Social Media: You Gotta be Social

keepitnatural asked the following question: Can you tweet someone on Twitter if they are not following you? How? I don't really get it!?

The basic answer is Yes. Just begin the tweet with the @ before their handle (Twittername) for example @barryrsilver. The tweet will show up in their stream and in their @mentions. A better question might be : How can I connect on Twitter?

Social Media and the counterpart Social Media Marketing are THE megatrend legacy from the first decade of the 21st Century. Social Media is a way of engaging without going anywhere. Think of it as pajama networking. Social Media Marketing is the discipline of using Social Media to advance your product, service and/or brand. SM/SMM can be both effective and fun. SM/SMM can also be a big waste of time or even worse a huge liability. The success or lack thereof depends on the user.

Their are a plethora of Social Media sites with the number growing, seemingly exponentially, on a daily basis. Blogging is considered part of social media. HubPages is another Social Media platform. Since the medium is extremely fluid, it's hard to tag social media with a hard and fast definition or specific criteria. A social media platform (site) will facilitate exchange between participants on given (or unspecified) topics. Usually there is an ability to follow members, groups or topics and the relationship need not necessarily be mutual. Often, there is the potential to rate, vote or comment about an individual or topic. The best sites are very dynamic often veering far from the original topic. Social Media is exceptionally effective at narrowcasting, despite the legions that broadcast incessantly on the various platforms.

Twitter (since the question was regarding using Twitter) is a social media site, originally unique for it's format. Twitter is very much like chess; simple to learn, not nearly as simple to master.

Your Twitter account is linked to a specific email address; only one account per address. You select a unique name and the name is preceded by @. Some go cute (@love2ski) or functional (@barryrsilver). I chose functional.

You follow tweeple (people on Twitter) by clicking the follow icon on their profile. All their tweets (twitter posts) show up in your timeline. Tweeple follow you in the same manner and all your tweets show up in their timeline. Unlike Facebook or LinkedIn, the relationship is not mutual and needn't be reciprocal.

In answer to the question, any tweet with @username in it shows up in that user's timeline and a compilation of their @mentions. That's how it works, but it's not what you say, it's how (or whether) someone responds to you.

Twitter limits tweets to a maximum 140 characters. That’s roughly 2-3 brief sentences, which lends to a rapid give and take between parties. (140 characters is from the capital T to the second period) It is considered permissible to insert yourself into a conversation, which is a great way to grow your following. The character limit make it nearly impossible for someone to monopolize a conversation, making Twitter an ideal networking tool. Often, important contacts are made at the bar before or after a charity or chamber event. On Twitter, the bar is always open and you don't even need to get dressed.

When you go to the Chamber or a fundraiser, you know why you are there. Think of Twitter the same way. To successfully network face to face you ask questions and (this is key) listen to the answers. When you answer, you share some of your expertise, some of what you've read, some of you and some of your product. Twitter is no different, only you exchange at up to 140 characters at a time.You ask specifics. You answer on topics, sometimes with a link, sometimes from your history, sometimes (when appropriate) from your product line. Throw in your own sense of humor and occasionally what you had for lunch and there you have it. Your having a grand time growing your business, making friends (yes really) and it's all at your leisure. That's why I call it pajama networking.

There are those that will offer you (either free or for a fee) a system to attract 1000's of Twitter followers an hour. Great, what do you plan on doing with 24,000+ followers after the first day? That's not an exchange, that's a lecture. The only 2-3 sentence lecture worth a damn is "No class today, drinks on me."

There are also those that will offer you (either free or for a fee) a guaranteed no work, push button, turnkey road to riches on Twitter. Feel free to believe them but please remember: When Jack traded the family cow for a sack of magic beans, his mother thought him a fool. When the magic beans turned out to indeed be magic beans, Jack still had to work like hell to slay a giant. Big success requires big work. When you enjoy the work and in turn succeed, it still isn't easy, but it is fun. So it is with Twitter.

When it comes to Social Media, the genie is out of the bottle and never going back in. Facebook is clearly the Bigfoot, but Twitter occupies a solid slot. Twitter has it's benefactors and detractors but it, too isn't going away. Put in the effort, tie your hat a little tighter and enjoy the ride.