, and I remember to use my fan page if I want to talk business
4. Website traffic increase of 80% - that's an average of 14 people a week, up to 162 in one week
5. Not only have I had more traffic, I've had more sales. Up until last week, I'd only sold 2 things on my website - last week I sold 3 items.
6. I've also been featured in a blogpost here - http://www.intheseheels.co.uk/2012/02/07/life-is-one-big-canvas/ - from one of the sales
7. Another sale is for another blogger, who I hope will review :)
8. I thanked the Leeds Guide for the feature using a tweet, and they retweeted it to their 11,000 followers
So, I took a lot away from that workshop - very simple, small things which when they were said to me made total sense but which I hadn't even considered. It's not really magic - I hope it's fair to pass on these two pieces of advice.
1. Twitter is like real life - treat people and conversations on Twitter as you would in real life.
2. Decide who you are on Twitter and what you want from it - and stick to it
Interesting post Chloe. I didn't really 'get' Twitter till I did a similar class type thing by another Blogger. I love it now - I don't log in as often a I like as I mainly access it from my PC but when I save up enough for an iPod I'll use it on there too. Totally agree with absolutely everything you say about FB. So many times I have nearly closed my account but I know a lot of traffic to my blog comes via there and also my MIL uses it to chat to us... so for now I'll keep it open. PLus I'm addicted to Tetris.
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