July 27, 2009

Any Twitter stories?

I've joined the tweeting throng. How About Orange is now on Twitter. I'm filing this post in the Time-Wasters category, unless someone can tell me a story about new business or deep personal fulfillment they've found through Twitter. Anyone?

55 comments:

  1. It takes a while to get used to, but once you do - it's fun. My blog has seen way more visitors lately (despite my lack of posting), and I've found a bunch of new sites I hadn't heard about before, because of them finding me first.

    It's fun - and worthwhile for a site like yours (guaranteed you'll see more etsy sales, get your mom sewing! haha).

    ReplyDelete
  2. i have yet to join twitter, but my 3 cubicle mates have and i hear all the "latest" new through them at least a day before it hits main stream media. even found out michael jackson was dead 3 hours before the rest of the crowd-if that sorta thing matters to you, which doesn't so much to me which is why i have yet to join. but my co-workers do tell of all the new cool sites they find and i'm sure it would drive visitors to your site-the only reason i am considering joining. good luck with your twittering!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm on Twitter 8 months and i'm a big fan
    I'm tweeting in French
    julie_adore

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have posted something like six times on my twitter account and yet I have all these people following me that I've never met (and have no idea how they found me!) It MUST be good for business!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I found my soulmate husband on twitter. He's also in prison, so twitter makes it easier for us to communicate.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, what an inspiring story, jcaroline. I stand corrected. Twitter is not a time waster.

    ReplyDelete
  7. A few things that have happened for me through Twitter:

    -won a week of free parking at the airport for naming the 8 presidents who were born in Virginia (Twitter trivia put on by the executive director of the airport...who is also bringing brownie to my office next month because we are frequent fliers).

    -Connected with a reporter who is doing a story on me (work related, not design blog related)

    -more traffic to both my work blog and design blog

    -was able to follow along with conferences I didn't attend because people in the sessions were Tweeting about the conversations

    -was able to go to a conference for the first time and "know" people already because we were Tweeting prior to our arrival

    Stick with it! It's fun!

    ReplyDelete
  8. P.S. I had to learn this over time, but it's considered good Twitter etiquette to follow someone back when they follow you. If you don't really want to see their updates, you can tweak your settings.

    ReplyDelete
  9. it helps me keep up with my three teenagers! LOL if my college daughter doesn't call for a couple days, at least I know she's alive through her tweets! Also connecting with other crafty people... it's fun!

    ReplyDelete
  10. One great story for me was getting camera issues taken care of by Best Buy. I posted that my camera broke and lickety-split, the Best Buy folks jumped in, called my local store, and got it replaced.

    I wish my local store could have just taken care of it, but I was happy that I mentioned it on Twitter.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Uh oh! I think I heard my name mentioned! Sounds like I won't have time for any of this Twittering stuff that should be 'for the birds' anyway. ;-)

    But then, I did have to sign up with Facebook just to keep up with the Joneses, so is Twitter next on my agenda???

    At least these comments make it sound like a good thing for YOU.

    Mum/waitingforthecook&maidtoshow

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh Twitter! I joined because I wanted to know what the buzz was about. Made some great friends, learned about some great new sites and jump started my digital scrapbooking business from 0-60! It's great!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I like the positive attitudes, but I can't stand Twitter. I signed up but have never really done anything with it. . . but given that story of winning free airport parking, maybe it isn't a waste of time.

    Maybe I don't tweet right. That is a good possibility.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh man - every day I feel like more and more I'm going to have to give and join the twitter crowd. Maybe this will be the week. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I signed up because it was a huge help during my reporting job. I met hundreds of new people, many through local tweetups. I sold my first item on etsy through twitter, and it was the most expensive thing in my shop! It can be a timewaster if you just sit there and read random tweets, but you can find out about so many things through posted links, and connect with other crafty ladies. Overall, I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  16. It takes a while to get the hang of it, but it has boosted my blog views.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love Caroline. I found her on Twitter and asked her to be a contributor to my book, along with five other amazing creative people -all found via Twitter. Plus, since I work from home for myself, I can get lonely. My Twitter community acts as my co-workers in a funny sort of way. That being said, I have to be careful, because it is probably my biggest time suck.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I started it for business, but I must admit, I love it. AND I've made sales from twitter as well as developed relationships. If you don't like it though, don't do it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. well, I joined twitter to follow a sweet mom from my area who has an infant son w/ a severe heart issue (mycharmingkids). I "enjoy" following her as I know how to pray and when things happen. It's a very serious sitation and I'm constantly checking my phone to see if she's updated.

    ReplyDelete
  20. one of my best buddies at work & in craftiness tweets for her invitation company and has had much success. Her site is paperolive.com. she just won an award on the weddingchannel.com.

    I, however, am not convinced that it is all that great a time suck :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm not even sure what twitter is.... but I really want an orange chair!
    Those are great!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Welcome to twitter! It's not what it was in the old days so I probably come at it differently. Originally it was just a place to sort of chat with friends about what was going on without wasting a blog post on it.

