Twitter Users – For Heaven’s Sake, Get Creative!
WOW! All I have been reading about today, seems to be people complaining about the stance that SocialOomph has taken with regards to repetitive tweets. It appears that Twitter is cracking down on applications allowing tweeters to publish the same tweet over and over again. After having read what the creators of SocialOomph (formerly TweetLater) have said, it boils down to the fact that they are complying with Twitter’s policy of NO SPAM!
Folks, this is a good thing. I know I am tired of people repeating the same tweet over and over again. All it does is make people tune you out and worse, stop following you. They have not said that you cannot send out DMs acknowledging a new follow and they haven’t said that you cannot pre-’record’ a distinct tweet to be published at a later date. All they have said is that they won’t tolerate the same tweet being sent out over and over again.
As a Social Media Virtual Assistant, I counsel my clients to use Twitter the same as other Social Media sites and that is as a form of relationship building. This means conversation. Would you have a conversation with someone just repeating the same 140 characters over and over again? No! The whole purpose of Twitter is to build that relationship by sharing useful, interesting information – industry related info, links to interesting articles, blogsites, helpful tips, hot discussions in the news and yes, even the occasional tweet about your family! Surely you can find enough things to talk about without repeating the same thing over and over.
Personally, I am happy that they have taken this stance. The faster they can remove SPAM from my Twitter feed the better. It will make it much easier for me to pinpoint the important, interesting tweets that I want to spend my time focusing on. I don’t use SocialOomph that much myself. I also advise my clients to spend as much time as they reasonably can, being present and transparent on Twitter in real time. Nothing is more frustrating that responding to a great tweet, only to find out it was ‘pre-recorded’ and the sender isn’t there to participate in a discussion.
Does this mean that you should never use applications like SocialOomph? Absolutely not. Everyone knows that it’s impossible for you to be at your computer 24/7, but if you only send out tweets in this fashion, it’s like having a conversation with someone where you pre-recorded your side of the conversation. Doesn’t leave much room for dialogue, does it?
How about you? Are you upset with this change? How do you use Social Oomph? Leave me your reply below.
As a bonus, I offer comment luv here on my blog…By leaving a comment, you will be able to link back to your own site…great for SEO 
Look forward to hearing from you!
While physically located in Newmarket, Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, as a VA, she is virtually yours anywhere….
Thanks for your comment. I believe you mean that you run the risk of turning your followers off!
I totally agree. Please read my most recent post on this very topic. I hope you enjoy it. Here is the link: http://virtuallyyoursjb.com/press/2010/03/5-tweets-that-will-bore-readers I look forward to more of your comments.
Joanne
To bring in more followers on twitter, you need to have good content such as helpful tips, and tweets videos and some other items of interest to your followers. By having updated posts, you will have more people willing to take a look at your tweets. If you don’t update and have fresh content, you run the risk of not turning your followers off
Hi Theresa, you are quite right. Automation is sometimes necessary. It is not possible for someone to spend all their time on Twitter – being present and authentic. But overuse of this tool leads to people shutting you down. The whole purpose of social media is to be able to engage someone and have dialogue. I can’t stand automated tweets and replies. People should also be aware that applications like Tweetdeck for example, tell you the source of the tweet so they know when you’re automating. It’s better to get into the habit of popping into Twitter a few times a day and sharing relevant, interesting information and responding to those who have taken the time to get to know you. Thanks for your comment Theresa, and thanks for visiting my blog!
Hi guys, I absolutely agree that when automated messages are sent without discretion, they loose the spontaniety of what the Social Forums are all about. There is a place for a some automated messages if they are relevant but will require the sender to check on the response that comes through. Don’t you hate it when people just send useless automated messages that are meaningless on the hope you will buy something from them. I personally think it is great that some standards are being raised on the Net to ensure that we have quality communications in the internet community especially in social networks and forums.
People need to either have something interesting to say or be genuinely interested to want to know others or else why bother, because your messages will annoy the heck out of recipients.
Hi Crystal. Yes, I feel the same way. People who use multiple accounts for spamming purposes are in violation of Twitters terms. Here is a list of items that fall under the “SPAM” category and can get your account suspended. People may be surprised to learn the variety of items that can get you into trouble with Twitter. Maybe more people need to report these users! Thanks for your comments!
*Spam: You may not use the Twitter service for the purpose of spamming anyone. What constitutes “spamming” will evolve as we respond to new tricks and tactics by spammers. Some of the factors that we take into account when determining what conduct is considered to be spamming are:
-If you have followed a large amount of users in a short amount of time;
-If you have followed and unfollowed people in a short time period, particularly by automated means (aggressive follower churn);
-If you repeatedly follow and unfollow people, whether to build followers or to garner more attention for your profile;
-If you have a small number of followers compared to the amount of people you are following;
-If your updates consist mainly of links, and not personal updates;
-If a large number of people are blocking you;
-The number of spam complaints that have been filed against you;
-If you post duplicate content over multiple accounts or multiple duplicate updates on one account
-If you post multiple unrelated updates to a topic using #
-If you post multiple unrelated updates to a trending or popular topic
-If you send large numbers of duplicate @replies
-If you send large numbers of unsolicited @replies in an attempt to spam a service or link
-If you repost other user’s content without attribution.
-If you have attempted to “sell” followers, particularly through tactics considered aggressive following or follower churn.
-Using or promoting third-party sites that claim to get you more followers (such as follower trains, sites promising “more followers fast,” or any other site that offers to automatically add followers to your account).
Your account may be suspended for Terms of Service violations if any of the above is true; accounts created to replace suspended accounts will be permanently suspended.
*Pornography: You may not use obscene or pornographic images in either your profile picture or user background.
Hi Joanne,
I totally agree with you. Further to that, I am beginning to hate the people that have multiple accounts under different names, but tweet the same message on each account. I don’t need to read the same tweet 4 or 5 times in a row.
I also agree that social media is all about communicating. But hopefully in real time.
Kudos to SocialOomph, let’s get rid of the spam!
Hi MH! Good for you! And yes direct interaction IS what social media is all about. I have gotten to the point now where I stop following peeps that generate their tweets solely using these kinds of sites. They are very vanilla and lack personality! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. Stop by and chat again soon!
I do not use any automated response or tweet generators of any sort. I find direct interaction is what these social sites are all about. I do not think this affect me in any way.
Hi Mike, I agree totally with respect to the random comments. These tend to be the most authentic and transparent. Some of my best conversations have started with these kinds of off-the-cuff remarks. And yes, SocialOomph definitely has its place. But it’s important to change up the tweet even if it conveys the same kind of message, just to keep it interesting. As far as the white teeth are concerned, that has been popping up EVERYWHERE and it drives me nuts too… lol Thanks so much for your comment. I can’t wait to see NINE!!
I don’t see this as a bad thing at all. If I see one more tweet telling me how I can have whiter teeth I’m going to unfollow the person who signed up for the service that sent it as a matter of principal.
Personally I use SocialOomph to prerecord announcements that have a specific date (“Tickets for our next show go on sale tomorrow!”) so I don’t forget and keep everything else live. Sometimes it’s the random comments that people make that are the most interesting.