VA Newsday

The prevailing Twitter wisdom is that we should avoid tweeting about ourselves too much, and post information in which others are interested. But about those “others,” those people who watch your tweets crank past, ticker-like, each day: How do you know what’s of interest to them?

A good subject line is like a good tweet: it earns a click to read further. We tweet links that amuse, outrage or inspire us. We write our tweets to get others to click. And sometimes we’re more effective than others.

Are you looking for an easy way to manage your Facebook and Twitter accounts? Threadsy has an interesting inbox style concept that makes tracking Tweets and Facebook updates much easier. To show you the value, we’ve created this video:

Earlier today, Georgina detailed the method that she uses to find new contacts on Twitter. If her technique doesn’t suit you you could use a Twitter directory. A new services in this crowded space is 99Tribes, a “discovery engine” for people on Twitter.

This video will show you some of the sites where you can find targeted people to follow on Twitter and like-minded individuals to connect with.

HootSuite has announced the new HootSuite Pro Certification program. This program has been created for Social Media Professionals, Community Managers, Marketers and anyone who wants to learn more about HootSuite and Social Media.

BirdHerd, a tool that aims to make managing group Twitter accounts easier for companies and teams, today enters a month-long final round of private beta testing ahead of its public launch, and we have an exclusive invite code for WWD readers.

When I mention to clients about how useful Twitter is for marketing and brand-building, they usually are surprised, or think I’m just a Twitter addict (guilty as charged!) trying to justify using the latest distraction. However, there are some real-life case studies of successful Twittering that can easily be observed… just by following and watching how the Twitter Masters (as I like to call them) tweet. There’s a lot of great case studies I could point to, but one very famous personality stands out as a fantastic example of how best to use Twitter:  physician and best-selling author Deepak Chopra ( @Deepak_Chopra ). First  – a caveat… I tend to think that you can’t be “good” at Twitter unless you at least like Twitter. If you think it’s stupid or a time suck, you probably won’t get much out of it. That said and out of the way, it’s really obvious that those who are great at Twitter also clearly love it….and Deepak Chopra is clearly into Twitter.  So what is it about Dr. Chopra’s tweeting style that works so well?

If you are a Twitter veteran or a novice – you have probably been frustrated by the absence of user management tools within Twitter. Even a mildly enthusiastic Twitterer soon finds themselves wishing they could group users they follow, track clickthroughs, or simply make it easier to track outgoing or incoming messages.  HootSuite is a web-based tool that already offered great management tools such as scheduled tweets and multiple profile management. The new HootSuite 2.0 takes Twitter management to a whole new level. Many Twittizens use desktop apps such as Seesmic or TweetDeck to group their follows and monitor messages. The downside of these apps is that they are desktop-based – so you lose your groups if you are on different computers (unless you want to set them up all over again). Plus, the performance of these apps can be inconsistent at times (especially TweetDeck).  Having a web-based solution is obviously the optimal way to manage Twitter, and although the new HootSuite was just released this week, I have found that the interface is  intuitive,  fast and reliable.  You can do all your Twitter reading and tweeting within HS without ever needing to visit the Twitter home page. So what can you do with HootSuite? The quick list includes features almost any Twitter user would want, plus a few that you never thought you needed, but will become addictive once you start using them! Manage those you follow into custom groups and tabs – with quick links to send replies and DMs Monitor DMs and mentions in custom columns Easily track custom keyword searches in columns Create a custom column – then embed into your website to share with your readers Multiple profile support + multiple editors = indispensable if you have a virtual team using Twitter for customer service or brand development Post any RSS feed to Twitter – with custom prepends and refresh rates (this is absolutely necessary if you have a blog) Stats on clickthroughs. Post exclusively via HootSuite and all your shortened links are tracked. See what interests your followers most. Scheduled tweets HootSuite has this nice overview video to demonstrate the features… check it out! Also, be sure to follow @HootSuite on Twitter to keep up with the latest updates.

