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  Much has been said about the impact of social networking, some of which celebrates its innovation, some let’s just say, doesn’t exactly sing its praises

  Emperor's New Clothes? Or great way of keeping in touch? Here at Viva the jury is out but the way we look at it, sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Bebo have revolutionised the way we communicate on both a personal and professional level, and dismissing that power is foolhardy.
  
  In 2009, when Twitter grumblings had just surfaced, we saw how effective social platforms such as Twitter could be. The controversy surrounding the result of the Iranian election found its voice through the internet and in particular Twitter. The American company even delayed maintenance on the site so young Iranians could continue their own style of citizen journalism.
  
  It’s examples like this which signal the future direction of communication and news gathering on the international stage. In order to adapt to these changes, PR companies and journalists alike have set out their stall, keen to embrace social networking as a new tool of the trade. For PRs it changes the rules of interaction with journalists, forcing us to be that extra bit creative and adventurous to tantalise our Journo friends. 
  
  

  Viva PR’s Simple Guide to Twitter 

  Twitter, for those in the know, can be an effective business and networking tool but we understand that navigating you way through the Twittersphere can be tricky especially when you’re starting out!  

  So, here at Viva, we thought that we would share with you our simple guide to becoming a fully-fledged member of the Twitterati! 

  The Twitter Basics 

  Twitter is a social media site that is an easy way of keeping in touch with people and letting them know what you’re doing. 

  Each message (otherwise known as a tweet) you post is a maximum of 140 characters so it’s quick and easy to do. 

  How do I get started? 

  Log on to www.twitter.com and follow the instructions to register – you will need to choose a username so have a think about what’s most suitable for what you are on Twitter for. Most people use their name or business name – sometimes these will be taken by other people so you may have to come up with something slightly different. For example our Twitter username is @VivaTweets 

  How to I post a message (tweet)? 

  To post a tweet just start typing in the box at the top of the screen – it will tell you if your message is too long – then just press tweet! Your message should appear on the screen! 

  How do I follow other people? 

  At the beginning you’ll be tweeting to yourself. If you want to see what other people are saying you will need to follow them. To do this click on ‘Search’ at the top of the page. You can then search for who you want to follow – to follow them just click on the ‘follow’ icon next to their name. 

  When you starting out it’s best to follow friends, family and a few known business contacts first and get them to follow you back. 

  What are my followers?

  Just as you can follow other people they can follow you. To see who’s following you click on ‘followers’ towards the top right hand of the screen.

  Why do people use @username?

  If you want to mention other people in your tweet or you want to make sure they see your tweet include @ussername in your message e.g. I’d like to thank @vivatweets for their help today. To view messages referring to your username click on @mentions at the top of your newsfeed. 

  Can I send a message that no-one else will see? 

  Everything you tweet can be viewed by anyone else on Twitter. But if you want to send a private message you can click on ‘direct message’ on the right hand side. Here you can send a direct message and see direct messages sent to you – a bit like your email inbox.

  Retweets, Hashtags and Trending Topics 

  Yes we know it sounds like a foreign language but once you have got your head around the basics then you can really start to get into it! 

  Retweets - If you want to share a tweet that you’ve read that is fun, interesting or you just think others might want to read it then you can retweet it. 

  You may see some people start a message with RT (short for retweet) then copy the tweet they’ve read. But you don’t need to do this as you can now simply click on the retweet icon at the bottom of the tweet.

  Hashtags – this is a tool to connect tweets together. You simply put a # in front of a word to turn it into a topic. For example if you wanted to talk about The X Factor you could tweet #xfactor Wow that performance was rubbish! You can then click on your hashtag to view all the tweets that have included this topic. 

  Trending Topics – the most popular topics talked about within the Twittersphere will become trending topics (TT). You can see all current trending topics to the right hand side of your feed. Tweet using the relevant hashtag to join in the trend. 

  Is that it? 

  Yes that’s all you need to get going! 

  You can tweet about anything you want whether it’s what you’re doing at that moment in time, a strange experience you’ve had that day or even a question that you would like answering.

  How can I use Twitter in my business? 

  Remember that Twitter can be a useful business tool! It allows you to keep up to date with clients and the market and lets clients access a more personal side of your business. 

  When using Twitter it’s good to keep in mind a few rules. Here is our quick guide to the Do’s and Don’ts of Tweeting: 

  DON’T follow hundreds of people straight away. If you’re following hundreds but only have a few followers yourself, people will think you have nothing worthy to tweet. Try to keep the numbers even and follow back the people that you find interesting. 

  DO follow people in your local area such as journalists, local personalities, councillors etc. Follow people that you think could be interested in your business and tweet them! Some businesses effectively use Twitter to build some great relationships. 

  DO have a clear message and objective before you start tweeting. What role will twitter play in your overall business objectives? 

  DO link to your website! Make it as easy as possible for clients to find you! 

  DO be unique! Find something to set you apart from the rest. It could be a daily tip, pictures, competition or a speciality for witty comments – identify what makes your business special and put it on Twitter! 

  DO make your tweets witty and light. Always ask yourself would I find this interesting? If not what can you do to sprinkle the glitter and make your tweets sparkle? Allow the personality of the person writing to shine through and always have a sense of humour. 

  DO be careful about what you tweet! Everyone knows a story of someone who has his or her reputation burned by Twitter. Don’t tweet about how bored you are or that your boss is an idiot! Remember your clients have to like you! 

  DO interact! Tweet strangers or contact celebrities that may be related to your business. Ask them opinions and questions and let them know about your business. Try and build up a reputation by always responding quickly to @ and direct messages.  

  DO keep your tweets current! Get involved in Trending Topics! It is a fantastic way to engage with other people.  Retweeting other people’s tweets and adding your opinion to topics is a great way to attract new followers. But make sure that the topics are not too popular, for example the X Factor feeds on a Saturday night updates so fast that your tweet may never get seen. 

  DON’T spam! Trying to be clever using a popular hashtag as a way of promoting an unrelated business venture or product is Twitter suicide. 

  DO commit time and resources to it – don’t abandon your Twitter feed! There is no excuse not to tweet at least once a day. You should always keep up to date with messages and conversation. Twitter is as much a direct link to your business as email and telephone. 

  DON’T tweet to often you don’t want clients to think business is slow! 6-8 Tweets per day is a maximum. 

  DO keep on top of what people are tweeting about you. The great thing about Twitter is that you can see what people are saying - good or bad. Spend time searching key phrases to see what has been tweeted. You can also use Twitter to keep up with your competitors’ activity. 

  DON’T simply broadcast your business news! Make sure your profile has a mixture of different tweets – the key combination should be your own tweets, links to your website, TT’s, retweets and conversations. Tweet offers, events and promotions but keep this to once or twice per month. 

  For daily PR comment, blogs and tips follow Viva on Twitter at www.twitter.com/vivatweets