I have hundreds of friends (shocking I know) that actually DO NOT understand the why of Twitter. I found this video about Twitter that was so good…I had to post it.

Well? What do you think of the explanation of what Twitter is in plain English? Beneficial? Annoying?

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I’ve been using Twitter since January of 2008 and have really come to love the community of people I’ve met and connected with. It has also been a tremendous place to do business, see and be seen by the world. It’s been amazing to watch over this time that nearly 15,000 people read what I tweet. It’s been an organic growth of followers. I’m truly blessed to have one person reading my tweets…let alone thousands of people.

Lately, I’ve been contemplating the number of people that I follow. Since I often tried to follow everyone back that followed me, I noticed over the last 6 months, my DM inbox was more and more filled with SPAM and my tweet stream was so clogged, that I couldn’t keep up and more importantly, I’d lose/miss tweets in the mass of thousands and thousands of tweets from people’s tweets that I’d want to see. An increasing number of tweets would be purely marketing only type tweets. I was missing the tweets that were VALUABLE to me!

What to do…what to do?

Then two weeks ago, I by chance caught in my tweetstream that Chris Pirillo wrote he just used UnFollowAll to clean up his Twitter account. It was free and would delete EVERYONE that you followed on Twitter. I FOUND what I’d been looking for…a fresh start without having to take the time to weed out the spammers, the marketers, etc.

Later that evening my follow account was wiped clean. It was back to zero. And to be honest, a bit freeing from the tweet noise.

Then I slowly started adding back my associates, friends, peers from the Seattle Social Media Club, people related to my niche and generally anyone I know, enjoy reading tweets from as well in the last 2 years.

It wasn’t long thereafter that I got called a “Twitter snob” by more than one person for not following everyone who followed me. Well ya know what? I don’t care what people think is the right way for me to use my Twitter account. But then again, these are the same people who swooned over a certain flash-in-the-pan social media guru who made some quick money making webinars & JV’ing with other “industry names” about the right way to use social media…who has since deleted his account. They’re also the same people who use software to artificially add followers.

I’ve been using Twitter to share what I’m passionate about like fitness and workouts like P90X from Beachbody and most everything in social media. I also share a lot of what I read and definitely share what I believe would be useful information for people who follow me. Twitter is an extension of my life but my life does not revolve around Twitter. Like this month I’ve hardly been tweeting due to a house remodel and soon to be moving experience. Twitter is one piece of the social media puzzle I use to build my business from home. But that’s just me…we all use Twitter for different reasons.

As I was writing this post this morning, I get an email from none other than Joel Comm who had just wrote on his blog that he just purged his Twitter account too. Joel was one of my early “friends” on Twitter. He provided value and often was funny in his tweets. A good guy you should be following: @JoelComm. As I was reading it, one of the things he wrote was:

Just as Twitter is a dynamic site that evolves and changes as it grows, how we use Twitter must also remain fluid.

Let me be clear about one thing.

Twitter is here for the long haul, and it is more important than ever for businesses to be using the service. It’s even more important for them to use it in a way that builds relationships and enhances brands.

I agree with that because without Twitter, there would be no way I would have ever connected with many of the people I have on Twitter because we live in different parts of the country and the world. It has radically shifted the way people communicate and even do business online. It’s dynamic…ever changing…and a powerful tool to develop personal brand and multiply your social networking influence. But there is yet to be a “perfect way” to use Twitter…and until there is, I’ll continue to follow my instincts and do what is natural for me.

And I’m at peace with my decision to delete everyone.

What are your thoughts on why I deleted who I followed on Twitter and why people like Chris Pirillo and Joel Comm did the same thing?

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What IS TweetGlide?

Tweet Glide is the brainchild of Internet Marketing master, Mike Filsaime of Butterfly Marketing fame. I have had the fortunate pleasure of being invited by Mike Filsaime to be part of the beta testing group. TweetGlide in my opinion is a significant upgrade to downloadable software apps for Twitter. It’s one of the best Twitter applications I’ve seen since I’ve been using Twitter back in January 2008.

Basically, TweetGlide is a Twitter application that will make it much easier to monetize regular use of Twitter. If you’re familiar with using TweetDeck and spend a couple of hours a day on social media networks like Twitter and Facebook, you’re really going to appreciate the potential of Mike Filsaime’s piece of software if you want to extend your social media marketing reach. Tweet Glide is going to become a household name for people who love to tweet!

