Twitter Tuesday #28–Tweeting Others Special

Welcome to the twenty-eighth installment of Twitter Tuesday. In the spirit of Twitter, this blog will be short and sweet and to the point. The tips offered here are all based off my best-selling book We Are Not Alone–The Writer’s Guide to Social Media. If our goal is to build an author platform in the thousands to tens of thousands, then we will have to approach Twitter differently than a faceless corporation or even the regular person who does not possess a goal of becoming a brand. This blog will help you rule the Twitterverse without devolving into a spam bot.

This Week’s Fail Whale–The Twittah Playah

Hey, I am a writer and I feel your pain. Pimpin’ ain’t easy. We are supposed to write, read, research, revise and now we need to market too? I can be very overwhelming. Writers are creative people and creative people tend to live in extremes. Either we write 6,000 words a day or we write nothing. This sort of extreme thinking can filter over into social media if we aren’t careful. Being a career author is all about finding balance.

Some Tweeps–the Twittah Playah’–pretty much disappear off Twitter…until they need something. The Twittah Playah is guilty of the Digital Booty Call. See the Twittah Playah ain’t into the commitment thing. He really doesn’t care about our blooks, our blogs, or our day. He just shows up when the relationship is convenient for him to get something.

I have people who haven’t so much as said “Boo!” to me in months suddenly appear out of the ether and ask for help promoting their books. Or they want others to drop everything to go look at their blog. Yeah…we’re right on that.

With the Twittah Playah, it is never about what he can do for us, only what he can get from us (with as few strings attached as possible).

Be a Tweep Scout

Tweep Scouts are the digital Eagle Scouts. Need help crossing the digital highway? The Tweep Scout is there to lend a helping hand. Tweep Scouts are vested in making themselves better. True. But, what makes the Tweep Scout different is he is also committed to serving others and building his community. This tweep has the best on-line manners. He knows how to extend himself in small ways that makes others feel special. This tweep is honest, loyal and treats everyone with respect.

Social media works best when we actively serve others and tweet others the way we would like to be tweeted.

Tweet ya later!

In the meantime, I hope you pick up copies of my best-selling books We Are Not Alone–The Writer’s Guide to Social Media and Are You There, Blog? It’s Me, Writer . Both books are ON SALE for $4.99!!!! And both are recommended by the hottest agents and biggest authors in th biz. My methods teach you how to make building your author platform FUN. Build a platform and still have time left over to write more great books! I am here to change your approach, not your personality.

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  1. I hope I come off as more of a Tweep Scout than a Twittah Playah! I know I’ve been kind of absent from the internet for the past couple of weeks but my edits are almost done!

  2. Digital booty call, another KLamb original. So those special DMs weren’t about a true love connection? And I thought she really like me for my prose. Guess I’m just another tweeter for her to use. Playa gonna play.

    1. Your profile picture fits this comment perfectly.

      1. 🙂

    2. LMAO off, Clay!

  3. The Twittah Playah has thousands of followers, but no meaningful interactions. I don’t understand spending time gaining followers if you don’t do anything with them. Seems pointless. Kind of like #teamfollowback

    I started writing blog posts on #FollowFriday where I write a paragraph or two about why we should follow someone. that’s my Tweep Scout activity. It’s actually the most fun writing I do all week.

  4. I think I’m a Tweep Scout. At least, I try to be. I love tweeting others links and just chatting. Can’t gain much of a following if things don’t go both ways.

  5. Hmmm – I’ve been away on a canoe trip the past two weeks – no computers, no internet, no cell phones. I know Kristin didn’t aim that at me personally but …

    1. Oh whatever :P. We expect people to go on vacation. You know who I am talking about.

  6. Do we get a special scout handshake or motto? We climb together to reach the heights.

  7. Trying to help people blogging and tweeting helps a blogger or writer learn as much possible about this brave new world.
    But I don’t like sales tweeps where the line between a tweeple and a spammer is thin.
    Another great post. So glad I found you!

  8. @Gene–I think we should at least get Twitter Scout cookies.

    Thanks, Kristen for being such a great Twitter Scout yesterday by helping spread the word about this sadistic hoaxer who’s pretending to be an agent from Writer’s House and “offering representation” to indie authors. Any indie author who gets an unsolicited offer of representation should check in with Writer Beware immediately.

    I’m 100% with you on the Twittah Playahs. Especially the ones who DM me to read their blog when they obviously haven’t read mine. (Or yours.)

  9. I am trying vainly to manage my Twitter time between being a gusher and a playah…I hate both of those and am striving for that happy medium. Obviously I still need work, lol! But with you to guide the way, I’m slowly getting there. Thanks for the reminder – manners count!

    • Joanna Aislinn on August 2, 2011 at 4:48 pm
    • Reply

    Hopin’ I’m not a playah, but playin’ on Twitter is gettin’ fun. Takin’ me long enough to get there, lol.

  10. Manners do go a long way. I love these Twitter Tuesdays. I’m still relatively new to Twitter and don’t want to come across as a newbie. These posts are so helpful and make so much sense.

