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I spent some time this evening researching my Twitter usage and that of a clients.

TW Influence is a handy tool to see where you and your competitors are in the Twitter world. Using Twitters API, TwInfluence will measure your influence in the Twitter realm. The results are not based on the number of followers you have. Your influence is measured on three levels;  velocity, social capital, and centralization. (Learn more here)

If you have a moment be sure to share your TW Influence results by commenting below.

BrightKit is in beta and for a limited time you can add multiple twitter accounts.

The only features available right now are the ability to manage multiple accounts, schedule tweets for a later time, search, read your dms and @ messages. Personally, I am looking for features that move beyond what Twitter already provides.

There are some great ideas being submitted so hopefully BrightKit will take the time to develop some of their users suggestions.

A heads up, unlike some other Twitter management applications, if you post using BrightKit it will be listed on your Tweets.

The Dashboard is great. Easy to navigate.  I like the search feature, though when I click a user link, I seem to be directed to a 404 error page.

I will keep an eye on BrightKit, but in it’s beta version it simply does not have enough management features for me to consider it as an alternative to the service I am currently using.

Right now I would say BrightKit gets a 3.75/5 , though the thoughtful user interface and the fact that they are seeking user feedback makes me think it will quickly reach a 5/5.

Though my time has been limited, I have found a few great Social Media blog reads on the topic of using social media as a business or brand this week.

1) Do Brands Belong on Twitter ?

Yes, I have great interest in staying up to date on how corporations and small businesses are using Twitter.  Mathew Ingram reviews some comments posted over at Mashable over the debate of posting as a brand (i.e @dunkindonuts) versus having an employee or executive posting using their own identity.

Given that I tweet as Her Media, I do feel the balance is in using your brand as a user ID, but clarifying who the name and face is behind the posts. You will see my Twitter profile lists my name and my photo.

2) Guidelines For Brands Using Twitter

David Armano’s post is great and to the point. He touches on a few of the items I feel all businesses need to understand before they jump on the twitter train; transparency, generosity, and value.

3) Super List of what NOT to do in Social Media

I found Robin’s post containing a wealth of links and resources on what not to do in social media through a Linked In group.  Before launching your brand across any Social Media Networks you should (as you would with any marketing strategy) have a plan. Part of the plan should be to address any potential negatives or PR nightmares that could arise from your campaign. This one post will open your eyes to what you need to AVOID and how to do so.

The following caught my attention, ‘Ignite Social Media’s 6 Part Video Series: Social Media Marketing Mistakes And How to Avoid Them‘ especially Part 1 Not Listening. Not Responding. Not Good . If you intend to launch Social Media initiatives be sure you plan who will manage them and set some guidelines.

I wanted to highlight number one; did the person fill out his profile? This is one of my largest decision making attributes when deciding if I will follow someone. Everyday I receive notification of new followers who have not completed their profile. Not even a photo or logo. Not listing a website or blog url where I can learn more about you is another reason I won’t follow you back.

I find this frustrating over at blogger as well. Granted some bloggers need to remain anonymous for safety or other concerns. However if you blog on an industry topic as a means of networking or promotion why would you not complete your full profile ?

For those of you who know me you may see some commonality to my other most spoken rant. Full disclosure of contact information. If the internet is your business, then you need to have a face online AND be reachable. Complete your profiles. Disclose your full contact details on your website and ensure you have a contact form.

In closing, to get my twitter follow you need to have a complete profile that provides some inclination that I will gain value from following you. To keep my follow you need to post some valuable content outside of just what you ate for breakfast

2) Help others: People often tweet looking for help, directions, ideas, and feedback on their posts or ideas. My rule of thumb is help more often then you ask for help.Which brings me to the next item.

3) Ask for help: Be careful not to go overboard here or you will quickly loose followers. Need ideas for an article, quotes, product reviews, suggestions tweet out your questions.

4) Retweet: According to AJ Vaynerchuk of Blogging Bits “The art of “retweeting” is best described as taking a twitter message someone else has posted, and rebroadcasting that same message to your followers.”  Learn how to retweet at blogging bits .

3) Post updates from conferences: If you are visiting a conference, let others know whats goign on. Most conferences will use a ‘hashtag’. This will allow others to easily see the tweets from any given event. Find out what Hashtag (usually something like #eventname) your event is using and insert it within each of your tweets.

4) Background Screening: Learn about your potential business partners, contractors, and employees by checking out their tweets. I know a tad controversial. If you are a REAL new business management style employer then you will get social media and understand it is an asset to your business not a hindrance.

5) Locate Blogs and Subscribe: Most tweeters will list their blogs within their twitter profile. My Google Reader contains some excellent blogs written by my followers. Twitter is a great way to find some ‘hidden blog gems’.

6) Locate Speakers: If you are searching for just the right person to speak at your event, interview for an article, or a podcast guest, Tweet it out. Some amazing people hang about on twitter.

7) Gain knowledge: Twitter is an amazing resource to make direct contact with some very qualified experts. My son had a school report, one tweet and he had direct access to a professor to an author to quote in his report.

