This Twitter Thing

I signed up to this Twitter thing a few months ago with an ‘oh all right then’ attitude, expecting to come away with a ‘who cares?’ conclusion. A few months later I’m dipping in the Twitter stream daily.

So here it is, my love letter to Twitter. The things I wish I’d know when I started and my take on what it’s all about. 

With its 140 character limit, Twitter’s a hostile environment to the boring, dominating or waffling. As it’s on the internet, it attracts the tech savvy. As a public space (anyone can read your updates) it also asks you to be a bit brave. So to be on Twitter you’re already my kind of person. But what do people on Twitter do? 

Talk. Imagine a dinner party where a few mouse clicks changes the seating plan to put you in the middle of things; your definition of ‘things’. Antarctic researcher, fashion designer, photographer (currently in Afghanistan) and ordinary soul who shares your humour, there’s your table for tonight. And you can change it at any time, click, click. Eavesdropping, chatting across continents, making an exit to *put the spuds on*, and absolutely no need to brush your hair. 

And yes, with Twitter’s list of trending topics, you actually do know there’s an earthquake, plane crash or a new baby for Jamie Oliver, long before it’s reported on the networks. What’s more, you can locate and read the tweets coming from the centre of breaking stories. It’s supreme rubber-necking. 

So are you interested? Then go sign up. 

This blog is not about the mechanics, though. If you want to know them, put some pertinent phrases into Google. I’m cutting to Twitter’s oohs and ahhs. 

But one quick tip. Move away from the Twitter website to applications like Tweetdeck or Tweetie as early as you can. Why struggle with a Walkman when someone’s invented the iPod? 

Following some Twitterati

I’ll tell you what I did. We all start with the celebs, so go ahead. A good place to make sure you’re following the real ones and not the fakes is www.valebrity.com. But amazingly, celebs can be dull and not interested in you at all. Shocking, I know.  

We also start with people we know in real life. Like any party, it’s nice to turn-up with your gang. For many,Twitter replaces  text messaging and adds a new fission to office banter, with a whole new way to delegate. I frequently send a tweet to @ashog (who works five foot away from me) to put on the kettle on. 

Once you’re following around 50 Twitterers, you’ll understand why I find Facebook a ghost town. 

But how do you find and follow normal yet wonderful people you’ve never met? A quick search will show you who’s tweeting right now on your current obsessions. Coco Chanel, Arthur Rackham, Mad Men. It’s like shaking a snow globe and up they float. Pick a few (not just the pretties), look at their Twitter pages and read a few tweets they’ve done. If they tickle your fancy, click follow. 

But don’t just stick with your kind of nerd. Cast the net wide. Take a gamble. And look at Trending Topics too to see who’s talking about the latest thing. Within a few days of following someone, you’ll know if they’re for keeps. If they are, plunder their list of people they follow for more goodies. If they’re not for you, un-follow and shake the snow globe again.

And don’t forget to throw in some quality news feeds too, with my pick being @bbcnews.

You’ll also want to follow The Names. Brands, governments, charities, football clubs, festivals, museums… Twitter’s full of organisations attempting to hang with the cool kids. As a copywriter it’s fascinating to watch them sign-up and set out their stalls, with sites like www.mytweet16.com letting you snoop on anyone’s fledgling tweets. 

And they can really get it wrong. 

Have you ever been in a day of meetings and broken for lunch to find someone still doing meeting talk? Corporate language, only one topic (them), only one opinion (theirs). That’s corporate Twitter at its worst. 

People follow Names to hear their latest, of course, but they also want to see personality and charm. They want to venture off topic because that’s fun. They want to see a Name ask questions and listen to answers. To loosen the tie. No on wants a 140 character brochure. 

Movers and Shakers 

The next Twitter challenge is finding the movers and shakers (not slebs) who link to the best of the web as it breaks, and are often at the heart of fascinating, fearless debates that then make the headlines. How? Explore a trending topic that excites you, and you find a lot of tweets coming from one source. Hmm.

Your Followers 

To plump-up your follower list, you have to follow and tweet yourself. Shake your Twitter booty. Follow back with a generous spirit,; block the spam and anyone you find offensive.

 And if someone does not follow you back right away, relax. They may need you to strike up a few conversations (do an @ reply to their tweet) before they notice your wonderfulness. They may simply not want to follow you: that is allowed.

Once you’ve got around 100 good followers, you’ve got a ‘hive mind’ to ask stuff. Any kind of stuff, and you’ll be amazed at what comes back.

Twitter for the Copywriter 

But for the copywriter Twitter has extra appeal. Making your point within seconds is what copywriting has always been about, so for me Twitter’s a trip to the writing gym. 

I follow a lot of professional writers, and people who simply write well, and love to see what they do with so little space. And I love the instant feedback. When you watch a tweet skim (being re-tweeted over and over) it sharpens your instincts for what excites. And when a tweet sinks without a trace, you also take note of what bores.

The fly in the ointment? 

Not everyone’s a darling, or course. There are people you won’t find exciting on Twitter, oh yes, but you know what, you just don’t follow them. And rude people? Try blocking. 

And like anywhere else, there is spam. People trying to gate crash the party wearing a sandwich board. Did they think we wouldn’t notice? 

But avoiding them is so much easier than in real life. 

Once you’ve been baptised in the Twitter stream, you feel a need to write a blog on how great Twitter is. I must get round to doing that. 