Why TweetGlide Will Replace TweetDeck

There are a lot of great similarities, but some IMPORTANT differences between TweetDeck and TweetGlide. Especially for affiliate marketers, small businesses, professionals and really, any entrepreneur involved in social media marketing.

Like TweetDeck, Tweet Glide allows you to track your followers, make direct replies, read your messages and interact with others on one streamlined dashboard. Other features like setting up Groups and connecting with your Facebook stream. The software also has a built in URL shortening with the likes of TwitPwr, BUDurl, Tinyurl and more (though I hope and wish Su.pr would be added too).

A radical shift from Tweetdeck, you find with TweetGlide: there is a an advertising column built into the display for all other Tweet Glide users to see. As soon as you earn a credit (you earn a credit for tweets), your ad will be displayed to other members via the dashboard.

If you notice in the picture below, the 2nd column on the left side, is the advertising column:

An added benefit here is Tweet Glide actually has a referral program that goes five levels deep. This means for every person you refer that makes 5 tweets also, you earn a credit. This also goes on for every person they refer and any tweets they make, and so on…

Unlike Tweetdeck, with TweetGlide, you are able to develop a group of referred users 5 levels below you and earn points every time they tweet too. You then exchange those credits for advertising space that helps expose your business to other users. Once you earn a credit, you can spend it on advertising space within the TweetGlide interface whereby all other members will be able to see your ad for a free report or video etc. It’s pretty ingenious!

TweetGlide Goes BEYOND 140 Characters!

Now here’s the real kicker…we’ve all at one time or another been frustrated by Twitter’s character limit of 140 characters. With Tweet Glide, if you want to post more than 140 characters, your full Tweet will appear on the TweetGlide.com website. Your tweet will simply display an introductory sentence with the option to “view more” if your followers want to read on by clicking on the TinyURL link.

Here is the link to my TweetGlide blog page: http://TweetGlide.com/TimothyCarter

You have the option to upgrade from Tweet Glide Basic to the Premier TweetGlide.

By choosing this option, you get SIGNIFICANT benefits over basic members:

• 400 Characters instead of 140 and double the ad size
• 250 Paid Ads Free ($47 value)
• Add HTML to your tweets in your ads
• Red or Blue URL so people want to click your links
• Colored background of your choice to increase clicks on your ads

and much MORE!

The INCREDIBLE viral potential of TweetGlide is in the fact that the software has a refer and earn program. This means that not only do you earn advertising credits for each person you refer and their tweets, but you also earn a commission for every member that purchases an upgrade package to Premier TweetGlide!

Make Money With TweetGlide!

When you tell people about Tweet Glide, using your referral link, they will download and install TweetGlide for free on their computer. During this process, there is an offer for a Premier Upgrade for $97. If they purchase, you make a 50% commission!

For many people the FREE basic TweetGlide software will be an upgrade over Tweetdeck in my experience with this software and with Tweetdeck. Those focused entrepreneurs looking for the next way to utlitize Twitter for marketing will find the upgrade will be far more VALUABLE than the $97 investment.

I think Mike Filsaime has put together something pretty special with Tweet Glide. It’ll be the hot new Twitter app. You’ll hear about it all over Twitter and Mashable.

Go to my TweetGlide site now to get your own TweetGlide free copy! Yes, that is my happy little affiliate link.

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Image via Wikipedia

Image via WikipediaTwitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. The sender can restrict delivery to those in his or her circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, instant messaging, SMS, RSS, email or through an application such as Twitterrific or Facebook.

Source Wikipedia

On my Facebook account, I’ve been asked repeatedly, “What is Twitter” and “why do you use it”? So I thought Wikipedia could define it better than I could.

Twitter has grown INCREDIBLY FAST over the last year that I have been on Twitter. Home based businesses, small brick/mortar businesses and Internet Marketing industries have been seeing the powerful impact that Twitter has on their business.

Soooooo…How Do I Use Twitter?

Everyone who uses Twitter each have a different reason to use Twitter. I really use Twitter as a lifestream to my social media networking. From what I read, to what I write on my blog about, to what I learn and use to build revenue online which keeps me working at home full time.

My Twitter profile is: http://twitter.com/TimothyCarter

Here is what I do- Essentially I ‘follow’ people I share common ground with intellectually, hobbies, passions with, people I find interesting and would like to keep up to date with what’s they are up to. Then I find ways to get to know them…whether from watching their tweet stream to checking out the web link on their profile.

