If you are a Twitter lover like me, you might find yourself wanting to see more of the pretty pictures people use for their backgrounds.  You know, the photos that get obscured by the Twitter stream.

Well I finally found a site that will “lift” the stream so I can view the photo underneath!

Try this out, go to Peekr .  On the site you will see a toolbar that says, “drag me to your toolbar”.  Just grab it and place it on your tool bar by dragging it with your mouse.

Once there all you need to do is go to Twitter.com and find a background you would like to see in it’s entirety. Click on the Peekr bar and it will lift the stream so you can see!

How cool is that?

Peek Behind the Twitter Background is a post from: Kristalks

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As Tweet Week continues  here on KrisTalks we need to learn about Twitter Followers, in particular how do you know who is following you?

Typically all you need to do is click on the “followers” list on your Twitter page.  For some reason that is not  working for me at the moment.  No surprise here, one of the screens we become all to familiar with is the Fail Whale.

That’s OK for now, because I have another Twitter resource I use for seeing who is Following me on Twitter.  That is Twitter Karma!

Twitter Karma is a great program that will go into your Twitter account collect all the people that are associated with it and present to you on the screen who these people are.

Each account will indicate if you are following each other, they follow you, you follow them.

How cool is that?

I also like the way Twitter Karma records the last time they Tweeted.

Why does it matter?  Well so many people sign up and never come back.  Essentially they are clogging up my Twitter system.  I just delete them.

Another good reason for keeping only active Followers in your system occurs when you get to a certain number of followers, you can only go above it if you have people following you back.  I’m not sure what the ratio is, but if you are trying to go over 2000 followers you must have nearly close to that folks Following you back.

Apparently this is a stop-gap measure to prevent spammers from following everyone in the Universe.

Here’s a screen shot of Twitter Karma so you can see how helpful it is.

Followers, Friends and Freaks is a post from: Kristalks

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This post is the third in a series.  Here’s the last post on Growing Your Twitter Followers.

Tweeting is much more fun when you get a conversation going.  Even better when you have multiple people conversing.

That’s how friends are made, which is actually the point!

Trouble is unless you are sitting in front of your computer watching your Twitter stream, you may miss a comment meant for your eyes!  So few of us have the time to sit and watch the action all day long, but that really isn’t necessary.

You can tell when someone responds and mentions your name just by clicking on the @ sign in your sidebar.

You see, when you are involved in a conversation on Twitter, the folks talking to you will add @KrisTalk to their comment. When they do this, the message is placed in your box, for you to view.

In the same column Direct Messages are also collected.

This is a handy feature that many newcomers to Twitter over look.  I know I was a visitor on Twitter many times before I noticed this feature.

Favorites is another feature I use frequently.  When ever I see something said I want to investigate further, particularly when someone posts a good link, I save it to FAVORITES.  By doing so it stays there where I can easily find it!

Ok so now you want to know how to save a Tweet?

Roll your cursor over the right hand side of someone’s tweet, like this…

Notice how the star and the arrow appear when your cursor gets near that side of the Tweet?  I know, you are wondering how are you supposed to know something is there when they HIDE IT?

Don’t blame me, they didn’t consult with me on the design!

Now you’ve found it, remember to use it.

When responding to a tweet, just place your cursor on the person’s tweet, click on that arrow and the system will automatically add the @UserName to the Reply box. Like this:

Of course if you like to type, you can always type your @RobertaMurphy in, but clicking on the reply this way is quicker and safer, no way to make a typo!

For Saving to FAVORITES, just click on the Star.

Summing Up Day 3 on Tweet Week

1. Not all that is on the Tweeter screen is apparent.  Run your mouse cursor over the screen to see navigation options appear i.e., replying to a tweet and saving a favorite.
2. Start a conversation by using the @sign to direct a comment at someone in particular.  You can try me @KrisTalk, when I see it I will respond.
3. Check comments made to you as replies by clicking on the @YourUserName link.

