The Nicky Blog

One year of blogging - An amazing journey

2011-05-10T14:04:00.000+05:30

8^th May 2010. The day when I started blogging is still etched in my mind. A little nervous, but much excited, I hit the publish button. I didn’t expect to receive so much love from the readers, friends and well wishers. Hence this post isn’t going to be about ‘tips’ or ‘how to’s’, but about ‘gratitude’ and ‘thank you’s :)

I don’t know how one year passed by so soon. I could only blog once a month, blame it on my studies! But this year, I have resolved to blog as much as possible. My inspiration would be the amazing Miss Diana Adams who writes 6 posts per day! This, is no mean feat. It takes immense dedication and hard work to produce quality content, which Miss Adams does perfectly well. Thank you for being an inspiration Miss D :-)

I could learn so much about blogging, twitter and social media from these biggies @arkarthick @harsh_ajmera @barryckr @glitterglitzer @2morrowknight @gupshupblog . I am really thankful to all of them for giving me the opportunity to write for them. It has been a pleasure!

Like every human being, I too had to go through bad times in my life in the past year. But what amazes me is that, my twitter friends have been there for me, always. They have cheered me up when even my ‘real life’ friends couldn’t. This is for all those who think twitter friendships aren’t real. Well, they’re as real as they can get. For real.

I am really thankful to:

@mochiface : Amazing twitter sister with a warm heart.

@glitterglitzer : My big wild sister who is my inspiration and always makes me smile.

@LeyMariecel : Lovely lady with a heart full of love.

@LXLEE : My super smart and kind bro who inspires one and all with his tweets.

@JustDiii : Caring and generous lady who’s always there for me.

@rM1L : She knows how to cheer you up! Super talented and kind!

@Disthename : My FB ‘mom’ who knows how to bring me back on track and make me happy.

@sandmaxprime @Sheconsulting @smilelotus @shilpiiz @ellies58 @iam_chi @LUKIKA Super supportive friends!

And of course all my friends for just being there for me. I could feel the warmth even though we’re separated by a computer screen :)

Also, not to forget, everyone who has supported my blog and my writing! I am grateful for everything. I am also thankful for all my ‘haters’ who wrote negative stuff about my blog; you’ve made me stronger and inspired me to write better! ;-) This one year has been a blast and I hope this journey continues this way for more years to come :) THANK YOU for reading! :)

8 Things to consider before following someone on Twitter

2011-04-06T21:19:00.000+05:30

Twitter has this concept of ‘following’ someone, which means that we ‘follow’ their thinking, ideas through their tweets. According to this great article by @AskAaronLee there are about 277,559,946 users on twitter and growing by thousands every single day. The question arises, out of SO many people, who do we follow? Here are some factors I consider before I hit the button.

1. Tweets: Tweets are the first thing I read. If someone’s tweets are funny, informative, inspirational, or even random, I follow them. Reading the tweets is essential, because it gives you a window to their personality. Also, fully automated tweets, irrelevant and indecent tweets, too many promotions etc can be a turn off. Of course, not everyone is human on twitter. There are tons –I mean, TONS- of spammers, bots on twitter. We can easily report them for spam just after reading their tweets. Here’s a wonderful article by @adamsconsulting on How to spot a spammer on twitter.

2. Profile picture and background: If you have an indecent picture, or no picture at all, I ain’t following you. But some tweeps like @bkmacdaddy and @cheth have created awesome backgrounds which will make you sit up and take notice!

3. Favorites: Believe it or not, I check the favorites of tweeps before I follow them. It gives you an inkling of the user’s area of interests and it will help you get to know them better.

4. Active accounts: This, is very important. I don’t see the point of following accounts whose last tweet was 2 months ago, since the chances of interacting with them would be slim. I would gladly follow someone who tweets quite a few times everyday, since it means that the user is interested in networking daily.

5. Listings: Checking out the lists will help you find tweeps with similar minds. Twitter lists have categories like ‘social media’, ‘writers and bloggers’, ’conversationalist’ etc, and if you do find someone with whom you have a common thread, just follow them! :)

6. Mutual friends: The ‘You both follow’ and ‘Also followed by’ features comes in handy here. I check whether I have any common friends with this person I’m about to follow. It definitely helps in building your network in social circles.