Oftentimes I update my ‘Twitter Status’ either by going to Twitter.com, logging into my account and type in ‘What are you doing?’, if I’m not home, then by using my cell phone or by using another service like Tweetdeck or TweetLater on my laptop. So whether I’ve got my laptop or my cell phone, you often find me tweeting.

Each time I update my status, all my ‘followers’ get a notification on their Twitter page. They can reply directly to me, read the update, visit a link which I
include in my update and even just ignore it. Who would possibly do that?

My Twitter account is set up to connect with my Facebook, Myspace, Plaxo, Tumblr, and my Blog. When I update my Twitter status or my Blog with a new blog post, everyone who’s connected to me through the above social networks can see exactly what I’m doing.

So by using Twitter I can connect all my friends from all my social networks together. Each ‘tweet’ I write on Twitter will have the ability to be seen by between 4000-18,000+ people! And continues to grow.

Twitter and social networking is about building relationships and visibility with others…at least that is what I use Twitter for.

There are several blog posts from Brian Clark (who I HIGHLY respect) of Copyblogger.com that I recommend you read so that you can start putting this tool to work for you and your business.

How Twitter Makes You a Better Writer

How to Use Twitter to Grow Your Business

5 Steps to Going Viral on Twitter

What do you use Twitter for? How does Twitter help your business if you use it for business?

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Image by mbtrama via Flickr

For the past 2 years, I’ve been all about Firefox as my Internet browser of choice. But for the last 6 months, I’ve been using Flock, the Social Media browser.

As described by Wikipedia:

Flock 2.5 integrates social networking and media services including MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Blogger, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, etc. Notably, when logging into any of the supported social services, Flock can track updates from friends: profiles, uploaded photos, and more.

Other features include:

• native sharing of text, links, photos and videos;
• a “Media Bar” showing preview of online videos and photos as well as subscription to photo and video feeds;
• a feed reader supporting Atom, RSS and Media RSS feeds;
• a blog editor and reader, allowing direct posting into any designated blog;
• a Webkit-mail component allowing users to check supported web-based email off site, compose new messages, and drag-and-drop pictures and videos from the “Media Bar” or webclipboard into a new email message;
• support for third-party add-ons, including a number of Firefox extensions.

Over on Mashable, they bring up some of the great new features added to Flock 2.5:Flock 2.5 Brings Beefed Up Facebook Chat and Twitter Search

For me, the biggest reason to use Flock is how interactive it helps you to be with your social networking crowd especially on the two BIGGEST social networking sites out there today…Twitter and Facebook. It’s big tool that helps me to maximize my social media networking efforts. From status updates, to dropping media to share immediately across platforms and even write blog posts straight out of the browser. Also being able to check my emaill & rss feeds in a near seamless fashion. Flock puts all of my social media networking pieces into one basket…including Facebook chat when I’m not on Facebook.

I can’t live without Flock…what about you? Is there a reason why you haven’t switched or tried Flock? Are you a Chrome fan? A Firefox fan? I’d love to hear some other feedback. Pro/con?

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 Twitter marketing.

This is a new phrase that is starting to hit the streets and blogs.

You can hear it on podcasts as well as videos today. It is all over blog posts and articles in articles directories.

But most are striking out as far as marketing goes. They do not seem to connect to many of the basic principles of marketing.

And many never will as they do not seem to understand the truth about marketing.

There are 5 Power Secrets of Twitter Marketing that I would like to briefly share with you and hope they can help you in your endeavors.

They have rocked our world in our twitter marketing.

First off, what in the world is twitter?

If you have been out on the moon for the last 12 months, you may have not heard of it. But it is a little service that asks you ‘”hat are you doing?”  and you let the world know. In 140 characters or less. Much like a text on a cell phone.

Seems pretty innocent does it not?

But then marketers started using twitter to market their wares, and many have polluted much of the “twittersphere”  with hundreds of pitches and deals that are disguised as tweets. I counted over 75 of them today. And  most of the tweets seemed “innocent” until you clicked on the url- and then BAM! You were right in the middle of someone trying to sell you something.

Classic bait and switch.

But there are those that are successul with twitter that do not practice that type of marketing. They do it right and people love them for it.  Coach Deb and Warren Whitlock talk about twitter with their Twitter handbook. & their book Twitter Revolution! Joel Comm has the Twitter Power book. Darren Rowse with TwiTips talks about it. Chris Brogan talks about it. Scott Monty talks about it. Even Facebook maven Mari Smith is now teaching it.

You can too- if you can embrace a few twitter marketing secrets.