Practice doing this until Tweeting becomes second nature.  Once you get the hang of it you will wonder why you thought this was so difficult!

Stop by tomorrow for the next post on Twitter.

Tweet Week ~ Talking Back on Twitter is a post from: Kristalks

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This post is the second in a series.  Here’s the first post on All About Tweets.

The secret of using Twitter is to create an interesting group of people and enterprises with whom you can enjoy communicating.  Twitter offers many benefits to those who choose to participate in a civil, social way.

After all, Twitter is one big International  Cocktail Party.

It can be a delightful community to hang around to learn about what’s happening in the world and get to know other members of the community.  News travels fast on Twitter and being connected is part of the fun.

Of course first you have to Follow and be Followed, so here’s the technical scoop on How to…

You have of course completed your bio and added a photo of yourself.  This is very important, because if you didn’t you could be wasting your time trying to get people to Follow you.

As you Follow people, they will be checking out your profile, deciding if they want to Follow you back.  If you look like a spammer or an ax murderer, you can be assured no one will follow you back except maybe a spammer or an ax murderer.

Adding Followers can be done in this manner:

1. People Search: in the top navigation bar you can Find People
   1. you know on Twitter by entering their names.
   2. Twitter can also search other networks your are a member of to find matches if they are also on Twitter.
   3. You can invite via e-mail
   4. Twitter will also suggest Followers for you
2. Click on one of your Follower’s names:
   
   1. It will take you to their profile where you can browse through their Followers.  If you like what you see, you can click and add those Followers to your list!  You can see how easy it can be to grow your list, including the Followers of people you know and like!

3. Using Twitter Search – at the very bottom of Twitter pages there is a navigation bar, click on the “Search” link.

You will end up on a new page with more options.  This one is very easy to miss.

Here’s what it looks like.  Now click on “Advanced Search.”

Advanced Search is a hidden treasure trove, a paradise for Twitter users wishing to define their objectives more clearly.  Here you can search in many ways, including a radius around where your market area is located.

By adding my town with a 15 mile radius, Twitter Search will return the most current Tweets occurring within this area.  It is now up to me to review and decide if these Tweeter folks are worthy of being in my Twitter stream!

With these tools you will find plenty to keep you busy on Twitter. Try at least one of these methods.  As you become more comfortable with the system you will see how easy it is to use.  You will also begin to see how Twitter can be beneficial in your business and personal life.

Summing Up Day Two of Tweet Week

1. Let Twitter find your existing friends by searching through your address book.
2. Do a name search for a few friends by using the “Find People” button on the nav bar.
3. Use Advanced Search to look for Tweeters in your geographic area.
4. Use Advanced Search to find people talking about a subject that interests you.  (haha! This is a trick suggestion, you will have to figure out how to do this on your own.  It can be done and you can figure it out! I challenge you!)

Be sure to let me know if you have questions.  I’d love to hear from you.

Since this week is Tweet Week, I will be writing about some of the Twitter Tools you can use to make your Tweeting easier on the road, in the office or at home.

Tweet Week Continues – Growing Your Followers is a post from: Kristalks

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Twitter is the most misunderstood social media application.  At first glance most people think it is really dumb.  I know I did!

Just the same I joined it anyway.  I followed a few friends made a few Tweets, then promptly forgot about it for 6 months or so. Then when it came time to gather at the NAR Convention in Las Vegas, Twitter was resurrected.

It was in Las Vegas that I discovered a new found appreciation for this very powerful tool.

In that far away place I was able to connect with my online friends, many of whom I’d yet to have the pleasure of meeting (in real life).  With Twitter’s help, I was also able to broadcast crucial and interesting concepts to my online friends who were not at the convention. They appreciated my efforts and I appreciated having value.

Two plus years later, Twitter is one of my favorite places to hang out.  I’m not there all day, but typically you will find me there at night.

Twitter has expanded my reach into the world.  I’ve made friends and learned things I never would have discovered.  I’ve both helped and been assisted with tech support issues on the network.  Posting there also increases traffic to my blogs.  My  lists of praises goes on and on. Guess you can say I’m an advocate for Twitter.