7. Followers: Normal people on twitter, ( that is- us non-celebrities) *usually* have almost same number of following and followers. I don’t follow accounts which have a large number of followers and very few tweets, as also tweeps who only tweet links to their own site ALL day.

8. Website/link: If a tweeter has a blog, website, tumblr blog, I read it. And if I like it, I’m so following them!

One thing that this post won't completely apply to is : private accounts. It isn’t possible to read the tweets, in order to decide whether to follow them or not. We can only access their tweets when we send a follow request and they approve it.

But, Twitter isn’t *just* about following and getting followed back. It’s about being able to find all the great people on here. Finally, it’s the relationships built which will matter the most. :)

10 Ways To Be Positive on twitter

2011-03-04T20:54:00.000+05:30

1. Appreciate! The word itself means “To be thankful or show gratitude for” and “To admire and value greatly”. If you appreciate people, you will be appreciated too. Be thankful and express your gratitude.

2. Focus on the good things: There are all kinds of things circulating on twitter. Make sure you focus on the good ones. The kind of experience you get on twitter, depends on the kind of people you follow. If you follow people who only tweet negative stuff, chances are, you might turn into a negative person too. Don’t forget, tweets can influence you.

3. Spread the good vibes: Give! Share! If you feel happy, tweet it! You might be responsible for someone’s wide smile at some other corner of the world. That’s the magic of twitter.

4. Take action in your real life: Don’t just preach, practice. If you love to tweet quotes (I do), try to implement all those good thoughts and ideas in your offline life too. Trust me, you will see a considerable and significant change (for the better) in your thinking process.

5. Make an effort to make a difference. Twitter is a great medium with a large outreach. Whatever you tweet, reaches tons of people. If your tweets are positive, you will get a positive feedback. You won’t even realize how you might have made someone’s day with your tweet! And it’s an amazing feeling.

6. Avoid negative influences : Just ‘block’ negativity. Literally. Distance yourself from people who try to pull you down.

7. Find an optimistic quote or saying: Have a favorite quote you saw in someone’s tweet? Share it and remember it. Who knows, at some point in life, it’s THAT very quote that will comfort you and show you how to handle that situation.

        8. Don’t get angry: You have to remember that you cannot please everyone.
              There will be people who disagree with your thinking. Initially, I used to retaliate.
              Now, I just ignore. You will feel like giving them a taste of their own medicine and
              replying to them in the same hateful tone. But that would just lead to further fights.
              Instead, stay calm, and don’t reply to them. If it gets out of hand, remove them from
              your timeline.

9. Stop comparing yourself to others: Everyone cannot have a million followers on twitter. Twitter isn’t a popularity contest. As long as you have positive people who share and care, in your feed, you’re good. Don’t focus on constantly increasing the number, focus on the people.

10. Just be happy :)

Life is like Twitter."Follow" your dreams, "block" all negative thoughts, "share" some love & "Favorite" all the best memories :)

A to Z of Twitter Etiquette

2011-01-07T20:16:00.000+05:30

Ask : Ask questions on twitter. There’s a saying which goes “If you don’t ask, you won’t know”. If you have any doubts, feel free to ask your fellow tweeters. There are tweeters from various backgrounds having experiences in different fields of interest. Stay away from self proclaimed ‘gurus’ and 'experts' though. And be sure to lend help when needed as well.

Be Real : What shines through twitter is your real personality. Be Real, be you.

Connect : Engage and connect. This is one of the prime uses of twitter. Use it to the max!

Don’t be Derogatory : Don’t belittle tweeps by using harsh words, no matter where they come from, no matter how many followers they have. Everyone is equal on twitter. #justsayin

Egg. Don’t be one. Upload your own picture as an avatar! Do not keep the default as your avatar. Seriously, I don’t like to engage with eggs.

Make Friends not followers. That says it all, doesn’t it? :)

Give. Add your value to your twitter network.

Be Hilarious. Have you noticed that a majority of top tweets are either very funny or witty? Hilarious tweets always garner attention.

Initiate. Take part in the conversation. Don’t be shy, initiate. That’s what puts the social in social media.

Join the party: Just an extension of the above point. Social media is indeed a huge party with people from all over the world. You’re invited too, don’t forget to have fun!

