Daniel Gordon: Join the Conversation in the Twitterverse

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Last Updated on Friday, 03 September 2010 02:26 Written by Daniel Gordon Monday, 23 August 2010 02:15

Be prepared to meet people who will turn into real-life prospects.

To many people, Twitter is a mystery wrapped in a comical name that probably adds to our hesitancy to give it a chance. But, I’m here to tell you it’s a powerful service: a multi-layered, two-way hypercommunication tool, or, in other words, a conversation that is going on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

If you get involved with Twitter, be prepared to meet new people, places and things that will eventually turn into real-life networking prospects.

STEP 1: Choose a username. I’ve always used my name (“DanGordon”) for my online identity, rather than a creative handle or a nickname. Whatever you choose, keep it as brand-consistent as possible.

STEP 2: Get a photo up right away. I recommend a nice picture with a positive vibe and big smile. Make sure it’s current; social media is all about transparency and authenticity.

STEP 3: Connect with people. This is the toughie for all of us when starting out. Using search.twitter.com is a great way to find people in your area who share similar hobbies and interests. Click the “Advanced” link on the search page, type in something you’re interested in, add location search parameters, and click search. You will see the conversation out there of people talking about what you are interested in. Go ahead and follow them; it’s all right. You may have friends on Twitter already, but connecting with new people is what I have found to be most rewarding.

Twitter is an incredible listening tool. You can use the search engine to see what people are saying about you and your company and find people with jewelry problems that need to be solved.

When you’re actively “tweeting,” don’t try to hard sell, promote or shove anything down anyone’s throat. That doesn’t work in the real world, and it certainly doesn’t work here. Twitter is word-of-mouth on steroids, so you can really look great if you are a great person in real life, or you can really embarrass yourself if you’re not careful.

I also hear from many people that they are afraid that they will come off poorly, or that nobody will care what they have to say. I disagree. If you’re an abrupt person, then you’ll gravitate toward all the abrupt people out there in the Twitterverse. If you are reserved or conservative, you’ll eventually gather together with that social group. In fact, I’ve even seen shy people learn self confidence and change their lives through Twitter. It’s a beautiful thing and just goes to show the power that this social interactivity can have on so many people’s lives.

Follow Daniel Gordon at twitter.com/DanGordon and Samuel Gordon Jewelers at twitter.com/SamuelGordons.

This story is from the September 2010 edition of INSTORE

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