Big Is The New Small

Many Tweople; including avid users, new adopters and those who really haven’t grasped the systems to manage Twitter, don’t view Twitter as a river but rather as a big lake of activity.  They feel the need to jump in their Twitter boat and float around in all the busy waters of Twitter.  Many Tweople discount Twitter and don’t want to follow a bunch of Tweeps because they feel like they can’t keep up with the all off the happenings in the Twitter lake.

It’s important not to view Twitter as a lake, but rather understand that Twitter Is Not A Lake… It’s A River!  It’s a river of constant flowing information that allows you to simply walk up to the river and watch it flow at your convenience.  Will you miss some streams of information? Absolutely you will!  The great thing about Twitter is that if you miss something, you can guarantee that something else will be flowing shortly after.

When some asks me how do I keep up with all of my followers, my answer is “I Don’t!”  My advice is for Twitter users to find some great apps like: @Twitterfon  @Tweetdeck  @Tweetie… to help manage your Twitter waters and remember: “Twitter Not A Lake… It’s A River!” 

How do you manage Twitter?  Do you view Twitter as a lake or river? Share your thoughts!

Twitter is not…:

1. Email- Stop thinking that you you have to answer every tweet, read every tweet; and when you miss some tweets, stop feeling like your twitter inbox is over-flow… Twitter is not email!
2. A Chat-room- Don’t think you and your friends can have an open stream of conversations that last 15-20 tweets, take that stuff to DM… Twitter is not a chat-room!
3. A Porn Site- Take your soft porn and bikini profile pics somewhere else, everyone knows that you just cropped the pics from some magazine and you really aren’t impressing anyone… Twitter is not a porn site!
4. Your Personal Address Book- If you think that you have to personally know everyone that you follow or follows you, you are missing the point of Twitter.  You don’t have to personally know all of your tweeps; however you can make some great friendships and connections…  Twitter is not your personal address book!
5. The Barney Show- Don’t feel like you have to sing the “Barney Song”  with everyone in the Tworld: “I follow you, you follow me… we are one big happy twamily, with a great big follow from me to you, won’t you say I’ll follow you to.”  You can reciprocate follows if you want to, especially if they seem interesting, seem like someone you want to connect with, a celebrity you like, add value to the conversation, have similar interests/backgrounds, are not spammers etc.  Don’t feel compelled to follow-back anybody and everybody, keyword “Compelled”… Twitter is not The Barney Show!
6. Bonus (Added 4/18/09):  A place for the Mikeyy virus or any other virus/worm for that matter.  To all the worm/virus/bug creators: “There are two exits on the side, 1 at the rear and one up front… please exit Twitter now!”

There are so many things that Twitter Is… and even more things that Twitter Is Not!  Share your thoughts on any of these 5 Things Twitter Is Not and add some additional things to the Twitter Is Not list.

Taking #FollowFriday to a Whole Nuva Level! (Week 3)

#FollowFriday is currently one of the most popular trends on Twitter.  The concept is basically showing TwitterLuv by recommending Tweeps to follow each and every Friday; using the hashtag #FollowFriday.  You basically go to searchtwitter use the keyword FollowFriday and watch the stream of FollowFriday lists come through by the second.  Because of the popularity of FollowFriday, it’s hard to keep up with all the lists or get any detailed information on the followers.

We are about to take #FollowFriday to a whole nuva level.  BigIsTheNewSmall.com is going to dedicate Friday’s blog post to the #FollowFriday community.  In other-words you can pimp your #FollowFriday lists right here.  The whole nuva level part is that in addition to the regular #FollowFriday concept, you will be able to: look at the stream of #FollowFriday lists in one place, get more detailed information, get aggregate lists before you tweet them, recommend yourself, copy and paste from lists…

I’ll go first: #FollowFriday  that would be me!  If you like the concept re-tweet this post!@scottwilliams

Taking #FollowFriday to a Whole Nuva Level! (Week 2)

#FollowFriday is currently one of the most popular trends on Twitter.  The concept is basically showing TwitterLuv by recommending Tweeps to follow each and every Friday; using the hashtag #FollowFriday.  You basically go to searchtwitter use the keyword FollowFriday and watch the stream of FollowFriday lists come through by the second.  Because of the popularity of FollowFriday, it’s hard to keep up with all the lists or get any detailed information on the followers.

We are about to take #FollowFriday to a whole nuva level.  BigIsTheNewSmall.com is going to dedicate Friday’s blog post to the #FollowFriday community.  In other-words you can pimp your #FollowFriday lists right here.  The whole nuva level part is that in addition to the regular #FollowFriday concept, you will be able to: look at the stream of #FollowFriday lists in one place, get more detailed information, get aggregate lists before you tweet them, recommend yourself, copy and paste from lists…

I’ll go first: #FollowFriday @scottwilliams that would be me!  If you like the concept re-tweet this post!