Keep it coming: Tweeting less often, like once in a few months, is not how it works. You need to keep updating, make your presence felt, and keep sharing the great stuff.

Lists: Use of twitter lists makes your twitter experience much more organized. Depending on your requirements, make lists so that you don’t miss important tweets.

Make a difference : Don’t tweet just for the sake of it. Don’t just update what you’re eating, but try to make a difference. According to me, if I can make people smile with my tweets, or if people can learn something from it, I feel great. Every tweet can make a difference.

Be Nice. Enough said :)

Organize your tweets. If you want to schedule your tweets, keep regular intervals between them. But do not completely automate your twitter account. Organize your tweets, i.e. scheduled and real time tweets effectively.

Be Patient. Followers don’t go up overnight. Patience pays off eventually. Engage engage engage.

Don’t Quarrel: Twitter fights, clash of egos, differences of opinions do happen. But don’t let it get out of hand. After all, there’s always a classy way of handling such situations where people tweet you hateful tweets; Don’t reply to them.

Respect: If you expect respect, be the first to give it.

Stay Safe: Don’t trust people too much. Don’t reveal personal information on twitter. This great young person tweeting could be a creepy 80 year old weirdo. #YouNeverKnow

Be Trustworthy: What happens in DMs, should stay in DMs.

Use. There’s abundant information everywhere on twitter. Use it in the best ways possible.

Variety. Tweeting the same type of tweets again and again can get monotonous. Variety is the spice of life. Of twitter, as well.

Helpful for Writers. Twitter is a great platform for upcoming as well as established writers and bloggers. You came to this blog through twitter, didn’t you? :)

X-cel. Tweet good things. Excel in your tweets. Look for the best content around the web and share!

Be You.

Don’t lose your Zeal. Twitter can burn you out sometimes. But don’t lose your zest to tweet. Take breaks in between to get in touch with your offline life, and come back again.

Twitter is an immensely powerful medium. It is up to us how we use it to the best. Keep Tweetin’!

6 ways to enhance your twitter experience

2010-12-18T18:38:00.000+05:30

I came across a rather true tweet about twitter-- “On Twitter - if you get no response, no DM, and no Favstars , it feels like you’re talking in space but no one can hear you. “

I agree.

We always read that on twitter, the thing you should do the most is engage, engage, and you guessed it, engage. But how should you engage with your followers? Don’t get me wrong, follower number does not equal influence, but follower number does matter. Confused? Let me explain.

When you have a larger twitter audience, there is definitely more scope for engagement. I have noticed that I get far more replies now, than what I did when I had lesser followers. This has been a constant source of debate. So follower number DOES matter. Or not? What do you think?

Here are a few things I’ve done and noticed which considerably increased my enagagement and interaction with my followers, hence enhanced my twitter experience.

P.S. I am going to overuse the word “engagement” in this post so please bear with me. I need a thesaurus. haha!

So, back on track, how do you engage with your followers on twitter?

1. Tweet at the right time.

Look at your twitter home feed. When does it look like it’s totally blastin’ with tweets? I’ve observed that people tend to tweet lesser in the afternoon (according to their respective timezones). Evening seems to be the best time for interaction and engagement with your followers. According to this very informative article Pacific Standard Time 9:00am is the best time to tweet and get retweeted. Of course, these aren’t hard and fast rules, you can tweet anytime you want ;)

2. Ask Questions.

Ask opinions, have polls. There are people from all over the globe, why not take advantage of it? That’s what gives engagement it’s true meaning. Speak out :)

3. Tweet people who favorite and ReTweet your tweets.

You can check out favstar.fm to see who has favorited your tweets. Great way to initiate a conversation is by thanking them for doing so!

4. Be random, sometimes.

Sometimes, you just gotta let go! Why so serious? It’s just twitter. Show off your sense of humor with weird, witty tweets. Trust me, such tweets can get a LOT of response which will definitely make your twitter experience more fun!

5. Follow the right people

If you follow people who have similar likes in terms of tweets ( i.e. your twitter niche), there are higher chances of getting retweeted. Having similar interests proves as a great ice breaker. If you tweet mostly about social media information, then follow writers, bloggers, who do the same, that way you’ll be able to expand your network with like -minded people, which will help you learn a lot too. And when you find such cool people, don’t forget to add them to your lists so you don’t miss their tweets. After all, it's who you follow, that matters. Quality over quantity.