    Now... it's more like a mini blog, sharing links to interesting things and finding out what friends are doing still.

    I look at it sort of like the old college dorm living room area. People come and go all day and you never really know when you'll "meet up" with someone, but you say "hey" as you pass them anyway. The maybe you post a note on the bulletin board about a link you found to something cool and then people swing by and read it.

    It's dorky and a total time killer, but no more than blogs! :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I was skeptical about it too (I mean really, who cares about what me or anyone else had for breakfast this morning!), but within the first week of being on twitter a book publisher contacted me (her coworker saw one of my jewelry tweets and forwarded my info on to her) and now I will have my work featured in her upcoming jewelry book! I think for a business tool it is definitely a great thing to have.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I have 1500 followers and that's just due to longevity. you meet, you greet, you tweet, they follow... I have gained a PR contact or two there, but it's mostly fun. Plus? celebs, duh!

    twitter.com/thatgirlblogs

    ReplyDelete
  25. Good for business and good to meet other people online who are in "like" businesses. :) Just don't pay attention to those people who are spammy and link stupid things. You'll get hooked in no time!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I have had tons of visitors to my blog through Twitter. I manage my 2 Twitter accounts through HootSuite. It allows me to schedule tweets ahead of time. So when I have set up posts ahead of time, I go ahead and set up corresponding tweets that encourage people to check out my new post. Works like a charm!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I found my business partner through Twitter...have gotten tons of clients through Twitter... seriously!

    ReplyDelete
  28. i don't twitter, but do have a great story. there's a 5 year old girl in arizona named kate mcrae. she is fighting for her life with a brain tumor. through facebook and twitter, her story reached thousands in a matter of days; even dr phil and song artists like natalie grant twittered about her. it has brought unlikely people together to pray for her healing. you can find out more about her at www.prayforkate.com.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I was a total Twitter skeptic until I tried it...now I find it important and actually quite a bit of fun, both for personal use and for the non-profit I work for.

    One of my favorite bloggers compared it to a great neighborhood bar - you hang out when you feel like it, it's just a stream of conversation, so no pressure to keep up with everything, and you get to choose who you hang out with and share interesting stories.

    I've made some great connections and always find helpful content to read. I think you can be effective on Twitter (if that's what you're aiming for) or enjoy hanging out without it becoming a total timesuck.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I have read that Twitter holds the world together. But I have yet to find out if this is true. :D

    ReplyDelete
  31. Twitter is great for need-it-now info. I follow a good handful of people, but only those which post meaningful, life enriching things... at least now and then. ;-)

    But along the way I've had a question -- such as why in the heck was I sitting in traffic heading over to the coast -- and I was able to Tweet a question with my iPhone and within moments get a response from someone in the know.

    So on a personal level, I find that not only is it a great way for me to maintain connection with other friends that are online, but also it gives back to me when I ask of it. And, likewise, I would do the same for someone else.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I'm addicted to twitter, its the dumbest thing ever but its a lot of fun, What I enjoy most is following all the celebs and tweeting to them so maybe they know I exhist....

    ReplyDelete
  33. I know restaurants that use Twitter to send out their daily specials. I myself am not that interesting. So I don't Tweet.
    Love your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  34. My husband is a photographer and has made many business connections through twitters. He also has gotten referrals from clients who follow him on twitter who have their friends follow him. It's been a great addition for his business.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I'm a Facebook-aholic. So, it made sense for me hook up Twitter so that my "Tweet" updates my Facebook status. I now update that status often through my phone and generate tons of conversation through Facebook.

    More importantly, when I was laid off earlier this year, I communicated that through my Twitter. I got tons of interviews and job leads because people saw those status updates. Without it, I don't know that I would have my current job...which is more than double what I was making before.

    So, as you might guess, I'm a big Twitter fan now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Downloading twhirl makes viewing tweets much less overwhelming.

    Also, I recommend NOT following someone who follows you until you've made sure their stream is informative. There is a lot of Twitter spam. Be aware.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Oh you'll love it probably! Just yesterday I blogged about someone's site/business I found about via Twitter. It's a great way to make crafty connections.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I got the chance to test a quilt pattern for Robert Kaufman Fabrics because of Twitter. And people in the craft world are always giving stuff away and Tweeting about it.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I've made several sales on my Etsy site by Twittering! I like to list shop updates along with a link to the new item. It seems to work pretty well!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I love Twitter and never would have guessed that I would. I get up to the minute tidbits of news, I've won contests by tweeting, I attend "Twitter Parties" which can be fun. I've "met" some people who I have things in common with (politics, traveling, etc) and tweet with them often about what's going on in the world. I don't know anyone that uses it for what they originally said it would be for...tweeting updates on what you're doing. Hardly anyone says "I'm cooking dinner" or "I'm on my way to work" or whatever....

    ReplyDelete
  41. Help me, people. Some Twitter questions:

    1. The only way to know if someone tweeted to you is to search for your username, right? Otherwise, you'll be oblivious like I was all day yesterday?

