How To Request a Username on Twitter

Does someone already have the Twitter name you would like to use? If you see that their profile has been inactive for more than 9 months, Twitter may release the username if you request it. Note that results may vary but here’s how you contact Twitter to make the request.

Email username@twitter.com with the following information:

• The username you want
• Your existing username, if you have one
• Whether you want to change your username, or start a new account with the username you’re requesting

Good luck!

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

What is this New Twitter?

What is this New Twitter? Watch the video from Twitter below. They started rolling it out last night, who will be next!

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

Some new Twitter features I can get on board with!

This weekend I discovered some new Twitter features that I can get on board with! I realized @NerdBoyTV was following me and when I went to read his bio, I saw under his Twitter handle “Also followed by…” indicating people who follow him who I’m also following. And, in the right hand menu I noticed “You both follow” which opened up to a “view all” list of people we both follow. I like these two new features because they give me some clue as to the connections we have in common. Very Facebook-like but hey, Twitter users have been asking to find some type of common thread for quite some time. Perhaps this means that @Ev, @Jack and @Stone are listening…

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

Follow Twitter’s @earlybird for special discounts

Twitter's @earlybird logo

According to the Fast Company article “Twitter Offers First @earlybird Exclusive Deal”, Twitter launched its @earlybird account in which advertisers can offer exclusive deals on Twitter.

The first @earlybird special is a buy-one-get-one deal for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. In a blog post, Twitter said it will introduce a new @earlybird deal several times a week.

Twitter reports it has lined up tens of advertisers and hopes for hundreds by year’s end. Advertisers already on board include Groupon and Gilt Groupe.

The @earlybird Twitter account currently has around 54,000 followers. As word spreads I believe it will grow tremendously. People spend a lot of time on Twitter to network and learn. This is a way for users to get a little something back.

Sarah Wallace is a freelance writer helping clients with blogging, Twitter, Facebook, web copy, SEO, e-newsletters and press releases. In addition to performing these writing services, she also provides editing and consulting. To learn more about her work experience and services, click on the tabs above or contact Sarah at sarah@sarahwallace.com

Blippy: Are you ready to broadcast your credit card transactions?

Are you ready to broadcast your credit card transactions? Well, Blippy is the platform that will allow you to do so. Privacy watchdogs are up in arms but advocates say it is a great way to learn about new products and good deals.

Released publicly in January by entrepreneur Philip Kaplan and the backings of the likes of Twitter’s Evan Williams, Blippy takes the ‘sharing era’ to another level by broadcasting your credit card transactions. So, a friend can see that you have purchased a new DVD on Amazon for $14.99 or a new iPhone app on iTunes for $2.99. The purpose is to create conversations around these purchases.

Users can manually review each item before it is published or set up certain substreams. For the time being, Blippy founders say they are not interested in aggregating data or geolocation.

What I find interesting is the set of Rules that Blippy has listed on its web site. Perhaps from lessons learned, this platform immediately states no Serial Accounts, Name Squatting, Malware/Phishing, Social Network Spam or Deceptive Links. Whether or not Blippy catches on, time will only tell. And, if it grows in popularity, it will be interesting to see if it can enforce its rules.

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

SXSW: Was it Worth it? And, My Tips for First Timers

Upon returning from the SXSW festival, the question everyone is asking me is, “Was it worth it?” My initial response is “Yes”  and I will explain why, but keep in mind that my answer is skewed by the fact that my badge and accommodations were free.

So, I attended the SXSW Interactive portion of the SXSW festival. Otherwise known as ‘Nerdapalooza,’ the term is fitting in terms of its attendees and sessions. Though, many complain that the sessions are not as technical as they used to be, I enjoyed seeing some of the rockstars of the internet and marketing world such as Gary Vayernchuk, Peter Shankman and Twitter’s co-founder Evan Williams. I also had a chance to meet Mashable founder Pete Chashmore, a very quiet, soft spoken guy who (apparently by the picture above) is very tall.

So, I experienced these rockstars at least once and watched them tell us that we need to get off of our asses, work our ‘”faces off,” be genuine, helpful, transparent, etc. In all honesty though, the two sessions I enjoyed most were with author Dan Roam,  (Back of the Napkin) and CNN correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Roam spoke on the importance of using images to tell a story and Gupta spoke with his brother Suneel about their Kahani Movement in which they are documenting the stories of Indian immigrants to the U.S. in the 60s and 70s. I found both these sessions to be thought provoking and moving and well worth my time.

