Twitter, let’s face it, is a bit marmite. You either love it (like me), or you not so much hate it as just don’t get it. I often talk to people who just don’t get what the hype is.
To me, twitter is the best social media platform because it’s the cleanest. Unlike Facebook or LinkedIn, there is no complex interface to get to grips with, no tiered system of friends, connections, likes etc. etc. Twitter is all about content – without the tweets, twitter would be nothing.
Where twitter really comes to life is when you start having conversations with people. After a while you find yourself striking up online friendships with people you’ve never met but with whom you have a lot in common and who you find funny, interesting or maybe even sexy. Twitter is great for getting to know interesting strangers – often they become proper, offline friends.
If you want to have conversations with people you need to know when they’re talking to you – hence today’s tip:
The one thing you can do which will make you twice as effective on twitter
It’s simple. Make sure you’re notified when someone mentions you in a tweet. Change your settings so that you get a text or an email whenever you get mentioned. That way you can respond quickly and have a conversation. If you do this quickly, it shows the other person that you’re listening and you’re interested in what you have to say.
How to get mention alerts
To make sure you get alerts when you’re mentioned, follow these steps:
- On the twitter website, click on your name at the top right of the screen. Click on ‘Settings’ in the drop-down menu.
- You will then see your settings screen. Click on the ‘Mobile’ tab to see your mobile settings.
- You may need to provide twitter with a mobile number if you haven’t already done so. Tick the boxes I’ve ticked above.
- If you’d rather get an email alert, click on the ‘Notifications’ tab instead of the ‘Mobile’ tab.
Tick the boxes I’ve ticked above. - Whichever option you’ve gone with, click the ‘Save’ button at the bottom of the tab to save your changes.
So don’t wait till you next happen to be on twitter, and happen to check your mentions. Get twitter to alert you and join in the conversation
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