6. Introduce people

So you know two or more tweeps who are quite similar and would hit it off well? Then don’t hesitate to recommend them to each other. It not only helps them to widen THEIR reach, it helps build YOUR network too. Twitter is all about connecting! In addition to it, it is good twitter Karma ;)

What do you think? Have you done any of the above? Are there any other ways to improve engagement on twitter? How do YOU interact with your followers? Feel free to share your thoughts :)

How To : Choose A Good Twitter Name

2010-09-18T09:03:00.000+05:30

So you think of joining twitter and the first thing that you should consider thinking about is your twitter name. The reason being that your twitter name will be your identity. People will remember you with your twitter username. Don’t you want it to be worth remembering? Something different, attractive and which totally stands out? So here are a few points I have noticed in tweeps with great twitter names.

1. Your full name: This is the most commonly used twitter name. It can be in various formats. This definitely makes your handle easy to remember. Some examples are : @paul_steele , @Pramitjnathan @RuhaniRabin are some amazing tweeters with great handles too.

2. Do you have a brand? Awesome tweeps like @2cre8 , @Flipbooks have the name of their company as their handle. Hence the name of their brand becomes their identity on twitter. With their awesome tweets, their brand comes into spotlight too.

3. Your name in an awesome way: Let’s take @rM1L , @LXLEE , @shilpiiz , @JustDiii for example. They haven’t used their full name, but have tweaked their name in an amazing way which stands out.

4.    Use something which describes you: Are you a writer? Use your pen name! Eg. @2morrowknight. Are you a blogger? Eg. @virtuosoblogger A musician? Eg. @MarySarahMusic Or A rockstar? ;) Choose your handle accordingly

Apart from these, here are some handy tips for your twitter name:
•    Don’t keep your handle too long because as elaborated here, it takes away space for further retweets.
•    Do not keep cuss words in your twitter name.
•    Don’t change your handle too often.
•    Using too many numbers in your handle should also be avoided. It can become difficult to remember.

What other things should we remember while selecting a handle? Are there any points I have missed out? Feel free to hit the comment section.

5 Things To Remember When Retweeting On Twitter

2010-09-02T14:21:00.000+05:30

Retweeting is an amazing way to share valuable information from various twitter feeds. I love to RT great tweets. Twitter is all about sharing! It is awesome how 140 characters can make a difference. ReTweeting has its own dos and don’ts. Here are a few things I’ve noticed when fantastic retweeters like @2morrowknight & @paul_steele RT awesome content. Follow these steps if you wanna RT like a rockstar :)

· Do not use the Retweet button: If you use the Retweet button, your tweet won’t be seen in the mentions column ( on the WEB ) and the original poster wouldn’t come to know that you RT-ed him/her. People, including me, don’t check their “Retweets” AS OFTEN AS they check their mentions. The best way to Retweet is to add “RT @username” before a tweet or add “via @username” after the tweet so that they show up in mentions which helps in initiating conversations. The only exception would be when the tweet is too long. But otherwise, old school retweeting is the way to go!

· Don’t remove twitter usernames : Some tweeters have really long handles, and hence it restricts space for retweets. Agreed. But, as much as possible, try to include the handles of all tweeters in the tweet. It is a part of good twitter etiquette.

· Remove unwanted punctuation marks/words : For example, replacing “and” with “&” in a tweet leaves space for the tweet to be further retweeted. There are a lot of opinions regarding editing of a tweet. I, personally, make a few changes like spelling errors or removing some unwanted punctuation marks from a tweet, if required.

· Give proper credit: There are many tweeters like @rM1L who tweet original quotes and content. It is unethical to steal tweets. Whenever you Retweet, give the original poster proper credit when it’s due.

· Add comments: Adding your comments after a tweet is a great way to ReTweet. If you add positive comments, the original tweeter will be happy. If you add some not-so-positive ones, that could be the start of a good twitter discussion. Commenting means that you actually read and liked what someone wrote. I always respond to tweeps who comment on my tweets to engage with them. It helps build your network.

