Web Training Wheels » Twitter

Twitter Launches Follow Button

Lucy — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:55:56 +0000

Following in the footsteps of the Facebook Like Box, which allows users to “Like” a site’s fan page without leaving the website, Twitter today launched a similar feature. Their “Follow” button allows you to follow someone’s Twitter account without leaving their website. You can see mine in the sidebar on the right, underneath the Facebook Like Box – test it out by following me now ;)

From Twitter’s official blog:

When you follow interesting accounts on Twitter, it’s easy to stay connected with what’s most meaningful to you. Today we’re excited to launch the Follow Button, a new way to discover and instantly follow Twitter accounts directly from the websites you visit everyday….

…For publishers and brands, adding the Follow Button to your website and using Twitter to stay connected with your audience is a powerful combination. People who follow your account are much more likely to retweet and engage with your Tweets, and to repeatedly visit your website. Adding the Follow Button to your website is quick and easy, and you can configure yours right now at twitter.com/followbutton

image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/topgold/3683957494/

9 Reasons Why Hootsuite Is The Best Twitter Tool

Lucy — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:13:40 +0000

I continue to recommend Hootsuite as the go-to Twitter application. With more features and a better interface than Tweetdeck, and more features always being added, Hootsuite will make managing your social media much easier. Here’s a few of my favorite Hootsuite features.

Analytics
Not only can you track clicks on your links by using the Ow.ly link shortener built in to Hootsuite, but in a recent update, Hootsuite also added the ability to tag your links with Google Analytics codes so that those clicks can be integrated into your Google Analytics reporting. Brilliant.

Custom columns for everything!
The columns layout of Hootsuite is extremely flexible and allows you to track a all sorts of information which is always at your fingertips and always updated. Create columns for your Twitter Lists, to track keyword searches, people you especially want to keep tabs on etc.

Mange multiple accounts
You can manage multiple social media and Twitter accounts through one Hootsuite login which makes keeping on top of everything so much easier.
You can also add other users as Admins or Editors of an account so that multiple people can help you manage the accounts you specify.

Tweet scheduling
This is probably one of the original Hootsuite features that set them apart. Ever wondered how some people just seem to be on Twitter ALL THE TIME….well they really might have the luxury of that much time to kill, or they could just be scheduling their tweets using this feature. A real godsend!

Automate Tweeting your blog posts
Using Hootsuite’s RSS feature you can automate updates whenever you post to your blog. Much better than using Twitterfeed’s glitchy service.

Update other social networks
Using Hootsuite you can also update your Facebook Pages and Profiles and LinkedIn. Hootsuite also connects with Ping.fm extending your reach even further. WordPress.com and Myspace features are available in Beta.

Mobile Apps
iPhone users have enjoyed the luxury of Hootsuite’s iPhone app for a while. The Android app was just recently introduced as well. Still waiting on the Blackberry app though.

Easy tweeting with the Hootlet
Drag the hootlet to your browser bookmark bar and easily tweet out link to the page your on. Click the hootlet and a mini- Hootsuite window pops up. It’s the little things that make your life easier…

Upload pictures and files
Another recent update from Hootsuite means that you can upload files and pictures as you tweet with their new in-built functionality.

Time management is a huge factor in the success (or otherwise) of your social media marketing. As Hootsuite continues to add new features you can increasingly centralize your social media activity and do more and more with one Hootsuite account. More info on Hootsuite’s bells n’ whistles here, and at their blog.

What Twitter tool or other social media tools do you use, and why?

Dan Zarrella Talks About Re-Tweets

Lucy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:22:30 +0000

I just discovered Dan Zarrella this evening, and let me tell you – he is a really smart dude. Take a look at this video in which he talks about the viral importance of re-tweets on Twitter, a couple of tips to help you get more re-tweets (very simple…ask, and include links!) amongst other things. Definitely worth 4 mins and 52 seconds of your time. He dubs himself the “social media and viral marketing scientist” and he actually lives up to his title, judging by his excellent blog. I recommend spending some time there because he has real insight to share based on his research. According to Dan, Twitter traffic does actually convert into leads and sales more than say, Digg. Interesting stuff…..

Dan Zarrella of HubSpot on the Etiquette and Currency of Retweets from ReadWriteWeb on Vimeo.

Here’s Dan’s presentation on re-tweeting which has a lot more interesting tidbits in it:

How to Get ReTweeted

View more presentations from Dan Zarrella.

Twitter Birds courtesy of Spoon Graphics