Oprah Winfrey joined Twitter last week, sparking lots of chatter in the “Twitterverse.” I read a fair number of smug comments about her little missteps as she began, and I disagree that she needed to be perfect at the start, or risk ridicule.
Ok, it was incorrect that her first Tweet was in all caps, prompting some Twitterers to ask, “Why is Oprah yelling at us?” (All capital letters indicate shouting in text messaging, email and on Twitter):
HI TWITTERS . THANK YOU FOR A WARM WELCOME. FEELING REALLY 21st CENTURY .10:11 AM Apr 17th from web
Her next few Tweets were grammatically incorrect – sentences didn’t start with capital letters and she dropped some punctuation.
Certainly, Oprah has both the skills and the production team to ensure her first foray into a new communications technology is flawless. I admire her for being real and diving in authentically, showing the world it’s ok to explore new communication technologies.
Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are exploding. Each new user has to learn how communicate effectively in these new environments. Clients tell me they want to use Facebook or Twitter, but feel anxious – they don’t know what to do or fear they will look silly. Snarky, “I’m in the know, and you’re not” comments from experienced Twitterers don’t help communication; they create a digital divide.
In the next few months and years, there will be a huge, wonderful merge of experienced and inexperienced business writers coming together in social networks. Let’s help each other out.
If You are New:
- Find experienced users and model their behavior. Review the many websites that explain best practice use of Twitter.
If You are Experienced:
- Be kind. We all started new one day. Remember how you felt, and what would have best assisted you then. Share your knowledge.
Different people use Twitter as appropriate for them. Oprah currently has 491,328 followers and is following only 10 other people – mostly other celebrities. It seems she is using Twitter as a broadcast platform, and for her, it works. For most people, who don’t have Oprah’s clout and natural audience, Twitter is best used to engage in conversation.
Consider your reason for joining Twitter, engage in conversation authentically, and provide value to your community of followers. By following these best practices, any little errors you make early on will clear away.
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