    2. And if I reply to someone's Tweet to me three days after they said it, they'll have no idea what I'm talking about, right? There doesn't seem to be any sort of thread. I will appear random and crazy. And all my followers will see me being random and crazy?

    ReplyDelete
  42. Okay, I am obviously out of the loop and using Twitter incorrectly.....

    I have a handful of friends or favorite bloggers I follow - and vice versa (okay, maybe a few handfuls of people follow me). It's always random tweets like "I had the greatest vacation" or "I'm melting w/ the summer heat". Sometimes a link or a photo.

    I've never met like-minded people or searched a topic, and don't even know how to do that. Someone please enlighten me! LOL!

    Meg :)

    ReplyDelete
  43. I was at the library today and walked by a guy on a library computer, typing something into his twitter update box. I chuckled to myself, thinking about what he could possibly be posting. Something along the lines of "I'm at the library. Tweeting."

    ReplyDelete
  44. i don't know about deeply fulfilling but what i love about twitter is getting updates on my phone. it makes me feel as though all these famous folks are texting me personally. it makes me all giddy.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hi Jessica,

    I just replied to your twitter comments via twitter... but here they are again in case you can't see them (my account is locked due to terrible spam!) Do a search for tweets featuring @howabout orange via the link under Home link in the sidebar.

    If you reply, the web page uses "in reply to NAME" the name part is a link to the tweet you replied to so people won't get confused.

    Or you can use a client for your desktop, cell, or iPhone. I use the web to keep me mindful to avoid the timedrain. :)

    ReplyDelete
  46. I got my sponsor for BlogHer through twitter and I also had Pull-Ups read a tweet about my potty training my twins and they contacted me to do some work for them.

    Also,if it wasn't for Twitter I would never know what is happening out in the world, because lets face it, the kids take over the TV until 10pm so I never get to watch the news and who has time to read the newspaper.

    Loved meeting you by the way. Sorry if your hearing isn't quite the same :). Oh and I'm so glad to see that you will still like me even though I like green HA!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Lou. This is FANTASTIC! I didn't notice the @howaboutorange link, and I didn't realize that "in reply to" was a link, either. Good grief. Thanks so much!

    Tonya, good thing I can still read, because my eardrums are shot. :)

    ReplyDelete
  48. Yeah, you'll get used to the no thread thing. If I don't respond to someone right away, I usually include some reminder of what I'm responding to. Of course, that uses up valuable characters, but you'll get good at rewording down to 140. For example: "re your parole hearing" I use that a lot with my aforementioned husband)

    ReplyDelete
  49. I'm afraid twitter digs deep at my resistance to the way culture is changing. Not sure we need any more reasons to look down instead of up. I might be 80 on the inside. :)

    ReplyDelete
  50. Hi! I'm on Twitter @indiereads and I'm now following you.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Oh yeah - I've written about this a lot. More business, more friends, more art!!

    Here are just three examples!

    http://understandblue.blogspot.com/2009/07/if-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-what.html

    http://understandblue.blogspot.com/2009/06/william-shatner-stole-my-heart.html

    http://understandblue.blogspot.com/2009/07/some-people-just-get-it.html

    ReplyDelete
  52. I initially joined Twitter because two of my friends told me that something must be wrong with me because I do everything online and if they were on Twitter they couldn't understand why I wouldn't be, too. Of course, once I joined and started following them, it turns out neither of them ever tweets a thing!

    The upside is that I've had a huge increase in visitors to my Etsy shop, resulting in my first sale as other Etsians started following me. When I finally started a blog, announcing it on Twitter meant that I actually had people coming to read it, or at least coming in long enough to count on Google Analytics (although I haven't found the secret to generating comments, apparently).

    ReplyDelete
  53. I joined Twitter when I did the Avon Walk... it was the perfect way for my friends, family, and supporters/donors to follow along with how I was doing in the walk (40 miles in 2 days to raise money for breast cancer support programs & research). I just sent text messages to my twitter account and people could choose to follow along or not. (I also have it automatically update my Facebook status.)

    I've also had customer service reps contact me when I've tweeted about product annoyances. Most notably, I'd been having internet issues for three days and was getting no help from Comcast despite being on the phone with them forever--I tweeted about it and was contacted and within 45 minutes I was back up online!

    I've made friends, gotten Etsy orders, found out about cool products... I love Twitter! As one other commenter said, my Twitter community is kind of my cast of coworkers since I work at home. And it's funny to see how certain friends and I always seem to be doing the same things at the same time!

    ReplyDelete
  54. I'm not on Twitter, but a couple of my friends who are have posted my blog there, and those are my busiest days. Maybe I'll get around to it someday...

    As a side note, a Facebook friend of mine posted a link to this twitter user, and I find it funny, albeit slightly disturbing:
    http://twitter.com/shitmydadsays

    ReplyDelete
  55. I don't know about any deep personal fulfilment, but I write small stories on Twitter, and they make me very very happy. Read them twitter.com/mysmallstories. Hope you enjoy them.

    - Karthik M
    Imkarthik.com
    Vichar.imkarthik.com

    ReplyDelete