The last two articles Tweet or Not to Tweet and Tweet Tweet Nonprofit should have gotten everyone up-to-date on the basics of Twitter.   Now that you have your twitter account set up and hopefully following a few people as well as being followed I wanted to take this space to give you some tips to get you tweeting like a pro as well as being well mannered in the twitter arena (etiquette).  Read on to get some more advanced Twitter tips.

1. Hashtags

Hashtags (#) are a way to create or follow a stream on Twitter.  By typing a word with a hashtag in front of it (#airplane), your twitter message can be followed and added to by anyone who is also interested in that particular subject.  Thousands of hashtags are already established and are easy to join into or add to conversations about a particular topic or industry.  For example, if you’re interested in fundraising, #fundraising is a hashtag you can add into your twitter message and can be followed easily by anyone else interested in fundraising.  The same goes for thousands of topics.  Many times fast breaking news can be followed more closely on Twitter than even news channels.  Because millions use twitter, eyewitnesses can tweet details, pictures or information quicker using Twitter than it takes for a news crew to get to the scene of the story and get information to the TV or internet.  The way you follow hashtags is either by creating a search on tweetdeck with the hashtag you want to follow or following it on http://search.twitter.com ,  http://twemes.com/ or http://hashtags.org/

You can create your own hashtag to tweet about your live fundraiser or event so that others can follow the developing story from anywhere in the world.  You need to make sure the hashtag you create is unique and not already being used or else your tweets will be mixed into another ongoing conversations.  This way everyone can stay up-to-the-second connected to what is happening at your event.

2. Following Keywords

To follow topics you are interested in, it is not necessary to even find a hashtag for the subject. Many times you can go to http://search.twitter.com and type in the subject or word (i.e. giants, newborns, etc.) and instantly see all the tweets that happened around the world that include those words and subjects.

3. Etiquette

This is a huge topic and to my knowledge there is no definitive guide to the etiquette on twitter.  There are some things you should and should not do as a manner of politeness and to make Twitter a better experience for everyone.  I will list a few obvious ones below.

Ongoing Real Conversations- Twitter is meant to be a tool to facilitate real-time ongoing conversations.  Engage in getting to know those you follow and let others that follow you get to know you.  Twitter can be very fun and engaging; however, if you follow too many people there will be no way to keep up with all the conversations.  A good rule is to follow 250 or fewer people and to keep your posts and replies real.  Your posts should be like you’re having a conversation, not like your posting billboards.  The reason you want to keep who you’re following down to a number of people you can actually know is because think if all 250 people all posted one tweet during the day, that’s 250 tweets you have to keep up with.  Follow some people you find interesting and if you find later they are not interesting, unfollow them and follow some that are.  Your tweets do not have to be profound, instead make your conversations and tweets like real conversations.  Imagine you answered the phone and your friend asked you “What are you doing right now?”

No spam- Keep your conversations real and try hard not to always be focused on getting your message in everyone’s face.  Once you build some relationships there will be plenty of time to let them know how they can help.  Sometimes it is unavoidable to send people to your web site or info if they ask for it.  It is important they know what you do and why you do it, just don’t plaster them with that type of information.  Remember, Twitter is supposed to be a social conversation and many are following you because they want to get to know you and even your nonprofit.

Following and Being Followed- Do some searches on http://search.twitter.com for subjects that you are interested in.  Find those that seem interesting and follow them.  As you get involved with conversations others will follow you.  Above all enjoy the conversations.  Make it a habit to tweet several times a day and let people know (what you are comfortable with) what you’re doing, thinking, information you found interesting, etc.   Don’t worry if those following you, unfollow you.  They simply moved on to other conversations.  Another way to find interesting people is by looking at the profiles of the people that follow you to see who they are and might be interesting to follow.

Virtual Water Cooler- Remember that Twitter is like a virtual water cooler.  You don’t have to camp out at it all day spouting off everything that is going on in your life and listening to everyone else.  It is a good way to take breaks throughout the day and talk with a few people.  It is also a great way to ask questions about things you need answers to.  For example, “Where is the best place to eat in Dallas?”  People will let you know what they think.  Throughout the day I tune in for a couple minutes as I am taking coffee or water breaks to see what everyone I follow is up to, then it is back to business.