Along with these two particular sessions, I enjoyed all the conversations I had with fellow attendees. Whether it was on the plane, having a snack or waiting for a panel to start, all the attendees I met were friendly, interesting and good contacts to have.

My SXSW Tips

Okay, so I enjoyed my first trip to SXSW and based on my positive experiences above I think it was worth it. I will go again but I will keep the following in mind for next time:

Everything really IS within walking distance

Everyone tells you this and you take it with a grain of salt and book the closest hotel. But, the truth is, everything is very close to the conference.  If you can save $100 by staying a few blocks away then by all means…

Bring summer clothes

I was traveling from New England so I went from chilly to mid 80s. It’s hot so bring your sandals, short sleeve shirts and enjoy the sun!

Get to popular sessions early

I say this because the first two sessions I tried to go to, the doors were shut in my face. That’s right, beyond capacity and I was denied.

You can party hardy but be prepared to wait in line

There are many big parties in town hosted by big name sponsors but, in some cases you may have to wait in line to get in. VIP passes are an option but getting them may involve having the right connections.

Checkout some of the film happenings

My friend and I went up to the Paramount theater during some of the film premieres and had the chance to see actors like Ed Norton, John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill and Patrick Wilson in person. All good fun!

How did I get a free badge and accommodations?

Ah yes, well my badge was free but it did cost my time. I was a SXSW liaison meaning that I was a correspondent between panelists and SXSW organizers. I did this from January till the conference and it was all via email.
My accommodations were free because my good friend Amy lives 10 minutes outside of Austin. I did stay at the Hilton Austin Saturday night since there was a lot going on and my friend Amy and I wanted to be able to just crash. The cost was $285 for the night which we split.

Upate

Also, while at SXSW I attended a session with author Tim Sanders, who wrote Love Is the Killer App. After his session I went up and introduced myself. Since then, he and I have connected and we’ve been working on a national campaign together. A lot of people complain about SXSW having too many attendees, but hey, it’s what you make of it.

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

Reflection: A Writer’s Work and Tools Through the Decades

Today is my birthday and I usually don’t like acknowledging the fact that I’m getting older but this particular birthday takes place at the start of a new decade and makes me reflect on my writing through the years and the tools I’ve used.

2010

Working as a freelance writer specializing in social media. Using Content Management Systems such as WordPress and portals such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Also using monitoring tools such as Radian6 and keeping up with new trends such as Google Buzz.

2000

Working as an analyst in the telecom industry concentrating on Operational Support Systems for companies such as Verizon and AT&T. Using the internet to market forecasts that project billions of dollars of spending. Totally unaware that 17 months later, the largest terror attack in our nation’s history would occur and send the industry I was analyzing into a downward spiral.

1990

A junior in high school, taking my SAT’s, narrowing down my college choices. I had the honor of having my first published work in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as I had won an area-wide writing contest for high school students. I was so excited to see my writing in big city newspaper print. My guidance counselor told me, “By the time you graduate college, you will be applying for jobs that haven’t even been defined yet.”

1980

I was seven years old. I would interview my family members and then use my mom’s manual typewriter to type my very basic newspaper I called “The Family Yeller.” I told everyone I met that “I want to be a writer when I grow up” not knowing that three decades later, I would be telling my story through a WordPress blog and posting it for all the world to see on the internet.

2020?

It will be interesting to see what I write in 2020 and what tools I will be using. Sure it would be cool to see into the future, but for now I’ll keep enjoying the journey and changes that come with time. [Insert Steve Miller Band’s lyrics “Time keeps on slipping into the future” here]. Peace everyone. Fly like an eagle.

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

Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Airlines: Have a Plan for Social Media Damage Control

I recently spoke at the Social Media Breakfast Maine No. 7 on social media policies and one of the topics I discussed was damage control. This week  Southwest Airlines has had to exercise some as director Kevin Smith has expressed his outrage over an incident with the airline via social media.

Smith was asked to leave a plane for being too “large” and posing a possible threat to other passengers. He went peacefully, but this prolific Twitter user hasn’t held back and has spent the last few days tweeting about his experience and retweeting fan support.

“Dear @SouthwestAir – I know I’m fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?”
– @ThatKevinSmith

In return, Southwest Airlines has publicly apologized to Smith on Twitter.