Respond to your followers: Please note I did not say Spam your twitter followers. Offer a free resource sure, but don’t reply to a new follower asking them to buy something. Thank them for the follow and ask them about their blog, business, or who they are.

9) Locate some good Twitter Tools: Test out some twitter plugins to see which work best for you.

10) Get some help: A few people have asked me to host a twitter how to conference call. Once I have 15 people interested I PROMISE to put one together… so if you need more help contact me and let me know you want to be added to the list.

This is a great resource …. Special thanks to Common Craft for sharing this on their blog.

She mentions, “Really - some people just don’t get it.” Although I may be using her comment out of the context she refers to ( you will have to ask her). I agree that many Tweeters don’t get it.

If you choose to follow someone on twitter you will receive tweets of interest to that person. You can not and should not expect to control what or when someone tweets. You can however easily choose to not receive their tweets by simply unfollowing. This leads me to another of Wendy’s annoying trends;

“People who Get Pissy When You do ANY Self-Promotion at All”

For some people Twitter really is just a tool to keep in touch with family and friends. They want to keep up to date with their friends and learn about their day. Other’s are looking for industry specific knowledge. A good example of this is that I choose to follow the Canadian Political leaders to stay up to date on their happenings, conversations, and views during the federal election. I also may choose to follow gurus in a specific field (such as Wendy) to learn about their industry. In the case of Wendy I am looking for her blog posts, ideas, and knowledge. Why not JUST follow her blog ? Twitter allows me to correspond real time in a quick and efficient manner.  Its a two way stream.

So if you just want to hear the endless ramblings of someone’s day “I am at the airport “  “I baked a casserole”  then you shouldn’t follow those who use Twitter as a networking and business tool.  If you use twitter as a networking tool and are actively seeking out well though posts offering you new knowledge. Then don’t follow people who simply want to mini blog their daily personal life.

If you use your twitter account for all of the above reasons then GREAT. That is the beauty of twitter. But DON”T COMPLAIN or accuse others of spamming you.  I have heard endless discussion about one person’s complaints of twitter spam. Personally there have been days when their endless posts of daily life ( I personally don’t need to know whet they ate for lunch) are what I might consider Spam. They feel the use of a service such as Ping FM (which I feel is a great administrative tool to help us stay organized) is spamming.

This is a difference of opinion. I am not right. They are not right. We use Twitter differently. I bet we even say the word About differently.  I use Twiiter differently then the leader of a political Party. I use Twiiter differently then my teenage babysitter. I also use twitter differently then my friend who is a stay at home homeschooling mom.

Spam is “unsolicited”. I seek out and follow other twitter users. The delivered messages or ‘tweets’ I send out regardless of how they reach those who follow me are not “unsolicited”.  My followers have elected to receive them when they hit the follow button. To Twitter and those who scream Twitter Spam, you have the power to UNFOLLOW. That is the beauty of twitter.

The rest of Wendy’s suggested annoying Twitter Treads hit home to me as I do see them on a daily basis. People asking me to follow them on Utterz. People tweeting the same messages on their Corporate twitter accounts and then again on their personal accounts.  I believe this is about Networking etiquette. Online networking or in the real world. The point of networking is not just sending out your “advertisement” it’s a relationship. You must give back as much as you promote.

Networking equals 50% (or more) helping those in your network as a gesture of good will and 50% (or less) promoting your business and services. That theory is based on my personal experience.

So how are you going to help those who follow you on twitter ? Take the time to reply to their tweets, visit suggested links when they may be of interest to you, retweet if you feel they may be of interest to your followers. Off ideas and suggestions, correspond with each other. Build relationships with your followers.

If you have any suggestions for fellow Tweeters please be sure to leave a comment. YOu can learn more about Wendy’s annoying tools visit Wendy’s Blog Spark Plug CEO.

Karrine

Jennifer Slegg answers both questions with her blog Post ‘Why People you Follow on Twitter don’t follow you back. She brings up some very important Twitter points including personalizing your profile (Give me a visual)  with a photo and your URL and participating in active conversation.

For those who have signed up on twitter but are still “Haven’t updated yet!” Jennifer has some advice for you as well.

Stop By Jen’s Blog and learn some good Tweet Etiquette.

Log on with your Twitter ID at TweetBurner.

1.) If you do not want your stats to be ‘public’ be sure to click on the button:

2.) Add the link to your BookMarks:

Simply Drag and Drop …

3.) Create your Links

How to create a shortened URL that is tracked:

You can create your shortened URLS one of two ways.

1) For more personalized posts (my preference) visit http://tweetburner.com/ and create a URL from the website. Then create a unique twitter post and paste the URL into the post.

2) Open the page whose URL you wish to post and use the Twurl this icon in your Internet Browsers Bookmark tool bar.

The pop up window will open, enter your user ID and password and

Using the pop up will result in a very unpersonalized post (It appears spammy to me so I would not suggest using it.)

I am sending my feedback ( allow extra comments in the bookmarklet window to be included in the twurl) to tweetburner right now. You should as well.