Taking #FollowFriday to a Whole Nuva Level!

#FollowFriday is currently one of the most popular trends on Twitter.  The concept is basically showing TwitterLuv by recommending Tweeps to follow each and every Friday; using the hashtag #FollowFriday.  You basically go to searchtwitter use the keyword FollowFriday and watch the stream of FollowFriday lists come through by the second.  Because of the popularity of FollowFriday, it’s hard to keep up with all the lists or get any detailed information on the followers.

We are about to take #FollowFriday to a whole nuva level.  BigIsTheNewSmall.com is going to dedicate Friday’s blog post to the #FollowFriday community.  In other-words you can pimp your #FollowFriday lists right here.  The whole nuva level part is that in addition to the regular #FollowFriday concept, you will be able to: look at the stream of #FollowFriday lists in one place, get more detailed information, get aggregate lists before you tweet them, recommend yourself, copy and paste from lists…

I’ll go first: #FollowFriday @scottwilliams that would be me!  If you like the concept re-tweet this post!

1. Be Real- Be yourself, don’t try to act like some fake guru or millionaire.  If you want to talk about your day, share links, talk about your family, your whereabouts, be funny, be silly, get engaged in the dialogue…  whatever it is just Be Real.  If people want to follow you great; if they want to remove you, that’s fine also, that’s the beauty of Twitter.  “Do You!  It’s A Statement… Not A Question.”
2. Be Revealed- Share a real picture of yourself as your profile pic and not some weird avatar or some models pic that you swiped off the Internet.  If you have a catchy, professional, branded logo… they can be used as well.  Reveal yourself!
3. Be Responsive- If someone is @replying or DM’ing you with something that requires a response, take a few moments at some point in your day to respond.  Remember all DM’s and @replies don’t require a response; don’t get caught up in the unnecessary back-and-forth 2-way conversation.
4. Be Respectful- Don’t use twitter as a vehicle to have arguments, spew expletives, disrespect other twitterers… and take some of those extra, extra long 2-way conversations to DM.  Only follow those that you want to follow; understand that you can respectfully choose not to follow those that follow you.  Give credit to others, show some RT love. (you can start be Re-tweeting this post)
5. Be Relevant-  Have an understanding of the Twitter culture… In other-words: learn the difference between an @reply and a DM,  learn the processes and the systems, familiarize yourself with some of the tools and apps, use @Tweetdeck @Twitterfon or any other app you prefer…  Make Twitter relevant to you, your business, your purpose, your vision, your desire, your need…  

Share your thoughts on any of the 5 Twitter Basics!  Do you have any additional thoughts to add?  If you’re real cool you can add some additional Be’s that begin with Re’s.   ie. Be Renegade, Be Relational

With the growing Twitter frenzy comes the identification of various Twitterquette.  There are plenty of twitter faux pas that tweeps commit on a daily basis and these are continually growing as the number of twitter users increases.  I could go through a long list of Twitter No, No’s: millionaire or guru in your profile status, profanity laced tirades, avatars that don’t look anything like the twitterer, always trying to sell something… 

Here is a list of 31 Twitter No, No’s from the Twitternation:

1.  tonycobb ummm….people who have an “agenda” when they tweet!!!!!!!!
2. vinceparker tweeps who ask other tweeps to always share about tweeping. 
3. jt  When people have polls.  
4. Adamlehman posting nothing meaningful or engaging. those people get dropped quick 
5. Anna_Meadows tweeps who tweep too often! 
6. chriswhill when people retweet inside jokes their not in on 
7. 1stAngel Don’t D me a link I havent asked for. Share what you have for sale but not EVERY tweet! Retweet me often LOL 
8. joshshea people arguing over twitter. even debate. it’s just annoying. 
9. mburleson  I get more replies from real “stars” than I get from “church stars”. You aren’t that important to give some @replies  
10. JoeBoutte I ignore things I don’t like in the twitter world…unless they need my input 
11. jwmoss when someone posts more than 4 @ replies in a row to the same person. use DM’s!
12. christcentred ppl who never @reply, DM or RT and ppl who exist only to post links (and do so 100 times). 
13. Murphy24p Twitter no-nos: Profile pic should be you, not your kids. LONG conversations should go “off-line” 
14. steveharrison idiots! like me who confuse direct messages, @replies, & text messages..oops can’t believe I sent that too him instead of 
15. GeoffSurratt I can’t stand endless streams of sarcastic commentary on nationally televised political events. 
16. datingdad Those “thanks for the follow,” impersonal auto-DMs drive me nuts. Not conversation-starters. Annoying, especially the promos. 
17. jenvasil cell phones . . .sorry that’s Rl. it crossed over for a minute there. : ) 
18. jasoncurlee friends not tweeting often enough…like going a day or two with only one tweet  
19. Joshsur No picture is a big time no no. Also, long conversations using @ replies instead of direct messages is a pet peeve as well! 
20. spaulds1 Someone goes out of their way 2 help answer imp ? & then person ignores! Bad manners!! 
21. seanmurphy07 Twitter No No’s… people who follow just to sell me on something or who seem to be little more than an ad for their business 
22. AmandaSims Over-inflated bios about being a web genius or mega-millionaire. 
23. leigh_shea when argue is what bothers me. It makes me wonder if they know other are seeing it. Makes me uncomfortable just reading it 
24. Johnwsnyder People who repeat the same tweet in a matter of an hour, and people who follow you, but don’t reply to you when you @ them 
25. DavidTCopeland Tweet just to sell me something or talk all day about themselves w/o ever making any effort to know anything about me. 
26. AD_hoc Twitter No No – using twitter as your personal email. If you do more than one @ reply in a row, you might check yourself. 
27. craighepburn having public tweet conversations which have no value to the wider community – always try to add value in some form 
28. manymeadows self pimping….over and over and over. Except for myself, of course  
29. jeremydbaldwin twitter population contest 
30. zachking I would have to say things like “twitter fist bumps”, “twitter pimp slaps” and any sort of twitter handshakes..JK Scott!
31. clarksonkh my biggest pet peeve is when people who don’t understand Twitter, ask “isn’t it just like facebook statuses?”