Here are 101 great dos and don’ts from Lauren Rothwww.laurennroth.com/?q=node/227″ target=”_blank”>

4. Twitter Clients

There are a lot of Twitter apps that can make your Twitter experience a lot more pleasant and you may want to take a look at each of them and decide it they are for you.  I will briefly go down a few and let you make your determination on whether they are helpful to you or not.

Tweet Deck- This is one I highly recommend.  Once you begin using it I believe it will make the whole twitter arena more interesting and manageable.  In a future post I may do a video of how to use TweetDeck.  Tweet deck will even translate tweets in other languages if you have friends in other countries.

Twirl- another desktop app for Twitter.  Very simple but keeps you from needing to go to the web to tweet.

Twitpic- is an app that is quickly accessible in TweetDeck or on its own.  It allows you to share pictures of anything on a tweet.

5. Tweet From Your Mobile Phone:

iphone:

Twitter Mobile- straightforward interface
PocketTweets – robust application
iTweet- good straightforward application
Hahlo 2.0- Great robust application

Blackberry

Twitterberry- Hands down the best on the blackberry (if you can’t afford an iphone)

6. Posts, Replies, and Direct Messages

When you post a tweet, the tweet goes out to everyone that is following you and can also be searched by searching your username on sites like http://search.twitter.com. Likewise when you reply (@scottringo), the message still goes out to the public but the person you replied to will receive it as a reply. If the recipient is using TweetDeck, they will get the reply in a separate window that is easy to identify.

However, there is another way to send and receive messages that are not so public- Direct Messages.  If someone is following you and you want to reply to their tweet only to them and not in a public way you can Direct Message them.  This is accomplished by putting a “D” in front of their user name (D scottringo).  If the recipient is using TweetDeck, the Direct Message (DM) shows up in a separate window from public messages or replies.  Many have their DM messages set to also come into their email or phone.  So a good rule of thumb is only to DM if it is confidential or urgent.  This way your conversations stay more public, but if you need to get a sensitive message to someone, you can.

7. Search

There are a lot of ways to search topics, subjects and messages on Twitter from the web.  If you use TweetDeck, the search can be done right in the application.  By far one of the easiest searches is done on search.twitter.com; others are twitscoop and twemes.com.  Play around with the searches and see what you can find.

Twitter Search – search for topics, subjects and areas of interest
Twitscoop -search for topics, subjects and areas of interest
Twemes -search for topics, subjects and areas of interest

Some other searches to explore:

TwitterFall- TwitterFall is the coolest way to read all or filtered posts on Twitter like a waterfall. BEWARE addictive
Retweetist - the freshest, most often Retweeted items
Twitt(url)y – Twitturly counts links posted on Twitter and then ranks the content.
Tweetmeme – shows Blogs, Images, Video and Audio that are linked to popular tweets
TweetLists - the most popular links over the last 24 hours
Twitter Search – most popular way to search for anything Twitter

8. Twitter in FaceBook

If you are a FaceBook fan, you can automatically update your Facebook account through Twitter which keeps you from going back and forth between accounts.  By updating your Facebook account with Twitter, your friends on FaceBook will know what you are doing throughout the day.

9. Blogging for Nonprofits

If your nonprofit has a blog, which I highly recommend, http://oceangrand.org/top-10-reasons-nonprofits-should-blog/, you can post your blog articles automatically to your twitter account using twit_this and then also updates your FaceBook profile.  That’s three “birds” with one stone.

10. Upload All Your Friends

Twitter is way more fun if all your friends, supporters, donors, board members, etc. are on Twitter so that you can tweet back and forth.  From your Twitter settings, click on “Find Friends”.  Once there, you have the option to find friends who are already on twitter by typing in their name.  With the next tab “Find on Other Networks” you can upload you address book by first importing your address book to gmail if it is not already there and then Twitter will check that against all the people in your address book.  Once found, you can add who you like or everyone.  With the third tab, “Invite By Email”, you have the option to invite all those you know who are not already on Twitter by entering their email addresses.  Adding your friends to Twitter will make Twitter a blast and easy for you to keep everyone you know and those interested in your nonprofit up-to-date.

