Twitter is a form of SOCIAL Media – A Rant

Twitter overtook my love of Facebook  nearly two years ago. After being asked by lots of people for help I even run workshops and one to ones for people to get them cracking with it for their work. There are a couple of things I need to get off my chest though.

Automated tweets

Lately it has been brought to my attention that more (lazy/busy/far too important to interact) people are using automated tweets constantly. If you use Twitter youself you’ll notice the type of account. Endless repetition of the same posts, the same marketing messages over and over again. Yawn.

Now of course there are times when I will post something more than once but I don’t schedule for the same things to be repeated time and time again. I’ve seen accounts where there is hardly any interaction with anyone, just dry boring accounts that show no creativity or personality.

Followers for the sake of followers

There’s plenty of sites you can go on and add your Twitter handle so you get lots of followers (or false followers as I like to call them). Surely it’s better to have people following you because they are like-minded and interested in what you have to offer? I am much more likely to respect  genuinely organic accounts based on their ability to engage, interact and provide great content.  This applies for individuals, organisations, and businesses alike. Some do it really well, others not so much. Also if I tweet or follow someone, I don’t want an automated response. I don’t want a one size fits all direct message. I want a SOCIAL, friendly reply. You can’t do this if you automate all of your tweets at the beginning of a working week and just use it as tickbox marketing exercise.

Credit where credit’s due

If you see a tweet and like it, retweet and share it. Try and credit the account by using the RT facility, it’s a nice thing to do. Try not to steal other people’s ideas because that’s not very nice. If you want to make it more likely that someone will retweet you, try and keep your tweets to approximately 120 rather than the allowable 140 characters (depending on the length of your Twitter handle). You can work it out exactly if you count the characters in your Twitter handle and add 5 characters (RT plus two spaces and the colon that is added when you RT. So mine is 18).

RTspace@StaceInspire:space  = 18 characters

For example for someone to RT my tweets easily I know that I would have to keep to 122 characters.

Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the interesting people (sing to the tune of yellow brick road obv).

Follow accounts that interest you and people will follow you too if you are tweeting things they are interested in and content that is relevant to them. Don’t expect everyone to follow you back and don’t feel the need to follow everyone who follows you. You may not necessarily be interested in their content or vice versa.

TASBO – Twitter Anti-Social Behaviour Order

After the success (snigger) of Anti Social Behaviour Orders or ASBOs as they affectionately known, I would like to introduce TASBOs. Twitter Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. For the bores, for the over-automated accounts, for those that create an account and never interact at all unless they want to sell us something.

Ooh, that reminds me….If your Twitter needs a spring clean use Twitcleaner, it produces a report to tell you who is worth keeping and who it may be worth clicking on that unfollow button for. Nifty.

Stace’s final thought…

Schedule a few tweets if you wish but please, constant automation, repetition, unresponsiveness and anti- social behaviour should not be tolerated. Twitter is SOCIAL media. If you can’t be bothered to be sociable go away and use something else. It’s too good an opportunity to make some great connections both personally and professionally.

Here ends this evening’s Twittery rant…

Peace out tweeple.

Stace x

Follow me on Twitter @StaceInspire

7 Twitter tips to inspire new tweeters

After a lot of requests for help using Twitter I’ve been running workshops which are going down really well. You can see the upcoming dates here.

Here’s a quick free guide I put together for Twitter newbies.

Stacey

Follow me on Twitter @StaceInspire & @InspireHandM

7 Twitter tips to inspire new tweeters

View more documents from Inspire Health and Mind

I am an 18-24 year old male!

Very amused! Google thinks I am an 18-24 year old male. You can see why below. I’m thinking all the Skyrim sites I’ve been visiting may be contributing to it!

You can see your own here. How accurate or inaccurate is it for you?

http://j.mp/xJSjtH

This is what Google came up with for me. . .

Your categories

Below, you can review the interests and inferred demographics that Google has associated with your cookie.

Arts & Entertainment – Music & Audio – Rock Music – Metal (Music)

Arts & Entertainment – TV & Video – Online Video

Arts & Entertainment – TV & Video – TV Shows & Programmes – TV Dramas – TV Soap Operas

Arts & Entertainment – Visual Art & Design – Design – Graphic Design

Computers & Electronics – Software – Multimedia Software – Desktop Publishing – Fonts

Computers & Electronics – Software – Software Utilities

Games – Computer & Video Games

Games – Roleplaying Games

People & Society – Social Sciences – Psychology

Your demographics

We infer your age and gender based on the websites that you’ve visited.

Age: 18-24

Gender: Male

How interesting.  Big Brother is watching!

Stace x

Follow me on Twitter

Things you shouldn’t post on Facebook according to ME!

After reading this post from Jeff Bullas ‘Things you should not share on social media’

I’ve come up with some of my own in particular…

Things you shouldn’t post on Facebook according to ME!

ANY copy and paste statuses

Most are pointless, some are sickly, some are just a front for racism.

If you have something to say, say it in your own way. They’re like a modern version of a chain letter  trying to guilt trip you into posting it on.

Copy and paste this if you love your child/mother/father/brother/sister/nan/dog/cat etc etc.

Obviously if you don’t copy and paste it you are a cold heartless b*st*rd with no feelings. Erm… actually no. I love my family and friends very much. They know this because I am there for them and I also tell them.

