Link to Contact Twitter for Technical Support

 

This blog post is not meant to inspire or motivate, only to save time.

I recently had technical problems with Twitter and for some reason it was hard for me to find the form to request technical support. I eventually had to use Google to find the link.

So, I’m posting the link in hopes of saving someone else the 10 minutes it took me to find it. Hope this helps!

Contact Twitter for technical support

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Why Social Media is Like Shedding Holiday Weight

As the new year starts and I realize the holiday season’s refined sugars are now resting permanently on my hips, I can’t help but note that social media is much like shedding holiday weight…

You know you should be working hard it at, it’s only beneficial

Obviously, the benefits of shedding unnecessary pounds is an improvement of your health and overall well being.  With social media, the benefits of working hard is the continued growth of your online presence which promotes an awareness of your talents, expertise, services and products.

You’ve got to make sure you carve out the time

Similar to exercise, many say the biggest challenge with social media is carving out the time. I’m not going to say it’s easy, but it’s definitely a must. And, if you don’t seem to have the bandwidth, consider delegating to either someone in-house or outsourcing the effort.

People will say to you “Wow, you’re doing really well, good for you!”

It’s true, after you shed some pounds people will say how great you look. And, by increasing your social media presence through more followers, fans or engaging with your customers, people will take notice and recognize your success.

So, let’s do it, I’ll get my hips on the treadmill and let’s all make an effort to maintain our online presence. Bring on 2010!

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

The Status of Twitter Lists

Today a friend tweeted to another friend that he was tired of hearing about Twitter lists and wanted to use them. His sentiment is like mine and many others, in wondering, what the hell is going on with these Twitter lists?

The idea of Twitter’s list feature is to allow people to curate their own lists of people they like to follow. Whether it be their favorite celebs, industry contacts, funny people etc. Lists would be public by default or could be made private. Other Twitter users could also subscribe to them.

So to follow up on the status of this feature I went to Twitter’s blog and found the company’s latest mention of the Twitter lists was September 30th. The post titled “Soon to Launch: Lists” states that the feature will be in limited testing and will be launched for all accounts soon.

In the meantime, Mashable has been updating its blog covering Twitter lists and assuring us that they are live but only for a small number of users (see Twitter Lists are Alive [Updated]). Mashable, in a roundabout way of breaking Twitter’s rule, does point out that those who have been given the privilege of using the lists feature have been asked NOT to tweet about it.

I then found this article posted by the New York Times Technology section from just yesterday (September, 21st) titled “Twitter Chief Talks Lists, Traffic and Revenue” which interviews Twitter co-founder Evan Williams who states that currently Twitter lists are only offered to a few thousand users and will be available to everyone the end of October.

So according to Williams, we’ll all be making our lists and checking them twice by month’s end.

STATUS ALERT!
As of 8:21 pm EST, @mashable tweeted that Twitter is now expanding the new lists feature to 5% of users. Are you one of the 5%?
“The suspense is terrible, I hope it’ll last…” – Willy Wonka

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Your Followers are Like a Box of Chocolates…

As my writing business has grown and I get busier, I admit I was getting lazy about checking my new followers on Twitter.

Last week I got a call from a potential client based out of Boston. Turns out that person had been following me on Twitter for about a month but I hadn’t been following him. Luckily it all worked out but I was frustrated with myself for not being more attentive to my followers.

I’m sure after awhile we all get a little relaxed about it and yes, some may be spam but others may be that crown jewel contact you’ve been waiting to connect with. Your followers are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get!

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Tips to Real Life Networking

Whether it’s a tweetup, meetup or niche group, there’s nothing quite like real life networking. Person-to-person interaction helps put a real face to an avatar and adds some humanity to an e-mail address.

I personally am a huge advocate of meetups and enjoy it as way of making new business connections. Though, I don’t claim to be an expert, I can offer up some tips I’ve learned along the way.

Always have your business card ready and in a convenient place
Trying to dig/find your business card for five minutes may ruin the flow of a good conversation.

Make sure you have business cards separated/organized
If  you are at a function where you are exchanging a lot of business cards, make sure you have two designated piles; yours versus the ones you are receiving. You don’t want to give a new contact someone else’s business card…

Make sure your conversation is give and take
Sure, you want to tell someone what you are all about, but make sure you listen to what they have to say. Reciprocity my friend.

Personal space
If  someone seems preoccupied while you are talking to them and they seem to want to move on, let them. Give them their space.

Don’t make an ass of yourself
Sure, having a drink or two is fine but getting hammered in front of potential business associates… not so much. Know when to say when.

What are your tips?
What are your tips? Please leave a comment and share.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Your Twitter Handle: Don’t Leave Home Without It!

You have started a Twitter account under your business name, you have followers and you have found peers. You enjoy the industry banter in your Twitter stream. Here is one simple rule: Be sure to put your Twitter handle on your business card. It doesn’t matter if you have just received a brand new shipment from Vista Print, reorder! If you are representing your business on Twitter then you need to reflect this on your business card. It seems logical but some people have not gotten around to it yet and this could be possible connections lost.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Your MySpace Page Doesn’t Have to Be So Heinous

As a social media ghostwriter, I have many clients who want their business to be on MySpace (along with Facebook and Twitter) but feel that MySpace is ugly.  Well, they are right, MySpace standard templates are somewhat cluttered and not very attractive. But, with the right tools, your MySpace page doesn’t have to be so heinous.

Now, I know that MySpace templates/backgrounds are an industry in itself but I’m not talking about backgrounds with sparkling unicorns.  There are code generating sites that are user-friendly for non-coders and allow you to adjust background colors, text and layout very easily.

An example of one of these sites is www.codingmylayout.com. By navigating past some of its annoying ads and sticking to the left hand menu, you’ll be able to locate the section you need and find the coding generators to be self explanatory (see example below).

And remember, just because you don’t use MySpace, there are still millions that do and may need your services.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Be Sure to Customize Your Logo for Social Media

 

My role as a social media ghostwriter is to help businesses (who don’t have the time or resources) have a presence on social media portals such as Twitter and Facebook. If your business is looking to do the same, keep in mind that your traditional logo may need to be customized to fit social media portals.

For example, a 150 x 150 square image is ideal for the Twitter profile pic. If you have a rectangular logo and try to use it, the ends may get cut off. Sure, this isn’t rocket science to figure out, but just good to know if your business is ready to dive into social media.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.