 Any of these No, No’s resonate with you?  Add to the list be sharing some of your Twitter No, No’s!

The Twitter vs. Facebook debate has finally been settled…  well not really but it makes for a good blog title.  I shared a simple tweet last week and asked the following question: Twitter vs. Facebook “Which do you prefer Twitter or Facebook & Why?” Answ. in 140 or less @replies  will be a blog post. thx

The majority of the reponses overwhelmingly favored Twitter; as a matter of fact only 8% of those who responded had a specific preference for Facebook.   Several of those who responded liked them equally and feel as though they both serve a different purpose.  Twitter fans prefer the here and now quick response and streamlined interaction.  Facebook fans feel that Facebook is more personal; therefore allowing them to share family photos and more personal information.  

I personally feel that @GodsMac hit the nail on the head by stating “Twitter for sure. Facebook is like a shopping mall, and Twitter is the Apple store. Chaos vs. productivity and progress.” Productivity and progress are definitely appropriate adjectives; @ChrisClayton  chose to use a more descriptive analogy with his tweet stating “Twitter is like sex. I can tell you how great it is but until you do it together you’re just not going to get it.”  I don’t know if I would go quite that far; however hands down Twitter is the new Social Media King and you can either choose to recognize that reality now or you will be forced to recognize it later.

 Check out the responses below and share any observations or additional thoughts:

