I‘ve been on Twitter for a bit, and it has enhanced my life both personally and professionally. Many of the people I share Twitter with are encouraged to create an account and start reaping the benefits. But a fair number still look at me like I have lost my mind. Unwilling to embrace the notion that you don't have to fully understand something before giving it a try, they close their eyes and their minds to the amazing possibilities — and wonder six months later why their influence is drying up.
I hate when that happens, so I've decided to write a blog post for people who need more than Twitter school. They need Twitter Pre-School, or TweeSchool. TweeSchool is for people who cannot sit still long enough to see how Twitter could be helpful to them. So this is my last-ditch effort to help these people get in the game. First, follow the instructions in this video to set up a Twitter account. Then, let's go to TweeSchool.
Once you set up your account, just do this:
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Share something you are doing. Literally. Look around the room you are in and, in the box that says, “What's happening?” type, in 140 characters or less, what you are doing or what you just did. (If you need me to give you an example, then you need more than TweeSchool.)
First impressions count, so make sure your spelling and punctuation are correct. And whatever you do, don't use the “@” symbol to send a specific person a spammy link or a demanding request to promote your cause. Share something nice, natural, and friendly, and then click “Tweet.” Don't worry about anything else. Just do that, then go to Step 2.
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Share something you like. Next, Tweet, in 140 characters or less, something that you like to eat or do. (Remember to make a positive impression and don't spam. See above.) Yep, that's it. Just do that, then go to Step 3.
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Share something someone else has already shared. Repeat what someone else said. Go to this page, and type in a word that you have heard in the news lately. For example, 33 men were rescued from a Chilean mine yesterday, so you might type in “miners” or “rescue.” This will bring up the latest Tweets using those terms.
On that page, you are bound to find something you can repeat, or “ReTweet.” Here's one now!. See it? Just click on “ReTweet,” then click on the pop up ReTweet button (to confirm), and you have just shared the news. When you do that, Twitter will let everyone know that you just shared what that person shared. Here's how it looks. See the picture of me at the bottom, along with other people? That indicates that we “ReTweeted” what that person said about the miners being rescued.
By the time you read this post, there will be other world news you can share using the same process described here. Be relevant, be conversational, and most of all, be a good listener — just like you should always be when you are participating in a conversation.
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You can do this. Just calm down and set aside 10 minutes a day for the next 30 days to repeat the above steps. Do you have that much time to maximize your chances of success in business? (If not, well I will pray for you because you'll have to find a job.)
After 30 days, you should graduate. If by then, you have not discovered on your own some fantastic new business connections and exciting new ways to share your passions, I'll — well, I don't know what I'll do. I can't give you a cash prize.
Maybe I'll eat a hat or something.
(Note: this post has been updated since its original publication date to include new information.)
Question: Share this post with a friend who is not on Twitter, and let me know about it so we can track some progress. What do you think?