140 characters seem too less, but a lot can be said in one tweet.

As a passionate tweeter, I believe, Retweeting is a great way to get noticed and meet new people. Don’t forget to thank people if they Retweet you too! As they say ”A friend who retweets is a friend indeed” ;) So be a good twitter friend and Retweet like a rockstar! :)

How To: Be Safe On Twitter

2010-07-28T16:02:00.000+05:30

As we know, there are all kinds of people on twitter. If you’ve been on twitter for a while, you must’ve had your share of experiences with spam DMs, weirdos, stalkers etc.

Twitter is growing and it is extremely important to take all measures for your safety. With every tweet, remember that you are revealing something about yourself. Be careful on the internet. I believe it is essential, not just for young teens but also for adults, to think twice (even more than that) before hitting the tweet button.

Following are a few points you should take care while you are on Twitter, Facebook or any other social networking site.

1. Direct Messages : Since these messages don’t appear in the public timeline, we tend to be less careful about what we write. Even if you’re DMing with someone you “trust”, just remember that those messages still remain in their email inbox (if they have allowed notifications through email) even after deletion. Moreover, screenshots are easy to take. Just to be on the safer side, be careful with whom you have DM conversations.

2. Suspicious Links: If you receive DMs with odd looking links even from a friend, I’d suggest, don’t click on it. Those links might take you to malicious sites. If you aren’t sure, don’t click on it!

3. Location: A lot of tweeps are also on foursquare. They happen to tweet their location. This can/might have some hazardous effects. I read a tweet which was an excellent advice by @RickBakas :

In settings, check that “Add location to my tweets” box is un-clicked (It is, by default, unclicked).
Also, if you want to approve who follows you, you can protect your tweets.

4. @Replies : I receive weird tweets everyday and I’ve learned to tackle them. One thing is, if you aren’t comfortable with it, don’t reply to the tweet.It is not mandatory to reply to each and every tweet. You choose your friends on twitter.

5. Block : Haven’t we all used this button at least once? Comes in handy many a times. If you’re having experiences of harassment on twitter, be sure to let @twitter know about it.

6. Too much personal information: Revealing your phone number, credit card details, address, your schedules etc on the internet is completely wrong. Just remember, what you say on the internet, stays there forever!

7. Change password regularly: Changing a password twice a month is considered good. Keep strong passwords which become difficult to crack into. You definitely don’t want your twitter account to be hacked.

These were some points which we must keep in mind in order to be safe on twitter. Are there any other precautionary measures you take? Feel free to share in the comments below.

4 Ways to show love on twitter

2010-07-20T10:35:00.000+05:30

Twitter is an incredible medium to meet fantastic new people. I’m constantly overwhelmed by the shower of love I receive on twitter. I believe that if you give love, you will receive in abundance. So here are 4 simple ways to express your Twitter love :

1. ReTweet : This is a great way of showing appreciation and is likened to showing love on twitter. ReTweeting means that you really liked what others tweet and you would like to widen their twitter audience by ReTweeting. Once you get retweeted by someone, someone else might retweet them too and it forms a chain . Finally, YOUR tweet will reach out to maximum people. It is also a great way of thanking and expressing gratitude on twitter.

2. Follow Friday : People say that follow friday doesn’t have the same impact now and spammers have taken over. I agree, to an extent. My stream gets flooded with tweets having just twitter handles in them. But I, personally, LOVE to give followfriday shoutouts! Also don't forget to write a proper reason as to why others should follow him or her. A #followfriday is a sweet gesture and I like to thank every person who gives me a #FF. It is also nice to return the favor by giving them an #FF shoutout too. But be sure to have not more than 7 tweeps in your tweet. More than that, it looks like spam. Individual #FF s are the best. It gives a special feeling! If you #FF everyone with no particular reason, there are chances people won’t bother to look at those tweeps. If used correctly, Follow Friday is a great way to find and meet new people!

3. Mr Tweet : This is a very cool twitter feature. When someone gives you a Mr Tweet recommendation, it means that the person actually recommended YOU because they admire you. With proper reason, someone describes his/her thoughts about you and the feeling you get after you receive a Mr Tweet recommendation is euphoric. However hard you try, you just won’t stop smiling.