1. @scottwilliams  I digg TW it’s quick, easy, potential & feeds FB.  FB is fine but I don’t understand half the requests, causes, confirmation words…
2. @GodsMac Twitter for sure. Facebook is like a shopping mall, and Twitter is the Apple store. Chaos vs. productivity and progress.
3. @tmoran777 I dig ‘em both. It seems like twitter is better for networking and business, facebook is good for friend type stuff.
4. @ardentvox – Facebook = social media to the masses, linking friends. Twitter = real-time social microblogging, connecting strangers.
5. @SWMorris I use twitter more than facebook, but I also have it set up so when I post to twitter it updates my facebook status.
6. @vinceparker  twitter vs. Facebook and the winner is twitter. Don’t get it twisted up 725%
7. @SloweThinking both, facebook is the gateway to general info on everyone I know. Twitter is the peeps I want to follow closely day to day
8. @djbyron Twitter: daily communication current friends and networking. FB: Communication with friends who have not yet found Twitter.  
9. @ChrisClayton Twitter is like sex. I can tell you how great it is but until you do it together you’re just not going to get it. 
10. @peacemeals Facebook + Twitter are used for such different things! Hard to prefer one without first answering “for what?” 
11. @Johnwsnyder I think both are great. It depends on how you are using. They can both be used totally differently, especially for ministry.  
12. @focusvision I prefer Twitter. It is more like having a conversation. FaceBook is good, but Twitter is great.  
13. @jasoncurlee Twitter…cause it’s simple…just plain communication.  
14. @dwightwatson Twitter. Have ACTUALLY connected w/ far more people than on FB & no constant requests for causes or games I don’t have time 4  
15. @Murphy24p Twitter for short, broad communication and networking and Facebook for more detailed interactions and catching up w/ friends.  
16. @VanceWalker Ur comparing apples and ..er.. Cherrios. My Twitterverse & FB World don’t intersect. They fill different functions for me.
17. @Stillrockin Twitter is more portable, more interactive, easier, funner! I find FB awkward in it’s navigation. Still better than MySpace
18. @shoestringing I must admit that I prefer Facebook (although Twitter is wonderful). I am a big Facebook Fan   
19. @kevinbussey equal I follow twitter updates more but when I need to see or give more info I use FB 
20. @chuckazooloo when i was linking up last week, and did my little “experiment” some FB people got really mad at me. 
21. @seanmurphy07 I tweet to my Facebook. I kind of like FB better because there seems to be real interaction. Lots of tweets don’t respond.  
22. @AD_hoc twitter, less commitment  
23. @allboutworship hi twitter and who is tom Is that the guy from myspace who didn’t have any friends so came up w/ idea 2 b everyones friend
24. @lynseleanne Twitter. It takes all of the catching up away and it is brief and to the point. You know what is going on with people lives. 
25. @AdamLehman facebook is way more practical. but twitter is more of an obsession. if i had to give up one, it’d be facebook. 
26. @MichaelMcMinn I do however like that thru twittersync my tweets pregenerate interaction w/ my FB friends for when I’m on FB
27. @DavidTCopeland Like FB best for connecting w/people I know now by sharing pics and updates. It is more personal an no one there to sell me 
28. @RichHopkins – I prefer Twitter – much more streamlined, easier to deal with day to day, particularly with Tweetdeck. 
29. @andylie twitter – quicker connectivity using mobile device (like Blackberry) – near instant communication among a larger group 
30. @jeremydbaldwin facebook, upload photo albums, videos, write over 200 charectors, more people are on it. 
31. @VoteMikeJones twitter can’t have apps 
32. @PastorScott Both/And – Twitter for immediacy & networking, Facebook for reconnecting w/old friends & longer form notes, messages.
33. @benkomanapalli both 4 diff reasons. Twitter 2 connect with new people, get fastnews. FB 2 have a more detailed relationship/conversations.
34. @mstrategiesinc Twitter. Wild horses can’t drag me to Facebook. It’s just a social hour. Twitter is for early adopting, SM-biz-minded folk
35. @chuckazooloo I prefer Twitter because the culture is less “uptight”! There is an expectation for you to update! People on FB get miffed!
36. @iChilly I see them so totally different – Twitter is NOW but Facebook is cool for connecting with people (past & present).
37. @AmandaSims I like both. Twitter for the variety of people & resources, Facebook for the interesting apps.
38. @bennysalas Facebook! More networking opportunity, connect with way more people. Twitter off the chain too but less personal.
39. @BrianAyers FB = better for old friends & people I already know. Twitter = better for networking & meeting new people.
40. @robgt2 Twitter because it’s immediate & lets you get to know other people. Facebook lets you talk to people you already know. 
41. @StephyBarlow i like both!! Twitter for every day connections and Facebook for pictures and groups!
42. @gideony They do different things. Facebook for people I know, Twitter for people I don’t. 3
43. @Yochanan I like Twitter the best because it’s straight and to the point. No “fluff” and distraction on Twitter.
44. @jasonstover Overall, Facebook because it has way more features. BUT, I LOVE the twitter feature that lets me update both at the same time
45. @rnsheets I like Facebook better. You can do more activities like YoVille on there, lol
46. @gregatkinson  hah – you know it’s Twitter hands down
47. @Bpirt Twitter- it’s the only way that I can keep up with people without being all up in their business. Tweet faster than a text!
48. @steveharrison Twitter! simple.short.saweet!..n Tulsa cuz of Twitter we saw Fee Band & just yesterday blessed 2 see @mathewbarnett share
49. @corechurchtroy twitter: easier to manage
50. @Twitter Twitter is better, why else would Facebook offer us $500 million (Disclaimer: not really but If I was @Twitter  that would be my response) 

Again, share your thoughts and comments…

Just imagine if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had Twitter or other social networking means at his disposal; his message would have been even more impactful.  Our message, story, voice, thoughts can literally be shared at our disposal… by the push of a button.  As the day we have set aside, to honor the life of Dr. King is upon us; I’d like for us to answer this one simple question:

If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had one Tweet to share with us at this moment in time, what would he Tweet?  Share your response in 140 characters or less!  I’ll go first!

MLK’s Tweet (140 Characters):  We’ve dreamed, now we must stand, sing, make a diff. & realize together. We are free to act, free to do, its up to you. Thank God We’re Free

Share your MLK Tweet in the comment section below! 

Thanks! Let’s not forget Dr. King’s contribution to our lives, our country, our world…

As the number of  Twitter users grows at a rapid daily rate, so do the number of Twitter apps, add-ons, services…  TweeTube is a new one out that allows you to share your favorite videos quickly with short URL’s.   It will also allow you track the visits and comments from the people that follow you on Twitter.  Below is a screenshot and you can click here to begin using:

Thoughts?  Share some of your favorite Twitter apps!