Tweeting New and Old Information on Twitter

As I have written before, Twitter deceptively appears simple when it is anything but simple. There are written rules – and many unwritten rules – that it is wise to follow in order to reap the most benefits from Twitter.

Thus when I was a little startled by something a client new to Twitter asked, I realized that this would be a good blog post topic.

The client asked why not tweet with links to the client’s older television show appearances?

I replied that there’s a time frame element of sharing tweets on Twitter that needs to be considered.

A tweet with a link to a new article about the client was more than appropriate. But a better way to handle past television show appearances would be to tweet a link to his website page that features these television appearances.

In other words, the television show appearances are not new, so if the client tweeted a link to each old show those tweets could be viewed as offputting on Twitter.

Now before anyone jumps down my throat about tweeting older information, let me clarify what I’m talking about. Appearances (or the videos of the appearances) have a shorter shelf life on Twitter than information, which remains fresh for a longer time.

For example, sometimes when I am followed by an author new to Twitter, I will tweet a reply to that person along the lines of: If you are looking for material on book marketing, see my articles at http://budurl.com/bookmarketarticles

While I wrote these articles some time ago, the information is being offered to people new to Twitter who might need the information now. I am not tweeting links to the blog posts I did two years ago or one year ago or even one month ago.

At the moment my blog is the link in my Twitter profile, and people coming to my blog for the first time can search for specific blog post topics. But I don’t tweet links to these posts now – I tweet links to new posts that I or others have written – new material that is now available for people to read and learn from.

Remember, one of the strongest advantages of Twitter is the ease of tweeting in real time.

I’ll admit that, whenever there’s an earthquake here in Los Angeles, Yael and I immediately tweet about it, as do many others on Twitter who experience the quake. We are using Twitter to announce the news here in LA.)

If you are not sure where to find good information to share on Twitter, subscribe by email notification or RSS feed to several blogs connected to your own areas of interest or expertise. Then on Twitter share links to the posts that you find worthwhile.

In this way you will be considered a valued participant on Twitter and yon won’t need to rely on tweeting links to old material.

And if you want to learn more about how to use Twitter effectively, check out ebook “The Wonderful World of Twitter and How It Can Help Promote Your Brand, Book, Cause or Business”

© 2010 Miller Mosaic, LLC

FYI — You can also download your copy of Phyllis Zimbler Miller’s FREE report “Twitter, Facebook and Your Website: A Beginning Blueprint for Harnessing the Power of 3”

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