Copy and paste this if you know anyone who has been affected by cancer/depression/the common cold etc.

I don’t want to sound unfeeling on this but if people truly give a sh*t about an issue then why not post up a  link to a site with information or ways you can donate to the charity? Why not write a note or blog to say why this issue is important to you and why you are raising awareness of it? I care rather too deeply for the plights of people in worse situations than myself. In no way do I think that copying and pasting something into my status will help anyone. Instead I work, share and promote the causes that are important to me.

Copy and paste this if, like me you’re a racist who can’t articulate your own words.

You know the ones. They usually involves some ridiculously inaccurate Daily Mail statistics about immigrants or how our NHS  is failing because of Polish people blah blah blah. If you have a valid agrument and have checked your sources fair enough but really, try harder or just don’t post anything at all. Failing that just change your profile picture to Hitler and be done with it.

Copy and paste this if you have no ability to think for yourselves. . . You get my gist.

Over-lol-ing

Now I like to laugh out loud in real life. The occasional typed lol is fine (although I am a haha-er myself) but WHY WHY WHY do people insist on using it as a punctuation? Rather than a full stop people type lol at the end of statuses or comments even when it does’t make ANY sense to whatsoever. LOL.

Just had gammon and chips for tea. LOL!

Took my car for an MOT. LOL.

Broke my leg today. LOL.

NOOOOOOO! Not LOL.

Minute details of pregnancy, childbirth, babies’ toilet habits….

I love babies, I love that some of my Facebook friends are happy to be pregnant. However, I do not need to hear about every symptom they experience from conception to birth. Even more so I don’t want to hear about placentas, the state of their child’s nappies when they do arrive, potty training fiascos or similar. The odd scan picture and a few pics after the birth for us to aaahhh at is cool. One of my Facebook friends would post a weekly picture of her little (VERY cute) baby boy and it was nice to see because you could see how he changed and it didn’t become boring as it was not complete timeline bombardment. Had she posted an update every time he had a poo that would be different!

Relationship issues

People who feel the need to live their whole relationship good and bad via Facebook. Warts and all (in fact I wouldn’t be at all surprised if people did post pics of their warts an’ all!). Now occasionally I may post a comment on my beloved’s Facebook and he on mine. Occasionally. If we want to tell each other we love each other we can do that at home. If we want a row we can use our voices to adequately convey our feelings. We do not feel the need for everyone on our friend’s list to know about it. OK so we do occasionally poke each other for fun too but that is also private!

Racism

A sure fire way to get unfriended. No more explanation needed.

Countdowns

42 days until I go on holiday – Repeated every day until said holiday.

Only 196 days until Christmas! I’m starting my shopping today.*smug face*  -  SAD! 

Wishing your life away

Urggh, Monday morning, roll on Friday.

Is it the weekend yet?

It nice to have things to look forward to but Facebook seems to be full of miserable people who just constantly wish their lives away. Live for the now. Yes Mondays can be rubbish but life’s what you make it. If EVERY week you just moan that it’s not the weekend then you need to be reviewing what you’re doing with your life. Get something mid week to look forward to, change your job, sort out your relationship, whatever. Embrace every day. Life’s too bleedin’ short. And if you’re having a bad day deal with it, get help from those you love but please, don’t bring us all down too!

Hangovers *yawn*and Booze Bores

It usually goes something like this…

Can’t wait to get wasted on Friday.

Having a few before we get to the pub.

Incohererent status full of typos.

Oohh why do I  feel so terrible.  I’m never drinking again.

REPEAT. Every week. Get a life or get some help.

So that’s my rant done for now. LOL. ; )

Stace x

 

A 27 year old woman dies and she ‘deserves’ it??

I felt the need to have a bit of a rant after hearing the news about Amy Winehouse. Now I wasn’t a particular fan but of course have followed her life over the last few years as we all have as she batttled her addictions.

Here comes the rant. Having logged onto Twitter and (and Facebook briefly but really, I knew that would be even more ignorant) there are varying comments being made. A lot saying how sad it is, some how it was inevitable but also some that she deserved it.

After the news yesterday about the mostly young lives lost in Norway then of course one death is not as big but the fact is Amy’s death is more relevant to us in this country and she’s a celeb. Celeb stories alway pull in the crowds rightly or wrongly.

Amy had a lot of problems and she did access rehab and help on several occasions but it just shows the power and control that drugs (legal and illegal) had on her that she lost her life due to it. The thing that gets me is that people fail to realise that all sorts of addictions can lead to death. OK so we’re not all dying suddenly like she has but people do die from making unheathy choices in life be it smoking, toking, drinking, snorting, injecting, overeating or engaging in other risky but fun behaviours. In fact how many deaths are really 100% blame free? If someone dies of cancer because of an addiction to legal drug Nicotine should we all not be sad and dismiss it because they ‘deserved’ it. If someone dies of heart disease because they enjoy eating junk food should we not care?? If someone doesn’t wake up on a night out after too much legal beer and vodka do they deserve it? If a young person snorts a few lines too many on a Friday night and their heart gives out should we all hoorah??

I hope Amy is at peace wherever she is and I hope all the people who are making despicable comments do not lose anyone they love because of a natural human compulsion to eat things, drink things or take things that make them feel better.

Peace, love, EMPATHY!!

Stacey