Twitter and Productivity – The seven deadly virtues

In case you don’t know what Twitter is, the basic premise of it is that you post short frequent updates about what you’re currently doing. You can also subscribe, or “follow”, other users. Not a lot of us are interested in that – you might think. That could be the case, or not, as there are a lot of people out there who have thousands of followers.

So what is the point of this?

The main thing regarding twitter is that it can be a productivity gain, or a dead loss, depending on how you intend to use. If you are just using it to “tweet” random things like “I’m walking home from work” then there is little gain from using it, other than as an ego gratification tool.

Ok, so now you have it in a nutshell what Twitter is.

One of the ways that Business is using this tool is to connect with customers on a more real-time level, providing a bit more personalised stream of information. This is a useful way of keeping up with what’s happening with products and services that you’re interested. The difference being with Twitter is that it’s permission based, rather than “We have your email and we’re holding it to ransom”. At least spam hasn’t quite reached this far yet, although I predict that within 6 months to a year there will be an awful lot more spam than there is now.

I’ve found that you need to focus on what you “Tweet” about in order to make twitter useful. There is really no need for us to know about your dog, or what you had for breakfast. There isn’t any need for us to know about any part of your life really.

Sharing a link that you found useful, or telling us how you manage to get so much done on the other hand, could be. The advantage to you of your productivity is that you get a record of what you found out, we get to share it, and you might just understand what you shared a little bit better.

Then there is the commitment aspect. If you say that you are going to do something, and put it down in writing, you are more likely to feel committed to it, and actually get round to doing it. Maybe.

Next there is the improvement you will see in your writing, as you struggle (at first) to get used to the limited number of characters you have to express yourself. You may get frustrated at first, but if you persevere, you will get better. Trust me on that one.

Below are some tips on how to make yourself productive (rather than a time waster) on Twitter.

  1. Tweet as many of the things you’re doing out to the world as you can.
  2. Be specific.
  3. Be honest.
  4. Ask questions.
  5. Answer questions when you have a good answer to give.
  6. Respond to other people when you have the time.
  7. Don’t be afraid to experiment, or ditch it if it isn’t working for you.

For other ideas on this see: http://lifedev.net/2007/01/how-to-use-twitter-as-a-productivity-tool/ or http://lifedev.net/2006/12/twitter-business-gain-or-productivity-drain/ from which this post took inspiration.

Feel free to add your own tips and ideas in the comments.

Similar Posts:


A few of the more interesting search terms used to reach this site

stream of consciousness writing

Fair enough, links to this post – stream of consciousness writing

www.robotii.co.uk

If you know the address of the site, why are you typing into google and not the address bar… wait… that was probably me :-)

why do i i daydream too much

Probably because you you spend way too much time on the internet asking stupid questions.

visual basic script that deletes file recursive

Now on the newly created Scripts page

tips for getting to sleep

My website obviously helps with this.

“russian superweapon”

My personal favourite.

Similar Posts:


Quote of the Day

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” Robert A. Heinlein

Similar Posts:


Stream of Consciousness Writing

BuildingI want to tell you about a technique that I have been using in order to replace journalling, which I have found does not work very well with me. This technique is similar to journalling, but has a few important differences. Both “stream of consciousness writing” and journalling have the emotional and “From the Heart” aspect to it, where the feeling is important, perhaps even more than the content. Both allow you to sort out, and put down on paper [or computer] what you are thinking and feeling at the time.

I have never been a fan of the Steve Pavlina school of journalling, whereby it is used as a problem solving tool. I believe that it is better not to think of it as a tool for problem solving, but rather as a means of expression. That is not to say that it cannot or should not be used in that manner, but that I have found that it is better (in spite of what Steve says on this subject) to actually go back and read what you have written. Sometimes I find something in there that I never noticed whilst I was writing. However, there are no “Journal Police”, to paraphrase a popular expression, so I wouldn’t recommend that you take what I have said here as an absolute. There is a lot of scope for manoeuvre on this.

I should probably tell you what is different from the standard sort of journal keeping that is normally(?) done, at least from what I’ve read about it. Firstly, I should point out that I am using Tomboy as the note taking application, which probably makes it a little bit different from conventional journals already, in that hyperlinking is supported, as well as various means of categorising the notes thus created. The major difference between journalling and the “stream of consciousness” that flows from my typing is that revision of the notes is perfectly legitimate thing to do. However, there are some caveats to the way that I handle this, which can probably be surmised from the title of this post.

There are two steps in the process, both of which are vital for the process to work successfully. They are detailed below. Read more »

Similar Posts:


Quotes I need to find sources for

“Never go off on tangents, which are lines that intersect a curve at only one point and were discovered by Euclid, who lived in the 3rd century B.C., which was the end of the Middle Formative Period in Meso-America, where many principal sites of settlement were in the area that we now know as Belize, a common destination for SCUBA-diving tourists.” — Mostly me

“If you write for God, you will reach many people and bring them joy. If you write for people, you may make some money and you may give someone a little joy and you may make a noise in the world for a little while. If you write for yourself, you can read what you yourself have written and after ten minutes you will be so disgusted you will wish you were dead.”

Similar Posts:


How to write an excellent Best Man’s Speech

Since most of the hits from my site come from the Best Mans Speech I wrote for Richard’s wedding, I thought this makes me totally qualified to write on “How to write a Best Man’s speech”. Here goes.

Firstly, there is no point in using a canned speech, except maybe as a guide on how to structure the piece. The best Best Man’s Speeches are those that are unique to the individual groom, and need to reflect this as such. There is no point in putting funny stuff from other speeches just because they are funny – they need to contain more than a hint of truth. Read more »

Similar Posts:


Tips on getting to sleep

  • Wind down prior to bedtime
  • Do not smoke (nicotine is a stimulant) or consume caffeine
  • Try warm milk or a light snack before bed (if this doesn’t interfere with another treatment you are using)
  • Exercise daily, but not right before bedtime
  • Take a warm bath, but not right before bedtime
  • Keep a regular bedtime and rising time
  • Get in the habit of going to bed when you are sleepy and sleeping where you sleep best
  • Reserve your bed for sleeping only
  • Don’t have any clocks visible to you
  • Reduce the amount of time you allow yourself to sleep until you fall asleep easily (your health care provider can help with this form of “sleep restriction therapy”
  • Schedule worry time during the day and put worries out of your head when it is time to sleep; you can write them down on 3×5 cards, and then let go of them
  • Get up if you have not fallen asleep in 15 minutes and practice a relaxing activity (e.g. handwork, reading a boring book) until you feel sleepy

Similar Posts:


|