If you are a Twitter veteran or a novice – you have probably been frustrated by the absence of user management tools within Twitter. Even a mildly enthusiastic Twitterer soon finds themselves wishing they could group users they follow, track clickthroughs, or simply make it easier to track outgoing or incoming messages.  HootSuite is a web-based tool that already offered great management tools such as scheduled tweets and multiple profile management. The new HootSuite 2.0 takes Twitter management to a whole new level. Many Twittizens use desktop apps such as Seesmic or TweetDeck to group their follows and monitor messages. The downside of these apps is that they are desktop-based – so you lose your groups if you are on different computers (unless you want to set them up all over again). Plus, the performance of these apps can be inconsistent at times (especially TweetDeck).  Having a web-based solution is obviously the optimal way to manage Twitter, and although the new HootSuite was just released this week, I have found that the interface is  intuitive,  fast and reliable.  You can do all your Twitter reading and tweeting within HS without ever needing to visit the Twitter home page. So what can you do with HootSuite? The quick list includes features almost any Twitter user would want, plus a few that you never thought you needed, but will become addictive once you start using them! Manage those you follow into custom groups and tabs – with quick links to send replies and DMs Monitor DMs and mentions in custom columns Easily track custom keyword searches in columns Create a custom column – then embed into your website to share with your readers Multiple profile support + multiple editors = indispensable if you have a virtual team using Twitter for customer service or brand development Post any RSS feed to Twitter – with custom prepends and refresh rates (this is absolutely necessary if you have a blog) Stats on clickthroughs. Post exclusively via HootSuite and all your shortened links are tracked. See what interests your followers most. Scheduled tweets HootSuite has this nice overview video to demonstrate the features… check it out! Also, be sure to follow @HootSuite on Twitter to keep up with the latest updates.

This is just too funny – reminds me of the many times I’ve tried to explain it to “Twitter-resistant”  friends & family.  However, Kevin & Dave are waaaayyy more entertaining…  enjoy!! You can follow Kevin Spacey at http://twitter.com/KevinSpacey .  David Letterman not yet among the converted yet, as far as I know.

One of my favorite blogs, Web Worker Daily , recently featured a series of posts about the necessity (or not) of developing a personal brand . I know that every solopreneur struggles with this, whether it’s viewed as a fun aspect of being in business for yourself… or an uncomfortable marketing necessity. The posts delve into the obvious questions, asking about the level of self-expression (or self- exposure , depending on your point of view) needed to achieve a branding or marketing goal. What caught my attention was that the posts  illustrated very different points of view and comfort-levels with the concept of transforming one’s own personality, tastes, opinions and lifestyles into what is essentially just marketing material. The one post, A Book and a Network: Inspiration for Personal Branding Success , was definitely in the “pro-branding” camp – citing Michael Port’s books that espouse full self-expression and pointing to Food Network stars as examples of how being truly yourself and beaming your  unedited personality to the world are the keys to success -  making it easier to attract ideal clients and build a more successful business.  There’s a great point there – as faking it will breed resentment and stress, no doubt.  However, it should also be noted that  stars of the Food Network are, eh -  TV stars – and not generally expected to behave like obedient dullards – or technical service providers. So I’m not sure if that was the best illustration for the rest of us. The second post on the subject of personal branding, Personal Branding vs. Self-Awareness , took a very different approach. The author,  Georgina Laidlaw, makes the case that “Personal Branding” can devolve into drama-manufacturing – just to garner some attention and feed the media machine. She cites the example of Madonna’s affair with baseball star Alex Rodriquez (and their respective divorces) as an extreme example. Ironically, the “personal brand” can also become a strait-jacket, inhibiting open mindedness or risk-taking: I see success as being appreciated for who I am and what I can do, so I balk at the idea of avoiding saying or doing certain things because they might erode the integrity of my personal brand. I think a middle ground (as usual) is the best approach. I’m an enthusiastic Twitterer, have a Facebook profile and love my blog. I really try to keep it informative and human (I’m guilty of spewing an unsolicited political view now & then), but not very personal . In fact, I don’t think anyone could really learn much about my life specifics  by looking at my profiles. I do hope people can get a good and favorable impression of how I can help their businesses, and maybe a picture of my personality and values. As a side-note… I’m darned careful about involving others in my online networking. Example – I met a friend for lunch last week, but did not tweet about it specifically, as maybe my lunch date didn’t want the world to know where she was that afternoon. We joked about it over lunch – and yes tweeted afterward (with permission) – but it is a consideration that can easily be overlooked in the drive to become more and more visible online. Check out the articles – great food for thought! What’s your attitude toward personal branding? A Book and a Network: Inspiration for Personal Branding Success Personal Branding vs. Self-Awareness Personal Branding and Self-Censorship Online

VA Classroom, an acclaimed training site for internet marketing and social media VAs, is opening registration for their much anticipated Social Media Marketing Specialist Training Program.  This program is self-directed and focused entirely on using social media networks, LinkedIn, Facebook…

If you’re a Twitterer, you no doubt have heard of The Shorty Awards, given to the best producers of short content in 2008 (140 characters or less), on Twitter.  There are only five nominees in each category, and Stacy Brice’s AssistU

Twitter has become one of the pillars of social networking – a necessary part (as much as Facebook or LinkedIn) of any social marketing strategy. So.. it stands to reason that celebs, most of all, would embrace Twitter. Well, not so much! Seems that VAs are rather ahead of the curve when it comes to capitalizing…