blogomomma.com

Tweetledee or Tweetledumb  by blogomomma.com

Have you ever heard the phrase "please and thank you don't cost a thing"?  It's true! Unless of course you're talking about the Twitter Direct Message!

I remember when I started Twitter, I was overly concerned about acknowledging every new follower with the respect they deserved!  "Thank you for following, I look forward to learning more about you"!  Nice right?  Until one day I used DM for the purpose for which it was intended - to send a private message to a friend.  I think I typed something to the effect of, "wow it's hard keeping up with all these acknowledgements".  To which she replied "you're wasting your time"!  GASP! WHAT!  How rude!

She was RIGHT! 

In my vast (lol) Twitter experience I have learned, it is highly annoying to a recipient to receive a flood of welcome DM's with a sales pitch, promo, link to your awesome website, hug, free gift, or trial marketing program.  They rarely if ever get opened for fear of spam.  Especially an automated DM telling about your new product.  DM's are "typically" removed manually and if you have filled up two pages with how great you are, it might get you unfollowed in a flash!

Suggestion?  If you want to welcome a follower, or get their attention - tweet em!  Get in front of them, engage them in dialogue and get to know them.   You're more likely to get a response and become a familiar face (or avatar).  Send a DM once you've established a relationship, it will be more likey to be received and not instantly deleted.  Note of caution!  If you are not a close DM friend a link in a DM is like a bomb scare - don't do it!

In Twit City the rules still apply just not in the same context! 

Tweetledee or Tweetledumb  by blogomomma.com

If you are at all familiar with Twitter, you have already caught the #followfriday fever.  The weekly ritual of plugging, promoting and singing the praises of your favorite follows AND it is sometimes a very touchy subject.

There is the "guru" set who snub and the new comers who love, and then there is everyone in between.  There is a preached etiquette and the new lists options but however you cut it;  it's still about being social.

If you think of it carefully, you'll realize it's much like a ginormous party - face to face dialogue.  At the start of any party you are careful to make introductions and get everyone to engage.  Once the party starts rolling, let's face it; things get busy.  You make sure to acknowledge everyone but might be forced to give the quick  - everyone this is so and so;  and so and so, this is everyone.  Some guest might find an ally or they may be on their own to mingle and engage.  I find the same scenario applies to #FF

Whether you find recommendations from mass name tweets, from Twitter lists, or from single shout outs  - they are only introductions.  It's up to each one of us to do our own homework and by homework I mean;  reading, learning, engaging and yes - being social!

Are you a planner?  These tools might help you plan your #FF frenzy:

tweetml.org

socialoomph.com

mrtweet.com

Tweetledee or Tweetledumb  by blogomomma.com

http://dcortesi.com/tools/dm-deleter/

Tweetledee or Tweetledumb  by blogomomma.com

http://tweepml.org/

Important Deets:  FREE , login - via Twitter available

Important Deets:  FREE (so far) , login - to your Twitter account (if they haven't suspended it!) 

Tweetledee or Tweetledumb  by blogomomma.com

Curiosity killed the cat - Blogomomma brought it back!  I have an innate urge to check out all things Twitter.  I wanna know what , why , how , when and more if possible.  What I'm fussing over this week:

http://tweetvisor.com - Is a Twitter interface to view and interact with Twitter.  I love this site because it is web based (no dowloading to your system) and therefore accessible from anywhere! Easy navigation, not too fussy, three columns, easy list building, lots of bells and whistles and you can easily switch between multiple accounts.  They seem to be constantly improving; just added a blocking feature and I'm excited about the scheduled tweets option! Bonus?:  great interaction, open forum feedback and quick response from @Tweetvisor and @NeluLazar.

Important Deets:  FREE/ Donations accepted, login - via Twitter

http://tweetblocker.com - This application performs advanced filtering of your followers to help identify spammers.  This is not a follower management tool.  It will only block, not follow.  It's pretty cool and very easy.   I warn that if you have a good number of followers, it does take a while to load.  It will catalog, rank and grade each follower A-F.  It will also show your grade ( I got an A+, #teacherspet). Easy tabs are sorted by grade.  It shows each follower's avatar and by hovering you can view a summarized version of the profile with a short list of recent tweets.  Click  details for any follower and you will see three "very" brief criteria explained.  A checkbox system allows you to mass block.  The downside is there is no breakdown as to how the grades are truly determined but they have @mashable as an endorsement, so I guess that works!  I liked it BUT I would caution that none of these applications are 100% accurate; so before you go deleting your "D" followers, do your homework!  I found a "B" follower who was clearly spam!

Important Deets:  FREE, login via Twitter, credit to @websuccessdiva for the lead

http://mrtweet.com - Is a personal networking assistant for Twitter.  It will identify and recommend influencers and people that are relevant to your interests.  This application is a favorite of many because of the credibility it carries.  This is another application endorsed by @mashable , nuff said. With all due respect the layout is a bit busy and takes some getting used to. You will receive a short list of suggested people to follow with an inset screen showing which of your current followers have suggested the person listed, breif ratings and stats.  You can click to see a persons most recent tweet and you can follow directly from the application.  When you sign up, you will then become a suggested person "to" follow and on it goes. Click on the profile tab to see your personal fun stats and grades.  You can also see a summary and tally of who has recommended you, what they said, as well as who you have recommended.   Easy tabs to make recommendations and to request recommendations.  Both will appear on your stream.  Great tool!

Important Deets:  FREE, login via Twitter