There are many, many posts, I have in my brain.  I wrote one last night in my head (I know, a lot of good it does for you there) about how important failure is in business.  In relation to my previous post, I was thinking I had a string going.   Blog about how to judge the web business, how failure is important in this process and I have a whole series on counter intuitive web strategies for the strong of heart AND small businesses.

But I digress.  Look for that series in a few days.

This my friends is about Twitter and a mini-rant I’m having in three acts:

Twitter is key for small businesses.   There are many many articles about why.  I can sum them all up in a sentence.  There is no better tool for the money, for promoting and spreading information about your services, products and business. Sure there are tons of people on there talking about what book they read, what they had for lunch but that’s just part of conversation.  It can’t all be strategy and roses, in between there you have life and fluffle.  (I made that word up).    Here comes the rant part:

1.  Act One

• If someone friends you, read some of their tweets and if it’s not spam/porn/evil – friend them back.   Not everyone you talk to is going to be your best friend but you might just end up having an interesting conversation, learning something or even make an impression.   Nothing makes me crazier than going through my friends and pruning out people (which you have to do from time to time) – and finding a “social network EXPERT” (emphasis mine), small business, restaurant or digital consultant that hasn’t friended back.   What a waste of a connection.
• Take into account there are some Internet Superstars that just can’t follow the thousands and thousands of people back.  I tend to follow them even if they don’t follow me because I’m interested.  And that’s the only way I’ll do that.  I don’t care if you think you are an Internet Superstar and I’m not interested in what you are saying, I will unfollow.  To me – I take the saying of Mark Davidson to heart – Twitter is about a conversation.  If you won’t even allow the possibility, forget it!  UNFOLLOW, UNFOLLOW, UNFOLLOW.
• Also you do have to prune and check your ratios.  Because there people who will follow you wait X amount of time, whether that’s a minute or a week or a month, after you follow them back, and then unfollow you.  It’s a scam to get more followers.  What they want to do with these minions, I’m not sure, but I don’t want to be a part of the shuffling masses.

2.  Act Two

• Don’t have every tweet be a key message or even worse quote someone else. Talk about things.  I don’t want to get to know your key selling proposition, or what Einstein said.  I can read that or learn that myself.  I want to learn about you, your business, your thoughts – those are the things that provide value to me.   I think that personality is key.  Because I’m not doing business with a faceless droid, even at large corporations, I do business with people.  Case in point – I have been with Allstate Insurance forever.  And not because of Allstate or their commercials.  I do it because the Agent I’m with listened to me when I was a whippersnapper driver and he knows me and HE cares.  I can’t tell you have many entertaining conversations we have had which usually end with him saying – call me back if you want to file this claim otherwise BYE!   He is Allstate to me.

3.  Act Three

• Don’t jump on every bandwagon that blows through Twitter. This is the generating rant that brought this post to your eyeballs.  There has been Twitter Spam in the last week which is annoying.  But what is making me crazy right now is the direct message – “I just gave you “love bug hug”! Check it out:” and the “do you want 100000 followers, click here.”   I’m in the process right now of blocking and reporting a huge number of these.  ARGH!
• That being said, there was a recent bandwagon to help the Iranian people and their election.   Every now and then it isn’t all horrible.  I’m just saying, be careful out there kids – not every tool, not every trend, not every shortcut leads you to Oz.

And as always, I value your feedback.  What bugs you about Twitter?  What have you found useful?  Do tell.