Guest Post: Twitter! The Great Mystery! By Kristi Hudecek-

This forum features articles, guest posts and advice columns written by authors.

Hosted by October Member of the Month, bookowlie.

Moderators: bookowlie, Special Discussion Leaders

Post Reply
User avatar
khudecek
Posts: 507
Joined: 18 Nov 2014, 15:45
Favorite Author: Depends on Genre
Favorite Book: The Angel and the Outlaw
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-khudecek.html
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes

Guest Post: Twitter! The Great Mystery! By Kristi Hudecek-

Post by khudecek »

Twitter! The Great Mystery! By Kristi Hudecek-Ashwill
(author of For the Love of Suzanne)

I have to confess that I went into Twitter kicking and screaming. I didn’t know anything about it. It was scary and overwhelming. What was I going to do with it? I’d created an account in 2011 and had two followers. How was I going to gain anything with a measly two followers? I needed to establish a presence to effectively reach people who might be interested in buying my first novel and I had no clue how to do it.

I got back into my account after a four year absence and was amazed at how many things were popping up. I was seeing things I’d never heard about or even wanted to hear about. That’s when I learned how to follow people who have the same interests as I do.

But who was I supposed to follow? Right away, I followed some people who had helped me with my book. Likewise, they followed me. Fortunately, there is a box on the upper right of the screen with suggestions. I went from a mere two followers to my current number of 75! Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

There is no prize for having the most followers, but the more you have, the more exposure you get. If you get lucky, you will have people retweet your post and reach even more people. If you like the tweet you’re reading, go ahead and click the heart at the bottom of the tweet. It notifies the person who posted it that you’ve seen it and lets them know that they aren’t totally ignored in the organized chaos.

I soon discovered followers could be purchased. Why would anybody buy followers? It will make your followers number go up and have your posts reach even more people. It can be beneficial if you’re trying to sell something or get the word out that you’ve done something phenomenal. It’s all in what your message is and what you’re trying to accomplish.

Oh, those blasted redundant posts. The same people are posting almost the same thing minute-after-minute and sometimes they’re going almost as fast as a teleprompter for a news anchor. Yeah, there are “bots” on Twitter. They post up everything under the sun, but you can control them. You simply go to their profile and either unfollow them or go to the settings and mute or block them.

I had some fun learning how to shorten URLs. You have just 140 characters to get your message out and a long URL will take up most of that space. I experimented with tinyurl.com, ow.ly (no extension) and Google. They each serve the same purpose, but Google has a tracking feature and a little game you have to play to ensure you’re a human. Ow.ly, too, has a game to play to prove you aren’t a robot but doesn’t track anything. If you just want to get it done, tinyurl.com might be for you.

Examples:
Tinyurl.com
This is simple with copying the long URL into the box that says, “Enter a long URL to make tiny:”
I made this long URL:
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Suzanne-Kris ... of+suzanne
Into this tiny URL:
http://tinyurl.com/nmr5m6g

How about trying it with Ow.ly?
Long URL:
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Suzanne-Kris ... of+suzanne
To the short URL:
http://ow.ly/UiGiS

One of the most confounding things I encountered with Twitter was the hashtags. I didn’t know how to use them; I didn’t know what they were for. After experimenting, I now understand them and appreciate them. They are a useful tool. They serve to make searching easier.

Let’s say you want to find out what’s going on with National Doughnut Day. To make it easier, in the search box, type in #NationalDoughnutDay and look at all the pictures of the delightful doughnuts that pop up and all the events associated with this special day. You can do this with any subject.

You make your own hashtags. There are no rules about creation, other than to use a pound sign (#) as your first character and use no spaces. As you type your hashtag, a list of suggestions will come up that might help if you aren’t sure what to use.

By all means, check your notifications and messages. You never know what’s waiting for you.

Follow me at @khudecek
Onlinebookclub.org
@TwBookClub

For the Love of Suzanne
view on Amazon view on Bookshelves

"Ghostwriter" short story from Holding Fire
view on Amazon view on Bookshelves
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
.

~~
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes
User avatar
bluemel4
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 5222
Joined: 01 Mar 2015, 14:43
Favorite Author: Anne Bishop
Currently Reading: The Dark Tower, Books 1-3
Bookshelf Size: 466
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bluemel4.html
Latest Review: "Severed Threads" by Kaylin McFarren
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
fav_author_id: 6086

Post by bluemel4 »

Very informative article. I also took a long time to start using Twitter and still consider myself a newbie. I had no idea that there were websites to shorten url links! That is so helpful.
"Life is a journey, not a destination" --Ralph Waldo Emerson
Latest Review: "Severed Threads" by Kaylin McFarren
User avatar
gali
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 53652
Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
Favorite Author: Agatha Christie
Currently Reading: The Suite Life
Bookshelf Size: 2287
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
Reading Device: B00I15SB16
Publishing Contest Votes: 0
fav_author_id: 2484

Post by gali »

I don't have a Twitter, but I enjoyed reading your informative article. :)
A retired Admin/Mod

Pronouns: She/Her

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
User avatar
khudecek
Posts: 507
Joined: 18 Nov 2014, 15:45
Favorite Author: Depends on Genre
Favorite Book: The Angel and the Outlaw
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-khudecek.html
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes

Post by khudecek »

Thank you :)
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
.

~~
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes
ct-95
In It Together VIP
Posts: 24
Joined: 08 Aug 2007, 19:52
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 125

Post by ct-95 »

I too am finally actually using my Twitter account. Your information is useful for newbies.
User avatar
khudecek
Posts: 507
Joined: 18 Nov 2014, 15:45
Favorite Author: Depends on Genre
Favorite Book: The Angel and the Outlaw
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-khudecek.html
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes

Post by khudecek »

Thank you.

