Twitter Guide

While always on the mind of Twitter-ers, spam seems to be an especially important topic recently. We’re all aware of “spam follows” and it’s easy enough to block those, but a growing problem seems to be people who are interesting to follow, except for their tendency to talk about themselves too often. I think all of us have been guilty of this at some point and I realized recently that I was falling into this trap too.

Let’s be honest: most of us started tweeting as a way to utilize social media for our business endeavors. But we have to remember that the word “social” comes first in “social media”. So how do we promote without being annoying and self-centered? I think that Twitter’s explanation of itself solves the problem. If your tweet doesn’t answer the question(s) “what are you doing/feeling/thinking?” then it’s probably not what your followers want to hear. If nine out of ten of your tweets are about your latest blog post/article/portfolio addition, you can be sure that your followers are annoyed.

So, here are some guidelines that I’ve developed; they let my followers know what they can expect from me and I hope that they help others on Twitter too!

1. Promotion

• It’s okay to remind people what you do, but do this within the original question framework:
  • “Reviewing client’s site specs”
  • “Waiting for new telescopic lens to arrive!”
  • “Proofreading latest rewrite — link — any suggestions?”
  • “Just finished new blog post — link — let me know what you think.” (This one is a little “grayer” than the others, but I think it’s still alright as long as it doesn’t make up the majority of your tweets)

2. Conversation:

• Acknowledge new followers personally (and individually if possible)
• Answer meaningful questions

3. Support

• Read your Twitter-friends’ blogs, comment on them and retweet them as appropriate
• Congratulate others’ achievements
• Sympathize with others’ struggles
• Retweet your friends’ big news and accomplishments

4. Fun

• Occasionally retweet humorous quotes/posts
• Witty comments/observations about everyday things are a fun way to get conversations going

5. Information

• Share informative posts/articles
• Read others’ shared links and retweet if appropriate

6. Other stuff to keep in mind:

• Incessant retweeting and link sharing is just as bad as not sharing enough
• The only other thing I would add relates to one of my biggest pet peeves: If you wouldn’t want your mother or your kids reading it, please don’t tweet it or link-share it. Others can find it offensive and it doesn’t reflect well on your business either.

Anyways, that’s my two cents…please feel free to add to this or constructively disagree

If Two Year Olds Ran the World

If two year olds ran the world, everything would be made by Apple.

After getting my iPod Touch, it took no time at all for my two year old to figure out how to operate it. Now, if I leave it within his reach, he can take it out of  standby, unlock it, press the music icon and begin playing songs.

If he doesn’t like a particular song, he will skip around until he finds the next one. He also figured out how to access the toddler flashcards app I downloaded. And, of course, he managed to delete it.

We’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to get it reloaded from my iTunes app library - with no success. Apparently, Apple’s focus group of two-year olds was absent the day they designed that function.

In Search of Social Media

The Internet is an ever-changing thing and in the past year it’s taken yet another leap in its development. “Social Media” is the buzzword of the day but, like most buzzwords, many people don’t know what it means. It has taken on a life of its own and has become an evolving phenomenon that is at once within the web and overtaking it…and yet, it remains a mystery to most of us.

So what is Social Media? I determined earlier this year to get a better understanding of it and after a lot of reading, experimenting and participating this is what I discovered: Social Media has changed the atmosphere of the Internet from that of a library to that of a coffee house. Instead of simply being a repository of ideas, the web is now the place for ideas to be formed, debated and refined.

Everyone can readily see how this affects our personal use of the web, but many are still puzzled as to how it can affect their businesses. While some people seem to view social media as a completely new thing, I don’t believe it’s quite as revolutionary as they think. It’s simply a new way of perpetuating an age-old concept: relationships. For years now, marketing experts have emphasized that it is relationships that build businesses. Social Media simply makes it easier to initiate and cultivate those relationships and it enables global relationships which wouldn’t have been possible just a few years ago.

Despite this being just another way to get to know people, it’s still a little intimidating. Just like anything else involving the interaction of human beings, it has its own set of rules. It may not be true that there is a “wrong” way and a “right” way to utilize Social Media, but there are definitely good ways, bad ways and best ways.

Over the next few posts, we’ll look at two of the most prominent Social Media platforms (Twitter and Facebook) to find out what they do, how they can help your business and how best to use them. Until then, please comment with your thoughts and questions about Social Media!

Newest Web Project

Check out our latest web project: www.tutwilerstudio.com

This is the online gallery for my in-laws, David & Liné Tutwiler, traditional artists working in oil and watercolor. Check out their work, pass it on, and let us know what you think!

Project Linus

Last October, when our fourth child was born prematurely, we became aware of a volunteer group called Project Linus. The name itself was intriguing to me, as I loved Peanuts and the Charlie Brown cartoon specials when I was growing up. But their kindness to our little one was what really struck me. During his stay at the NICU, he received the warmest handmade blanket I have ever seen. The little tag sewn on the reverse side indicated that it was from Project Linus.

According to their website (www.projectlinus.org) they began in 1995 when their founder, Karen Loucks, read an article about a little girl with cancer who was comforted during her chemo treatments by her security blanket. The group now has volunteers across the country and has donated blankets to hospitals, natural-disaster victims, etc.

If you or someone you know makes handmade blankets (quilted, tied, crocheted, knitted, etc) see if you can help Project Linus!

Welcome to the Studio

Thanks for stopping by our studio blog! Over the past several years we’ve worked with alot of individuals and organizations (both profit and non-profit), who have had some great ideas for making a difference in our world. An independent film company bringing relevant, yet clean drama to today’s film industry; a conference-planning company that brings biofuels professionals together to give us alternate energy sources; a local group dedicated to creating a culture of life in our community; a new skincare company whose products actually work (imagine that!) and serve to increase women’s confidence. Even our clients who aren’t necessarily “changing the world” are having a positive impact in the way they conduct themselves and their businesses.

We want this blog to be a meeting place for people like this. A place where conversations can start, friends can be made, and ideas brought to fruition. So, welcome to the studio! Grab a cup of coffee (or your favorite energy drink), pull up a chair, and let’s talk!