This brings me to these 5 Twitter Marketing Power Secrets:

1) Marketing is all about Relationship FIRST- SECOND- and THIRD.

This is a no brainer. Relationships and Connections drive marketing.

And if someone has tens of thousands or more followers- that is quite an impressive list. But are they results of some leads harvesting software or honest to God relationships that you can market to? This is critical for long term marketing and business.

People expect something from you- a relationship if you are promising something. Can you do that?

You can decide that.

2) Twitter is about “Peripheral Connections” that are in sync with you.

If you want to market your message- find someone that has a similar message, and then take a look at their followers. They are following this person for a reason. (Unless they are software generated/harvested
which is quite popular today on twitter.) Start following some of these proven interested folks after you have looked at their profile and they fit your prospective customer profile, and find the ones that makes
sense to follow. And then start holding conversations with them. Introduce yourself. Join the conversation.  Find out what they are looking for, and then see how your message can help out with their
search.

Make your marketing of Value FIRST and build that bridge of Trust before you ever suggest they purchase something.

It works.

3) Twitter Marketing is about TRUST, TRAILS, and TEAMS.

First off, you must build that Bridge of TRUST before anything. If your followers do not TRUST you, you will lose them. Give Value first- and then more Value second.

Give them FREE downloads and reports and Little Known Secrets. They will start to trust your INTENTIONS. Then you start leaving what I call “Tweet Trails.” These are trails of messages that people can follow on search.twitter.com that are part of a series of information or conversation that leads to a place that they can click to to find out the answer or solution to a problem. The trails point ot the solution the whole time. It may take a dozen tweets or more to eventually send out the “Impact Tweet” that creates that marketing process. THEN- you start forming Teams of prospects and customers and then get them on a conference call and webinar to create a greater Impact with your message.

This Is a critical part. TAKE IT OFFLINE.  Many do not.

4) Twitter Marketing is about Secondary Exposure- not just Primary.

Secondary exposure is called “Viral marketing” or “Re-Tweeting” using twitter vernacular. This is when someone is impressed with your message or tweet and sends it out to their base of followers creating a whole new exposure zone- and extending your reach dramatically with
your message. And then they do the same thing. And then they do the same thing. It is powerful to see twitter marketing in full force.

Give them a reason to re tweet something. Give them an “aha” tweet. Give them a freebie. Give them a url to a great blog. Give them some little known news. Point to an interesting read that points to something in your product or benefits of it.

I call it “Layered Marketing.” The second, third, and fourth layers of people sending out your tweets are sometimes more powerful than the first in twitter marketing.

5) Twitter Marketing rests upon the platform of “First Effectual Impressions.”

What EFFECT do your twitter marketing efforts have on people? Yes, you can learn all about the applications, sister twitter sites, and the best and coolest ways to get followers.

But here is the BOTTOM LINE: What EFFECT are you having Visually, Emotionally, and Psychologically that will keep these folks coming back and reading your tweets, building a trust bridge, and then acting upon what you suggest that they do? Whether you have a traditional business, home business, or work for a business, you must consider this before ANYTHING.

What effect does your profile have on people Visually? Is it unique? Is it powerful? Does it Brand you Visually? Our twitter profile is different and brands us well- Check it out here.

What effect do your messages and suggestions have on followers Emotionally? Does it open them up to new possibilities? Does it teach the HOW to do things which grows them? Does it encourage them? Create something that will make people FEEL GREAT ABOUT YOU and a your message. if you give them what they are looking for- answers and solutions- they will feel awesome about you.

What effect does you message have Psychologically on your followers? This is critical. You should establish in your twitter marketing what we call “Growth Anticipation.” This is simply where people anticipate to GROW following you- and will GROW when they do what you suggest. But this takes time-and you have to prove you are worth following and being listened to. If your twitter marketing creates new focuses and hope for people- you will develop that “Growth Zone” and people will stay in it and develop that “relationship” – and you can market to them new growth ideas that will help them that much more.

Yes, there are many things that you can cover in twitter marketing, and it is imperative that you are familiar with the twitter applications and sister sites that make twitter more effective. There are hundreds of them and we have covered and will cover more in the future concerning marketing.

But YOU must become more EFFECTIVE with your prospects and these are 5 Power Secrets of twitter marketing in social media.

blessings…Doug Firebaugh
PassionFire Training
Follow Doug on Twitter

Editor’s note: this post was written by Doug Firebaugh of PassionFire International. If you’re passionate about social media, social media marketing and social networking lifestyle design, contact me about writing an article yourself.

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