I consider myself a newbie, too but once you get out there and start trying to figure things out, it comes relatively quickly.

I'm up to 92 followers now. Pretty cool stuff even if I suspect a few of them are "bots". :)
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
.

~~
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes
User avatar
anonanemone
Posts: 562
Joined: 07 Sep 2015, 22:30
Favorite Author: So many...
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 24">Tinder Stricken</a>
Currently Reading: Outland Exile
Bookshelf Size: 901
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-anonanemone.html
Latest Review: "The Shark in the Park" by Mark Watson
Reading Device: B00I15SB16

Post by anonanemone »

I don't have twitter either. I'll probably be a kicker and screamer like you one day :D Great article though!
The world lives between those who say it cannot be done and those who say that it can. And in my experience, those who say that it can be done are usually telling the truth. --Lord Vetinari (Discworld, Raising Steam)
Latest Review: "The Shark in the Park" by Mark Watson
User avatar
khudecek
Posts: 507
Joined: 18 Nov 2014, 15:45
Favorite Author: Depends on Genre
Favorite Book: The Angel and the Outlaw
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-khudecek.html
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes

Post by khudecek »

Thanks! :)

Once you get used to it, it's not so bad.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
.

~~
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes
User avatar
bookowlie
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 9071
Joined: 25 Oct 2014, 09:52
Favorite Book: The Lost Continent
Currently Reading: The Night She Went Missing
Bookshelf Size: 442
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bookowlie.html
Latest Review: To Paint A Murder by E. J. Gandolfo

Post by bookowlie »

Interesting article. In my case, the title is very appropriate - the great mystery! Everything on Twitter seems so foreign to me, but I also felt like that when I got the iphone a few years ago. :)
"The best way out is always through" - Robert Frost
User avatar
zaynab_m
Posts: 288
Joined: 08 Nov 2015, 02:17
Favorite Author: J. K. Rowling
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 0734">Anne of Green Gables</a>
Currently Reading: Rilla of Ingleside
Bookshelf Size: 105
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-zaynab-m.html
Latest Review: "Countdown the reckoning" by Ashley Michael

Post by zaynab_m »

Thank you for this post; it's helpful and explanatory. I, too, had made a Twitter account about a year ago, and barely have 20 or so followers. I hardly use Twitter because I used to find it confusing and boring (I only use it to stalk my celebrity crushes). However, after reading this post, I'm going to try out Twitter once more with an open mind, and try to navigate my way around the websit emore widely. Thanks for the useful tips!
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.
Latest Review: "Countdown the reckoning" by Ashley Michael
User avatar
khudecek
Posts: 507
Joined: 18 Nov 2014, 15:45
Favorite Author: Depends on Genre
Favorite Book: The Angel and the Outlaw
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-khudecek.html
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes

Post by khudecek »

You're welcome.

I'll follow you if you follow me. ;) @khudecek

Hey, I'm up to 98 followers now. It's a jungle out there but once you get the hang of it, it isn't so bad. :)

Bookowlie, I'm glad you mastered your phone. I still struggle with mine and it isn't nearly as sophisticated as an iPhone. My phone is so archaic, I'm surprised it has buttons.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
.

~~
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes
User avatar
CCtheBrave
Posts: 180
Joined: 11 Jul 2015, 14:35
Favorite Author: Jorge Luis Borges
Currently Reading: Under Wildwood
Bookshelf Size: 168
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ccthebrave.html
Latest Review: "Wild Ozark Nature Journal" by Madison Woods
Reading Device: B00I15SB16
fav_author_id: 2819

Post by CCtheBrave »

Twitter does seem a little inaccessible if you don't know how to use it/what to use it for. I was definitely not a fan until I read & reviewed a Twitter marketing book here on OBC (my review is posted, too, can't resist the shout out!).

After reading about how to use Twitter myself and trying a few easy tips as an author and blogger, I've had a lot of success. I think it's a great tool for networking and marketing with other people. In fact, I'd say that I now use it more for networking and sharing articles about writing and writing craft than anything else.
read well and write bravely
Latest Review: "Wild Ozark Nature Journal" by Madison Woods
User avatar
rssllue
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 50731
Joined: 02 Oct 2014, 01:52
Favorite Author: Ted Dekker
Favorite Book: The Bible
Currently Reading: A Year with C. S. Lewis
Bookshelf Size: 602
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-rssllue.html
Latest Review: My Personal Desert Storm by Marcus Johnson
fav_author_id: 2881

Post by rssllue »

gali wrote:I don't have a Twitter, but I enjoyed reading your informative article. :)
:handgestures-thumbupleft:
~ occupare fati suffocavit

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. ~ Psalms 4:8
AetherPirate
Posts: 21
Joined: 26 Oct 2015, 08:13
Bookshelf Size: 1

Post by AetherPirate »

Thanks, I am new to Twitter. Starting posting without really understanding how it worked. This helps a ton.
User avatar
khudecek
Posts: 507
Joined: 18 Nov 2014, 15:45
Favorite Author: Depends on Genre
Favorite Book: The Angel and the Outlaw
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-khudecek.html
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes

Post by khudecek »

I'm glad to hear it. :)

What's your Twitter handle? I'll follow you.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
.

~~
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Latest Review: "See Bride Run!" by Charlotte Hughes
Post Reply

Return to “Author Articles”