4. Listing : A listing is likened to “appreciation” on twitter. When someone lists you, it means that they like your tweets and would like to add you to their list of favorite tweeters. I feel truly honored and humbled whenever I get listed among highly respected people in the twitterverse.
If you don't want to miss tweets of all the amazing people out here, add them to your lists. It makes a great difference.

There are people from different places, cultures, nationalities, traditions here, but what binds us together as one, is our love for twitter! All we need is LOVE, right?

Hacked Twitter Account: What next?

2010-06-29T09:20:00.000+05:30

Hacked! What thought comes to your mind when you hear this word? Breach of privacy, right? The feeling is similar to a situation when someone cracks open your door and gets inside and you are locked out of your own house.

On 20th June 2010, while tweeting from my account @rocksstar10 , I realized that some tweets were deleted from my timeline. And I didn’t delete those tweets. Sensing something was wrong, I tried to change my password, and then my worst fear came true. It didn’t accept my password. After dozens of attempts, it dawned on me that I was hacked. Someone broke into my account and now I don’t have control over it. Scary, huh?

It is very natural for anyone to hit the panic button at this time. I did too. Since I was still logged in, I didn’t sign out, as I won’t be able to sign in back. I thought for a while and then took the decision of deactivating my account. It was difficult. I didn’t give my credentials to any site, I had revoked access of unwanted connections and always took care to avoid clicking on suspicious links, in DMs as well. But still, I got hacked. Stalkers? Maybe.
I have written previously about how twitter made a difference in my life and now I had to delete that very source of inspiration. And then I did it. Account deactivated.
Now that it’s over, What were the effects?

The Negatives:

1. I lost all my tweets : Twitter is a constant source of incredibly useful information. I had favorited tons of useful tweets. I retweeted a lot of great tweets too. Now, they were all gone.

2. I lost my followers/following : Okay, so I know follower number doesn’t equal your twitter influence, but I’m sure you’ll agree with me that building a follower number takes hard work and patience. Following the right people, going through their profiles, was some effort. Now, I was back to square one.

3. I lost my handle: This may sound weird but I loved my handle (@rocksstar10). Ask yourself, aren’t you attached to your twitter username? I’m sure most of you are nodding right now. It had, sort of, become my identity. If you want to deactivate your account, but want your previous username, you can change your handle and email and THEN delete your account. This will be possible if the hacker hasn't changed your password yet. You will be able to create a new account with your previous handle again.

The Positives :
Wondering what could be the positive side of being hacked? Well, there’s always a silver lining in every situation.

1. New account: I created a new account @rawkstar10 . I followed less than 300 people on the first day of my new account. I noticed that I didn’t miss tweets at all. I could interact with my friends on a personal basis. My stream wasn’t ringing with tweets and somehow I loved it. Earlier with 3700+ followers, it was tough to go through each person’s tweets, but now I could read each tweet of all my favorite people!

2. Support from friends : The first person I contacted during my “crisis” was @AskAaronLee . I liked what he said, that “Great friends will always stand by you”. I was overwhelmed by the response I got from my twitter friends. It was difficult to let everyone know about my new handle, but my friends @Paul_Steele @Peri37 @LeyMarieCel @Pramitjnathan @MASismore @flemcy @NikkiD66 @livetorque @terrinakamura @BarryckR @hadel and many others, helped spread the word.

3. New Beginning : It was a brand new start. I wasn’t sorry about what happened. Because as they say,”It’s not what happens to you, but how you handle what happens to you, that matters” I was sad for a day but back with a bang on the next! I was tweeting again with a vengeance to prove that NO one can ever bring me down. :)

What you should do:

After I deleted my account, I filed a ticket and twitter replied immediately. But if you have a similar situation, here’s what you should do.

• Contact : @support @twitter @delbius personally.
• File a ticket here
• Go to support.twitter.com and read the necessary instructions

This was a different experience for me and I’m happy about it! Yes, I’m not depressed at all! On the plus side, I made many new friends on the new account and I’m loving every bit of it!
The Twitter team is VERY efficient and I got my account back in 10 days!

P.S. This post does NOT suggest, in any way, that you should delete your account. This piece is merely based on my experience and is a genuine effort to spread awareness about it. Hope this post helps!