  11. I’m a playah. Sorry, but it’s the truth. However, I hide it very carefully beneath an elaborately constructed Tweep Scout disguise. So far it seems to be working. So, you know, mum’s the word.

    That said, helping others out gives me warm fuzzies and I like making people happy. It makes me happy. Maybe I’m a Tweep Scout disguised as a Playah disguised as a Tweep Scout?

    My head hurts.

  12. I’ve been on Twitter now for about seven months, being more/less active at various times. I always try to be genuine, and it’s frustrating when you see tweets and/or DMs that are only self promotional in nature. I’ve done some stupid things, uh #FF’ing the world, until Kristen pointed out the proper way to do things, like Leo’s way of #FF he mentions above. We can all use Kristen’s guidance in the Twitterverse, but as long as our hearts are in the right place people will overlook our mistakes. It’s when people are obvious users that we feel like unfollowing them. I guess Twitter is a microcosm of life, with some playahs and some scouts.

  13. I love the term Tweep Scout. Can we have a Tweep Scout Jamboree? lol.

  14. I dig that. I’m trying hard to become a tweet scout, thanks for your excellent advice!

  15. I love your terminology, Kristen! Really helps the ideas stick in my head. Although now I’m hearing weird club music in my head. And it’s making me dance at the keyboard.

  16. A digital booty call. How about the booty tweet? I like that. Just an idea. You always have awesome stuff to bring us. Thank you again.

    1. Booty Tweet. I dig that :D. And thank you. Did you ever get a pic that let’s us see ur peepers?

  17. LOL! Digital booty call. Classic! 🙂

  18. LOL! Kristen, you have the best analogies and great sense of humor, plus get your point across. “Tweet others the way we want to be tweeted,” I love that. I did try to RT & thank you yesteday for the tweet about the hoaxer (so dang cruel), but Twitter froze up on me, went bonkers, and I had to sign out.

  19. So true, Kristen. I hate it when I go all out for a tweep who then disappears. Makes me feel so cheap. You’d think I’d at least get a *kiss* or an RT before they leave.

    1. Piper, anybody who doesn’t send you *Tweet Kisses* SHOULD disappear. We don’t want to talk to them anymore… cuz you’re the Rockin’ Tweetah.

  20. You nailed it.

    I’m a twitter beginner and I can’t believe how steep the learning curve has been. I’ve been on a couple of online forums for several years and felt like I was one of the cool kids. Twitter has put me right back to being that dweeby military brat who transferred to the new school in the middle of the school year. Ugh. I feel so awkward and weird all of the time, and I know that once I don’t feel so self-conscious it’ll get better. But it is hard.

    You’re one of the people who has made it easier. Thanks Kristin. And I’m loving, Are You There Blog? It’s Me Writer.

    • Tamara LeBlanc on August 2, 2011 at 10:03 pm
    • Reply

    Yep, I’ve received a few digital booty calls in my short time on Twitter…and homey don’t play dat way.
    I’m not a fan of the Twittah Playah at all.
    I am, however, a huge fan of yours, and I try my best to be a Tweep Scout.
    Thanks for your wsidom and have a fantastic evening:)
    Tamara

  21. I’m reading through WE ARE NOT ALONE and am impressed. Don’t often say that for these kind of books. But I stumbled onto you through a link my agent provided and one thang led to another. However, I have a question/comment…really, no CAPTCHAs? When I shifted to a WordPress-based blog in January 2011, I was slammed with spam. Day after day. I review my blog more than daily and it felt like I was under assault by an evil empire. I dislike creating a moat like CAPTCHA, but the attacks were relentless. Regardless, thanks for your advice and insights. I continue to read!

    1. Akismet is great at filtering most spam. You can make it where people have to be approved initially, but after that first approval they’re good. THANK YOU!

  22. I need to tweet more often

  23. It’s summer. My kid is at camp and I’m writing my butt off. I hope my peeps and tweeps understand that I’m working really hard over the next 3 weeks. But I promise I’ll be back to my Scouting self very soon. More retweeting and cyber love at the end of the month!

  24. I love this! Maybe my sons will think I’m cool because I know what a playah is 😀

  25. I’m still trying to figure out how to use Twitter and engage with followers. Sigh, I’m a slow learner. I do try to offer links to blogs and sites of interest, and I retweet tweets I find of special interest. Beyond that, I have not figured out how to be more engaged with specific followers. I hate to admit my limitation in public, but perhaps someone will feel sorry for me and offer a tip. LOL

    • Christine Grote on August 5, 2011 at 4:13 pm
    • Reply

    Good post, Kristen, like always.

  26. Twittah playah… does that include J. K. Rowling? 😉 I think I understand. Tweeting is like taking care of a plant. You watch it grow. If we tweet only when we need something, there’s not much of a growth there.

    1. Yes, but she’s also got a little bit on her hands…

  1. […] a Twitter Scout not a Twitter Playah. Tweeting Others Special by Kristen […]

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