11. Pace Yourself on Your Posts

Too many posts promoting yourself, your organization, or your nonprofit and people will get turned off.  Also, spending too much time on Twitter can wreck havoc on your work ethic.  Take it easy and find your groove on Twitter.  Beware- it is addictive.

12. Retweet

Retweet (RT) is a way to tweet again a post that someone tweeted that you think is interesting.  By putting a RT in front of the tweet either by copy and paste, or if you’re using TweetDeck, there is a button that automatically fills it all in, you can retweet others’ posts.  People love it when you retweet their posts.  It is a way to gain people’s affection and loyalty.

13. Spend Time on Your Profile

Spend some time on your profile and make it interesting so people will want to follow you.  You might also want to get a customized Twitter background on your profile which will give you more room to give people information, plus it just makes you look cool.

14. Have a Blast!

So now you have some advanced techniques and how to get the most out of Twitter.  This is certainly not an exhaustive list of ways  you can use Twitter, but it is a good start.  Above all, have a blast and don’t get overwhelmed.  Twitter is a powerful application that when used consistently  and with moderation can get you well connected to those you love and those you may not yet know you love.  Once you get connected, follow us at @scottringo and let the games begin.

Subscribe to our RSS feed or email subscription to learn more about how to start, fund, and run a nonprofit successfully.  We will be giving you some tips in the coming weeks about how you can do a “Tweet Up” as a fundraiser for your nonprofit.

Other Articles on “How to Be a Social Media Pro:”
Tweet or Not to Tweet
Tweet Tweet NonProfit
10 Reasons a NonProfit Should Blog

I am writing this after spending the morning on Twitter and FaceBook.  You may not have any idea what I am talking about or know just enough to believe it is a waste of your time.  That is the whole reason we at Ocean Grand have decided to put together a series of ongoing articles around “social media” for non profits.  Read on to learn how social media is here to stay and how you can get on board to help your nonprofit become more successful.

The key to getting, keeping and engaging donors, funders, and corporations is by building a relationship with them.  There is no alternative to building relationships, the relationship comes first and always first.  There is also no alternative, not even through social media, to engage your non profit supporters in the “flesh”.  However, social media is a great platform to tell and retell your story (read more about “your story” here).  The more ways you are able to get the information and successes out to people who are interested in them the farther your reach.  Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) is another way to get your story and successes out to those that want to know about them, plus find some others that maybe interested in the mix.

Social media is also a way to keep donors and others up-to-date with your cause and what you’re doing to impact the world in a simple and easy way.  A couple “tweets” (tweets are short messages on twitter) a day will help all those following the progress of your non profit to know what you’re doing today to help the cause.  Likewise, it is a great way to invite people to your fundraisers, events and projects.  By using Twitter, others who get your tweets can pass the message along very easily, possibly generating lots of buzz about your upcoming function.  If those tweets are also posted automatically on your FaceBook “wall”, then you have reached two audiences that otherwise would have had no idea what you were doing.  For example, maybe you are holding a fundraiser or event in Virginia.  Several tweets throughout the day from your mobile phone and everyone around the world knows how it is going.

This morning I wrote an article on “What Have You Done Lately That You Are Proud Of?”  When I posted the article from the Ocean Grand blog http://www.oceangrand.org the post was tweeted and then also sent to our FaceBook wall.  Almost instantaneously several people joined our twitter following who were not following before.  The link to the article in the tweet was also clicked on and read by many from our twitter following.  It was a quick, easy and effective way to let those that were interested know there was a new article.

The Virtual Water Cooler

Social Media is the present day water cooler and unlike the water cooler in your office, it is an ongoing global conversation.  If you want to be more successful in the non profit world, you want your non profit activities to be a part of that conversation.  From Twitter and FaceBook conversations I have connected to other non profit organizations who were ecstatic to find out about all the free information and help we provide to non profits at Ocean Grand.  Through those same social media channels I have also made new friends and reacquainted myself with old friendships halfway around the world.