Top Ten Traits of Terrific Tweeters

2010-06-08T11:50:00.000+05:30

Approximately 300,000 new users sign up for twitter every single day. Twitter is getting immensely popular and it’s showing no signs of waning. There are loads of amazing tweeters rocking our timelines. But what exactly makes them click with their twitter audience? What makes them such terrific tweeters? Well, I scanned through dozens of awesome twitter profiles, and noticed common factors between them. So here are the top ten traits of terrific tweeters :

Terrific tweeters….

1. Interact : When you have some “conversation” tweets on your page, it gives a sense of human-ness to it. People will know you’re not a bot and are a genuine tweeter by looking at your tweets. Try to strike a balance between tweeting links and replies. In order to have a large twitter audience you need to have a lot of followers, you need to follow back and ENGAGE. Of course, follower number is not equivalent to influence. But, a large follower count does help your tweets reach out to maximum people.

2. Interesting : Variety is the spice of life! And twitter is no different. Some tweeters have such amazing tweets that I just can’t stop retweeting them. Keeping your readers hooked is a major part of blogging. It’s just the same for tweeting. After all, twitter IS micro-blogging.

3. Ready to help: Fantastic tweeters always have shareable knowledge and they are always ready to lend a helping hand. In order to gain a following, you need to be ready to help and in some cases, ask for help too. It is important to give up your ego and learn from twitter,and, terrific tweeters do just that.

4. Respect: Just the word says it all. RESPECT. It is essential to respect one another’s thoughts, views and opinions. Why just twitter? This point is valid in real life too.

5. ReTweet: Awesome tweeters ReTweet the best content from other feeds. So, they have the best tweets on their page. ReTweeting great content consistently, takes a lot of effort. Just for example, I recently saw tweets and hashtags mentioning a Korean pop group. I googled them and totally loved their music. I’m a fan now, even though I don’t understand their language, but still, I love their songs. Power of twitter? Exactly!

6. Positive: People gravitate towards positivity. If you are positive, you will get a positive response. Of course, you have to be real. But drunk tweeting, too much ranting, abusing are a strict no-no. Terrific tweeters are always mindful of what they tweet.

7. Create lists: Almost all of the twitter giants have created various lists depending on different categories. It helps when you want to find your favorite tweeters all on one place. Managing twitter lists is very easy and it does help in enhancing your twitter experience.

8. Useful: I have observed that only those tweets go viral which have a certain wow factor in them. Something people haven’t seen or read before. Tweeps like @Flipbooks have incredibly useful tweets. Without a doubt, you will learn something new everyday.

9. Good profile: It is important to personalize your twitter page. An interesting bio, a decent avatar, a custom background, and a good easy- to -read font color are essential if you want to have an eye catching twitter page.

10. Consistent: Most of the twitter biggies tweet daily, or even hourly . If you want other tweeps to take notice of you, you must be active on twitter. Tweeting weekly or monthly can be of no help. But if we really love twitter , we can’t stay away from it for too long, right?

These were the top 10 traits I have noticed in the awesome twitter rockstars. Are there any points I have missed out? Feel free to share them in the comments below.

What do your tweets say about you?

2010-05-13T17:58:00.001+05:30

Your tweets and retweets greatly describe your nature. People can immediately sense your individuality from the vibes your tweets give out. Your personality shines through from your tweets. So, here’s my analysis of the type of tweeter from the tweets the tweeter tweets :)

* Humorous : If most of your tweets are funny, then you are doing a great job of spreading smiles in the twitterverse. A lot of LOL is a must in our lives, don’t you think? A tweeter with a sense of humor lightens up the timeline and never fails to entertain. Such tweeters always lift our mood with their wisecracks. Laughter is the best medicine indeed!

* Retweeters: Retweeters absolutely love to share great stuff from all around the world wide web! They are generous and always ready to help out friends. I am a passionate ReTweeter too. Retweeters always have fantastic content from various feeds.

* Social media tips: If your tweets are social media tips, then it implies that you love to share your expertise with fellow tweeters. I have noticed several feeds like @Twitter_Tips which is a gold mine of amazing information. They keep us informed of all the happenings in the world of social media. This is a feed worth checking out everyday.