And after that? Well I’m now hunting down Twitter’s cabinet of curiosities; pages and applications that are blowing me away with their creativitiy. But that’s a whole other blog. I’ll let you know. 

You can find me on Twitter @Angpang. 

Angela Montague is  freelance copywriter. Of all our writers she has embraced Twitter most fully so we  commissioned her to write this piece on the pleasures and pitfalls of tweeting.

My Mother in Law is A Copywriter

Meet my 'mother in law'. Also known as Crazy Grandma, Mrs K and the Lady from the Tearoom depending on who you're talking to. At last I can blog her because she has sorted herself out a decent website for her award winning tearoom, B&B and licensed restaurant at Wold View House. One that finally conveys the wonder of her achievements and gives a hint of the fabulous experience you can enjoy on the Viking Way.

A year or so ago she wouldn't turn on a computer, but now Irene Kendall has embraced the technology and in the space of 2 weeks sorted herself out a complete makeover with her existing web company. She's written all the content, free from waffle and naturally strong on SEO. She has focused on all her USPs and created a clear, clean navigation to her own spec. Her site is content managed so she can update everything and add events and menus to save on mailings. 

Rightly so she is on cloud nine having just won her 3rd Tearoom of the Year Award. No mean feat here in rural Lincolnshire where our fabulous local food outweighs the number of punters. Like all good online tourism, Wold View House's simple but effective website shows and tells why this traditional English tearoom is well worth the trip. 

Valentine Delights

Lots of my lovely clients have gorgeous  gift ideas for Valentine's Day. With a week to go and so many online retailers offering super fast delivery there's no excuse for forecourt flowers and supermarket chocolates. So go on guys, take the hint. 

I love these beads from Joules. Lazeme has the most luscious lingerie and sleepwear. And literally anything from Isabella Oliver would feel like the most wonderful treat for your pregnant partner. Go on spoil us.

Totally Treehouse

Just received this lovely pic from my creative colleagues Ang and Ash enjoying a well earned break in the North of England. They thought Jim would love the treehouse! Well, who wouldn't?

Despite being a native north easterner myself I've never made it up to Alnwick Castle to see the tremendous work Jane Northumberland has done with the garden and grounds for the arts, for children, for the community and clearly for posterity.

The Alnwick Garden website say 'everyone should spend a day in the garden' and I intend to...although I expect it might not be long enough!

Perfect Day

I have just spent the most fabulous 24 hour holiday in North Norfolk. Alfresco lunch at The Hoste in Burnham Market. The garden room is so exotic it reminds me of eating dinner at Biras Creek on Virgin Gorda - only without the Caribbean view. The weather was totally BVI, as I went on to shop in Holt for dresses, deli and diamonds. My budget took in 2 lovely halternecks and a great Pork dinner from Byfords, but sadly didn't stretch to the ring I really liked in Webbs - but a huge thank you to the really nice lady who let me try it on.

Then back along the coast to Lord and Lady Coke's lovely shabby chic boutique hotel: The Victoria at Holkham Hall. Check in is delightfully informal and keys are doshed out to make your way through the park, to the resplendent Triumphal Arch. We popped our Sandhams' pink champagne in the ground floor fridge (yes there's one upstairs too - those stone spirals can be tiresome after a while), oohed and aahed at the amazing bedroom/lounge/bathroom of the West Wing and hit the beach at 6pm to glorious sunshine, olives, Italian sausage and bread. We had the golden sands to ourselves, save for a couple of Oyster Catchers and thousands of tiny razor shells.

By 7.30 I was soaking in a lovely hot tub whilst Jim popped down to the well equipped kitchen to rustle up an amazing dinner. Sipping my chilled pink champagne, whilst opening cards and pressies, I felt truly blessed for such a perfect day. And even more so for my own mother, who made a 4-hour round trip the previous day, to ensure my daughter had a gift to give me for my birthday.

Mulberry Space

If you've followed a link from my copywriting website you'll know this is the May Bond Street for Mulberry Space created by one of London’s most exclusive florists McQueen’s. The inspiration came from the Mulberry tree. The tree was “in bloom” each week - using English grown, seasonal flowers in the colours of the Spring/Summer 2008 collection. It's just one of the innovative Mulberry Space initiatives that sees the brand collaborate with different creative companies and organisations to create a gallery space in its shop window.

The original florist's sketch actually became the concept for the spring summer Mulberry in Bloom home page and the brilliant piece of email marketing that enticed me in. Like you, I'm busy and cynical so it takes a lot. Something this fresh can't fail to grab the imagination and delight the senses.

So you can reach for your PDA, iPhone or Blackberry. I will happily use a pen in my 10 year old Mulberry Planner. Like what's happening in Mulberry Space, I enjoy its reassuring weight and real world presence. And although I haven't seen the Bond Street window, I enjoyed the experience online. Isn't that what web brand synergy is all about?

Green & Gold Goddess

I love vintage so I love the 50s inspired look of this pink and green choker by London designer Gemma Lister. Her work has been featured in Cosmo, Marie Claire, New Woman and The Telegraph's Stella magazine. Fashion stylists love her quirky British vibe and so do I. This piece is perfect with summer's goddessy dresses and strappy metallic sandals or just as a statement piece with a little vest, jeans and colour-rich peeptoes.