The Afternoon Coffee Break

As I’m going throughout the day I hit points where I need a pick-me-up and many times caffeine does the trick.  However, while I am getting my afternoon infusion I also check in on my FaceBook and Twitter accounts to see what is happening around the world.  Inevitably I run across a quick conversation or am able to offer some input that renews my inspiration to motivate me on to the end of the day.  It has been well documented that the human brain needs breaks throughout the day and can be much more productive once given one.  You would be surprised at all the little notes of encouragement you can get on Twitter and FaceBook that can get you through the day.

Each platform of Social Media has its own nuances and particular use, but the lines quickly become blurred once you start integrating them together.  We will show you how to get the best use out of each in further articles.  We are going to focus on FaceBook and Twitter below and give you some quick instructions on getting started.

FaceBook

The simple explanation: FaceBook is a platform where you can add “friends” old and new to your profile.  Then you can message each other back and forth, add video and share pictures.  You are able to keep tabs on your “contacts” and and they can do the same with you.  It’s a quick glance at what everyone you know around the world is doing, interested and involved in.  As a nonprofit, you can also create a “cause” page where people can join to be involved and even donate online to your nonprofit.

FaceBook Steps:

1. Sign up and create an interesting profile. Add a photo and definitely put up a “cause” page so others can join into your non profit work.
2. Use the site’s feature to search your email address book for people you know.
3. Each time a friend adds, look at their friends for others that you may know and add them as a friend.
4. Use your existing friends as a way to find more friends. Try to stay within the boundaries of people you actually know and have some type of relationship with.
5. Create a “home like” feel to the information you put on your site.  You want people to get to know you better or all over again if it has been a while.
6. There are a ton of “applications” you can use that will allow you to share books your reading, videos you like, blogs you read etc.
7. The number of “friends” you have depends upon you but the more friends you can connect to the farther your message will go out to the masses.
8. Keep in mind, as a non profit you want people to both get to know you and your non profit so try to think of ways that you can introduce what your non profit is doing.
9. Make sure you are actively getting your donors and those interested signed up and promote, promote, promote your FaceBook link so people can connect to you.
10. Focus your efforts on building relationships and letting people know what you are doing.  A few “What am I doing” updates a day goes a long way.  Likewise, reply and respond to other people’s updates.

Twitter

Twitter uses quick posts of 140 characters or less to let people know what you are doing throughout the day.  The same goes for your responses to others’ posts.  Unlike FaceBook there are not pages or places to put video and “causes” but instead you do short updates, “tweets”, throughout the day and reply to others’ tweets.  In some aspects “less is more” and keeping track of your and other people’s tweets can be managed easily by using TweetDeck http://www.tweetdeck.com.  Throughout the day  “tweet” several times and let people know what you’re up to; you will be amazed at how interested they are in the little things you do each day.  Respond to a few tweets.  You can find others to “follow” (when you follow someone you are able to see their tweets) that you may have interest in and again you will be amazed at what you learn.

Twitter Steps:

1. Sign up and create an interesting profile. Add a photo.
2. Use the site’s feature to search your email address book for people you know.
3. Find people you maybe interested in following at Twitscoop http://www.twitscoop.com/ by searching topics you’re interested in.
4. You can always find more people to follow by reading the posts of those you are already following that seem like interesting conversations.
5. The number of people you follow or allow to follow you depends upon you but the more people following you the farther your message will go out to the masses.
6. Keep in mind, as a non profit you want people to both get to know you and your non profit so try to think of ways that you can introduce what your non profit is doing without giving a sales pitch.
7. Make sure you are actively getting your donors and those interested signed up and promote, promote, promote your Twitter link so people can connect to you.
8. Focus your efforts on building relationships and letting people know what you are doing.  A few “What am I doing” updates a day goes a long way.  Likewise, reply and respond to other peoples updates.

Remember that all the information, pictures, video and updates are able to be seen by all your friends or followers so keep that in mind when you put information on the internet.