“@ThatKevinSmith hey Kevin! I’m so sorry for your experience tonight! Hopefully we can make things right, please follow so we may DM!”
– @SouthwestAir

This is a reminder that any business using social media should have a procedure in place for damage control and it should include the following:

How do you respond

Decide how your business will respond to negative comments on your blog, Facebook, Twitter or other portals. Will you respond to them, ignore them? Or other.

Who can respond

If damage control needs to happen, who do you trust to respond? If it is the person doing your social media, then that is fine. If you require them to refer to a superior, then you need to decide on a chain of command.

Chain of command

If you want your social media person to refer to a superior for damage control situations then decide the chain of command. Will they refer to the head of marketing? A vice president? The CEO?

Accessibility

So, you have decided there needs to be a chain of command for damage control then make sure those people are accessible. If you want your social media person to refer to the head of marketing for damage control, make sure they are available and this includes evenings and weekends. Incidences are not going to happen during traditional work hours. And, if that person goes on vacation, who is next in line for those decisions?

Hopefully, your business will not need to exercise damage control but it is good to have a procedure in place, just in case.

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

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.

Bill Cosby Uses Twitter and So Should You!

Recently, Bill Cosby joined Twitter and has quickly gained numerous Twitter followers/fans.  Keep in mind, Bill Cosby has never gone away, he’s always been around producing and touring. He’s just new to Twitter and he’s smart in reminding us that he’s still around and now hip to reaching out to his fans through social media.

My impression is that it’s a blend of himself and an assistant on Twitter but that’s fine. He’s letting us know what he’s up to and that’s what social media is all about. Being social.

Likewise with your own business or brand, people may know of you but you should cross promote on all levels to remind people you are still there and doing great things.

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

Is Social Media Like the Baby Einstein Scam?

If you haven’t heard, Disney’s ever so popular Baby Einsten childrens videos are being sued by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood saying the videos make false claims about making your child a genius when, in reality, they may be decreasing attention span. It’s being labeled as the “Baby Einstein Scam.” Is this what we’ll be saying about Social Media in five years, that it was all a scam?

First of all, I will say that my daughter was born in ’03 and we had quite the collection of Baby Einstein DVDs.  Did I have her sit catatonically in front of these? No. Did I have her watch them occasionally while I made dinner? Yes.  And, if she did watch these movies, I would usually watch with her and we’d talk about the images we were seeing. I did not think these DVDs were making my daughter a genius but, in hindsight, Baby Einstein marketing them as a genius making tool, perhaps not the best approach.

So right now everyone, and me included, is claiming that Social Media is the must-need tool and everyone’s doing it. It’s the “genius maker” of the business world, if you will. Will all this hype and popularity lead to Social Media’s downfall?

In my opinion, in five years, the term may run its course but not some of its tools. We’ll probably just be referring to Social Media as just plain media and marketing again and there will be no need for the Social Media tag. Will we call it a scam? No. Will we definitely recognize that some portals and analytic programs worked better than others? Yes.

I am prolific user of Twitter and have had most of my client inquiries through that particular portal. So, as a living proof that you can grow your business through Social Media, I cannot ever say it was a scam. I will be able to say what methods worked best for me. Besides, isn’t that what happens with  trends, we all have our different experiences with it? For example, I’m sure there are some who really enjoyed their laser disc collection in the mid-90s…

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.

Sarah Wallace Sponsors Twestival 207

I am proud to announce that I will be a sponsor of the upcoming Twestival 207.

Twestivals are events where Twitter communities come together to raise money for a local organization or charity. Proceeds of Twestival 207 benefit the Maine Aids Alliance.

I’m dedicating this sponsorship to my dear family friend Bill Parker. He was a talented and prominent musician who lived in New York City and lost his battle to Aids in 1992. He was known for his contribution to the Aids Quilt and Aids Quilt Songbook. He grew up beside my mother in our small town in Pennsylvania. Even though I was in late highschool. I remember him coming to visit in 1991 and explaining to my mother “I may not see you again Nancy… because I am sick.”

With issues like healthcare, education and Swine flu in the forefront, it is important that we not forget other issues such as Aids awareness. Hope to see you all this Sunday!

Twestival 207 will be held at Portland’s Space Gallery Sunday, September 13th from 5-8 pm. Admission is $10 and includes food and drinks. You may learn more about Twestival 07 at http://portlandme.twestival.com/

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.

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.