* Maximum @ replies: If maximum of your tweets are @replies, it means that you are utilizing the basic feature of twitter, that is, connecting and interacting. I find great pleasure in chatting with some of the best conversationalists on twitter. They are very outgoing, sociable and can keep you engaged for hours together. You won’t even realize how time will just fly!

* Interesting tweets : If your tweets consist of interesting information like amazing facts, blogs, articles, news, photographs, then you're making the most of the treasure chest of info available. Such tweeps are constantly on the lookout for knowledge. Always loaded with a variety of quality tweets, they make twitter a great place to learn and inform. Such twitter pages definitely stand out.

* Quotes: If you mostly have quotes on your page, then you love inspiring the world with awesome words of wisdom. Such tweeters exude positivity and tweet on the brighter side of life. They are a constant source of sunshine in the timeline. Their tweets are perennially retweet worthy!

I have come across a site called Analyse Words which analyses emotional content from your tweets. It determines your personality from the twitter text. Another site called TweetPsych creates a psychological profile of any public twitter account. I am not sure how much of this is valid, but these sites are worth checking out just for fun. Happy tweeting everyone!

How twitter has changed my life

2010-05-09T11:50:00.000+05:30

It’s been five months since I’ve joined twitter, but it feels like I’ve known my twitter friends since forever. Now, twitter is an integral part of my life. I’m thinking of twitter most of the time. It is an addiction and I need no rehab for it. :) In fact, I’m proud of the fact that I love twitter so much that if I don’t tweet for too long, I might get twitter withdrawal symptoms. As my first article, I thought of writing how exactly my life has changed after joining this world phenomenon called twitter –which is not just any other social networking site, but for me, it is much more than that. So here are 10 ways how twitter has changed my life for the better!

1. Happiness: I’ve become happier! I wake up every day, smiling, thinking of all my twitter friends. I miss each one of them if I don’t see them in my stream. On twitter, smiles are guaranteed. With such incredibly witty minds, you will be forced to curl the corners of your mouth upwards.

2. Social media: I’ve become a social media enthusiast. About a year ago, I didn’t have a clue about this whole social networking thing, but now I’ve got into the groove and enjoying every bit of my social media addiction.

3.Hugs: Virtual hugs! Loads of them! They bring joy to my life and a smile to my face. I admit, sometimes, these virtual hugs are much sweeter than real ones.

4.Support : If I’m feeling a bit low, or I’m elated about something, I write a tweet and hit that “Tweet” button and in no time I have my friends @ mentioning me with their encouraging words or comments. Trust me, it feels good.

5.Friends from all over: Since I’m studying, I cannot travel much, but this twitter experience really feels like traveling. I have friends from all over the world. Time zones don’t matter. At times I stay up till late to interact with tweeps having opposite time zones. Twitter is a passion, and I am happy about it. I’m proud to have such incredibly supportive twitter friends.

6. Learn: Recently I had a conversation with a friend about his country’s culture and amazing history. I got to learn a lot from him about his homeland. There is always something new on twitter, be it awesome facts, never before seen photographs or inspiring articles. It’s a learner’s paradise indeed.

7.News: The news reaches twitter before it reaches the electronic media. Twitter brought the recent oil spill to the forefront. The Chile earthquake sent shockwaves through the world and there were people worried about each other on twitter. In times of calamity, people who haven’t even met in real life, were concerned about each other’s safety. The feeling itself melts my heart. We aren’t just fellow tweeters, we are family.

8.Meet someone new: I have met the most talented achievers here, which otherwise, wouldn’t have been possible. Celebrities like Alyssa Milano who actually interact with followers and make a difference are one of the reasons why twitter truly rocks! Various charitable organizations are supported by tweeps and doing their bit on twitter which is indeed awesome.

9.Inspiration: There are lots of inspirational tweeters who can brighten up your day just by their motivational quotes. My view of handling situations has changed a lot after reading their tweets. I have become a positive AND a nicer person. I’m smiling all the time, ready to tackle any situation. Bring it on! :)

10.Fun : And finally, my life has become more fun! YES! Funny conversations, playful banter, stupid but funny jokes and more! Twitter is a FUN place to be!

I love twitter and ALL my friends from the bottom of my heart. Twitter has definitely brought the world closer and I’m loving it!