How to Build an Effective Twitter Group
As a Futurist I’m often asked what I think about certain social media tools (and most technology for that matter). My answer is always aligned to the thought that ‘if the technology is working for you, and not against you, it’s probably a good thing. Here then are my thoughts about building up a useful Twitter group
You’ll need to define what you want from Twitter. If you’re wanting to use Twitter to gather followers or to treat it as a social expansion model, then you should follow everyone who follows you. BUT if you want to use Twitter for business purposes, then here’s my own approach:
1. NEVER follow anyone who is already being followed by three or more of your current group. The rationale is that Twitter can be a quick source of information for you but you don’t want to receive the SAME ReTweet from 200 people. That just clogs your inbox. Twitter prompting you to follow people followed by others you already know, has NOTHING to do with it being useful for you! Instead, try to follow people where the three people in your group are geographically dispersed across time zones.
2. If you’re wanting to get your message out to more people, send your tweets at a time when the larger population is likely to be online. If you’re in Australia, sending a tweet out at 9pm will probably miss almost everyone in North America for instance, because most people will be in bed! So check your timezones.
3. Retweet good links, but check the link BEFORE you retweet – maybe the tweet and the story aren’t quite what you expect.
4. You can thank people for the retweet but really it’s them retweeting that should be thanks enough
5. Remember that Twitter is one platform. If you have a good thought to share then do so across multiple platforms.
6. NO FAMILY TWEETS. Beyond ‘Exhausted today – hard to focus’ there’s no value in discussing where you are going for dinner, what you’re wearing or what TV show you intend to watch UNLESS you can show it is business related.
So, there’s my guidelines. Not set in stone and won’t work for everyone. Numbers 1&2 are the main ones, and each to their own
Marcus 🙂
Futurists often get asked things like ‘Okay then – who’s going to win the ‘flag’ this year’. In Melbourne Cup time most of my friends ring me asking for a hot tip. Given my consistent poor form at selecting a winner, why they would ask me is anyone’s guess (unless they are working out who…
Read More >Does your organisation suffer what Futurists call ‘Operational Sleepwalking’? That most organisations (and people) willingly sleepwalk their way into their futures is not all that surprising. What is surprising about that however is that those people and those organisations are: * Surprised when something unexpected (and not to their liking) happens and, * Claim they…
Read More >Maree Conway, of ‘University Futures’ has joined the Australian Strategic Planning Institute as a lead facilitator for the Institute’s programs. Maree’s experience in policy development, planning and strategy initiatives provides additional weight to the sessions on offer. TASPI now have three key facilitators that cover critical steps in the Strategic Planning Process – Enhanced Awareness…
Read More >The latest edition of Fast Thinking has hit the streets and includes another tool for those seeking to develop innovation and strategy. Marcus Barber explains how to use, what he calls an ‘iiBubble’, a process that helps capture an idea to see if it has innovation ‘legs’. As one of the tools unique to Barber…
Read More >Looking Up Feeling Good would like to wish the very talented and focused futurist, Sophie Barber a happy birthday today. Sophie’s amazing talent at suggesting the possible future for a positive outcome is a true inspiration and we look forward to many more insights as the complexity of challenges continues to test our understanding, commitment…
Read More >The CoreNet Global Melbourne 2007 Summit incorporated a thought provoking Hypothetical panel discussion on the future of corporate real estate and the drivers for sustainability. With an economic futures framework provided by Melbourne University Professor of Economics Neville Norman who moderated the discussion, the panel included Aggie Aitken, Head of Workplace Development at ANZ; Strategic…
Read More >Among other great articles, the winter 2007 edition of Fast Thinking magazine highlights the ‘8 Factor’ model for effective employee engagement, created by strategic futurist Marcus Barber. Using the model he shows how organisations can develop greater flexibility when it comes to providing incentives as a means for improving productivity and ensuring longevity for staff.…
Read More >Last night the ABC program ‘A Difference of Opinion’ looked at the issues of the housing affordability ciris. The panel provided some quality perspectives as to what was causing the challenge and what kind of actions might need to occur in order to address the issue with Ross Gittins’ early observation that the debate completely…
Read More >Dan Atkins, former manager of Environmental policy at Toyota and now Director of Sustainable Business Practises and Strategic Futurist Marcus Barber will speak at the South East Networks / VicUrban Business Breakfast at the Sandown Racecourse on Wednesday the 27th of June. Both Dan (who’ll discuss how Toyota applies its Environmental Policy in order to…
Read More >Looking Up Feeling Good’s advanced signals reporting service ‘Future Alerts’ is now available as a monthly subscription offering. Designed to provide your organisation with signals indicating potential change, each report comes with analysis of the signals and how they might impact your business. Applying some advanced Environmental Scanning process, including the ‘VSTEEP’ model, you can…
Read More >