Getting Started on Twitter

Much has been written about the topic.  The best way to begin in any social network to to sign up and add a good profile, including a real photo of yourself.

Most agree having a photo is the first step to establishing your credibility on Twitter. Without a photo you get a stock avatar.  They all look alike, so it’s hard to tell the wackos from the real people.  If you want credible you need a photo.

The next step is a tad difficult.  IN 160 characters you need to say something about yourself.  It should be pithy, and at the same time let people know what you do, who your are and where you do it (assuming you are a geographically positioned business).  Of course being a REALTOR, I like to let people know I sell houses.  I only sell in Metro Denver, so that’s what I tell them.

My Twitter bio reads like this:

“I’m either Selling real estate in Denver or Shooting Colorado, it’s a big job but someone has to do it! “

Next step is to link your bio to your outside website.  I’ve chosen to link to my business card site that lists all my websites and blogs.  That way when someone wants to know more about me they can visit this site and get the entire story.  It is intended to present a more rounded personality, rather than just the one-sided business approach.  See if you agree, visit Kristal Kraft

Protecting Your Updates

At the bottom of the profile page you have the option to tick a box to protect your updates.  I’ve seen people do this and just don’t understand why they would.

When you check this box, no one can follow you. Or at least they cannot follow you until you give them permission.

Hummmm.  What’s the point of being on a social network if it’s not to be social?  Of course it’s up to you to allow others to see your tweets or not, but checking this box will not expand your horizons.  You might as well continue to DM your friends on a private network.

Understanding the System

Tweeting to the World

Once your profile is set up you can Tweet.  Actually you can Tweet without fully setting up the profile, but it’s not a good idea.  If you are going to say something, give people an idea of who you are first!  Let them see your photo instead of that generic avatar!

What’s up with Followers?

Twitter has it’s own language. Friends are “followers.”  Yes, I agree having people FOLLOW you is rather spooky, but you will get used to it.

When you respond or reply to someone you put the @ sign in front of their name. i.e. @KrisTalk  by doing this, the @KrisTalk message will end up in my “@ box” allowing me to read it next time I check out my @ box!

There is another benefit from using the @ sign.  Since these replies are public, many others will see the response and if they are enjoying the conversation, they will follow you.

To follow you all they need to do is click on the @KrisTalk and it will bring up that person’s profile, click “follow” button and you can increase your Followers too!

On Fridays many Twitter people broadcast the names of people they follow (see graphic above).  The reasoning is twofold, they introduce others increasing their exposure while doing what is considered a good thing.

So What is a RT?

More Twitter Talk to understand is the RT concept.  RT stands for ReTweet, it is simply someone repeating what someone else said.  When you see a RT it will also give credit to the original Tweeter.

In this example tcar made the original comment and it was picked up by smmi who basically cut and pasted what @tcar said and published it.

The beauty of this habit is how the Tweet will travel outside of your circle and continue flowing to other circles.

ReTweets are a good thing.  Of course if you plan on RT’ing, please do so in moderation.

Twitter has a Private Back Channel

Not all communication on Twitter is public.  On occasion it is necessary and very simple to send a DIRECT message to a Follower in your group by putting a D (space)KrisTalk.  It looks like this                      D KrisTalk

Adding the space is critically important if you want the message to get to the other person.  If you forget the space the message will go public and most likely the person it was meant for will not see it.

Summing Up Day One of Twitter Week

1. Join Twitter
2. Create your profile
3. Add a photo
4. Write an interesting yet informative 160 bio
5. Go Follow folks (more on how to do this later) for now follow me. @KrisTalk
6. Watch on Friday for people you might like to Follow
7. Send someone a direct message (be sure you are following each other, otherwise it won’t work.

Next time I will talk about finding the right people to Follow to increase your sphere.  It’s not about numbers, it is truly about relationships.

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All About Tweets It Is Twitter Week! is a post from: Kristalks

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