Dr. CK Lin | Productivity. Innovation. Entrepreneur Profiles

Twitter- Why the @reply?

If you think of Twitter like a noisy bar where everyone is talking and no one is really listening, then the @reply function is the equivalent of buying someone a drink. It might not lead to anything substantial (like a follow), but you will guarantee yourself a second look.

So why aren’t more of you @replying?

If you are struggling to gain followers, hone your voice, or find a niche, the @reply is a great way to practice.

Here are some tips for using the tool effectively…

Tweeting is essentially broadcasting your voice to an entire group of twitter-ers, which can seem rather impersonal. But the @reply is a great way to show someone you are really following them…and not just “following” them.

Often times people will post something witty or pose a question to their following… take the extra effort to @reply.

Personalize your tweets. @replies are a great way to facilitate conversation and directly impact the number of people following you around the globe.

The function, which was not originally a part of Twitter functionality, begins when you put “@someone’s username” and follow-up with a message. (i.e. Hey @cklinorg great post on time management. I’m going to sync up my blackberry and my google calendar ASAP. Thanks!)

If you respond thoughtfully to someone you are following, but is not following you, you just might pick up a follower.

If you are responding to one of your followers, they might remember your input and be moved to @reply you in the future.

The point is there is big reward potential with not a lot of risk.

You can also @reply a second way. When you see a post you like in your feed look for the “swoosh” by rolling over the bottom right-hand corner of the update.

Also, try not to begin your update with “@reply.” Clicking the “swoosh” will automatically insert an @reply into your update. Twitter-ers tend are weary of the @reply and will quickly pass-up notes that are not explicitly addressed to them. Someone who may otherwise find your advice insightful might immediately disregard it if they see you are not tweeting to them directly.

Remember…

• @reply people without inhibitions, even if it may be out of context to some of your followers. Most of the time they won’t even see it.
• If you’re seeing @replies directed to people you don’t follow and don’t want to, check your setting.
• Finding a balance between “resources” and @replies will increase your perceived “expertness” and “personable…ness”

There are a few other tools that may help you become a more effective @replier. Quotably has worked around the opaqueness of conversations on Twitter and aggregates @replies in a useful way. AND, Summize let’s you see all replies to someone.

The great thing about the @reply is that there is minimal risk for embarrassment and you don’t have to worry about running up a tab.

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 10:29 am and is filed under Life Hacking, Observations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.