If you contact me I can help you integrate your tweets to automatically be posted to your FaceBook which keeps you from needing to update two different places.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet, That is the Question

Social Media is a great way to get your message out and also connect people across the globe to your non profit cause.  It is time well spent if you keep focused while using these media.  It is easy to get caught up in it; however, now is the time to get involved because Social Media looks like it is here to stay. This is just a brief introduction to the Social Media arena and we will cover each separately and give more detail on how to use these great platforms to your advantage other posts.  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, sign up for an account and begin getting a feel for them.

Don’t forget to add us as a friend on FaceBook and follow us on Twitter.  The links are to the right of this post and also below.

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=32978279968
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/ScottRingo

Whether you just started a nonprofit or are a seasoned pro, your time is important.  Many working for or running a nonprofit are their own boss.  Something catches your eye during the day on a blog (hopefully this one) or what was supposed to be a quick task takes you spinning into the timeless abyss.  Before you know it 5:00pm rolls around and you barely accomplished anything during the day.  Knowing where you time goes and how to prevent it is where Slife comes in.  Whether you work on a Mac or PC Slife can help you track where your time went and put help in place to keep you focused.  See the post below via Smoking Apples for the scoop.

While getting things done applications are fine for single tasks, when it comes to the broader “tasks”, like avoiding certain habits, or making new ones is a bit out of a GTD’s reach. We’ve already talked about Habits on the iPhone, but even that needs to be launched and sometimes, you just don’t do it.

When I first launched Slife, I didn’t know what to make of it. So I left it in the dock thinking I’ll figure it out later. After a while, after twittering for a bunch and surfing tech websites, I came back to Slife to find that something had changed. There were little dots in a couple of boxes. These dots were mainly constricted to EventBox and Safari. Wow! Without any user interaction, Slife had basically tracked my usage habits.

Tracking your steps

So I went in deeper, and found out a bit more about its functionality. From the preferences, you can disable tracking certain applications to protect privacy or just keep things simple. The most used applications stay at the top of the charts, going down below to those least used. Applications are automatically added to the main chart with usage data tracked without any manual settings.

Restraining or grooming habits

Now while tracking your activities and showing it to you in a graph is fine, Slife can help you control your habits. For instance, I noticed that I use Twitter far too much for it to be healthy (we all do!). So I set a goal for myself. Using the Activities tab, I added a new activity €œtwitterring and assigned the applications EventBox to it. I set the goal at less than x minutes per day.

Now how did I determine x minutes? By looking at the Applications tab, I get a graphical view of my usage statistics of each application per day. So I noticed that I use EventBox for xx minutes, and I wanted to bring it down to x minutes.

Activities can be anything from applications, to documents, to web pages. You could even have activities where you want to spend a minimum amount of time per day, for instance, writing posts on Smoking Apples. If I wanted to spend x hours on writing posts on SA, I could add certain websites to the activity, and whenever Slife detects that I’m actively using that website, it will add it to the writing posts activity. You can also tell EventBox when you are performing an activity from the menubar, so then no matter what you are doing, it will be counted for that activity.

Collaborative tracking

A collaborative feature, Slife Teams is an online based program for tracking multiple people in a single database. A small company could for instance set up a Slife Team for their coding team to see how much those guys are actually spending on coding. Of course, this is a team effort, since one can always hit the private mode button and nothing will be tracked. Productivity, is in the user’s hand. Teams is currently in a private beta so you will need to get approved for the program before jumping in.

It’s the good Slife

The best part of Slife is it’s non intrusive nature. There is very little to set up, and you only see it when you want to see. Idling in the background, Slife will hardly even use a few megabytes of your memory. The best part of Slife, is that it is completely free. For those interested in the team feature will be happy to know that there is also a Windows version. The Mac version however feels completely native, written in Cocoa, so you should feel right at home with it.

I would recommend this app to anyone using a computer. Even if you aren’t interested in reprogramming your habits, it is nice to give a glance at how you use your computer. There is nothing to set up, nothing to manage. Slife is a totally different idea from the apps we’ve seen so far, and is really good at what it does. And all you have to do is watch!