I love twitter. That is no secret. But sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake! So I'm curious. What is protocol for @ replies. I absolutely love the interaction, but do you reply to them? All of them? Direct Message or @ reply?
By the way, is twitter hitting the fan or what? Seems like it's gaining momentum and going grassroots!
By the way, is twitter hitting the fan or what? Seems like it's gaining momentum and going grassroots!
18 Comments:
Pastor Mark,
My name is Matt LeRoy and I'm part of a church planting team in Chapel Hill, NC. (And happen to be one of your twitter followers.) Some of our team is in DC for the weekend, and we wondered if we could meet you after one of the Sunday services. I know it's a long shot but we are LIVING a long shot, so why not keep the theme going, right? Thanks for being a dreamer and a chaser. Much love.
Matt
I would not reply to all the replies unless it provokes you to or seems to be a question. Some people, all you do not follow, cannot DM you unless you choose to follow them. It probably seems arrogant to never see anyone replied to, but that does not mean you're truly that way..LOL.
(glad you got the antlers home safely)
Phil U
I usually respond to @replies with a DM. I enjoy the interaction, but unless there is substantial benefit for all (link, key info, etc.), I prefer not to create noise for everyone else.
I agree with Trace. But every once in a while, a reply is easy just to say thanks, and kind of give that person some cred as well.
I find how I respond to be very situational. I tend to @ reply to some things, other times I send a direct message (which will only work if they're actually following you), and sometimes I don't respond at all and just enjoy the one-way attention. Honestly it comes down to whether you want the conversation to be public or not because all @ replies will be public while DMs are not.
If you think of it in Facebook terms, sometimes you'll directly message someone if you intend to have a private conversation but other times you will post on their Wall or comment on something, knowing it will be public.
As to what to reply to, the joy of Twitter is that it's asynchronous communication, so you get to decide what you @ reply or DM or not at all.
What are you using to access Twitter? Some people following you may be @ replying to you, and you don't even see it. Generally, you will only see the @ replies of people you're following as well. If you want to see everyone who's mentioning you, you should use a Twitter app like Tweetdeck (an installed app) or Splitweet (a web app) that will allow you to plug in certain search terms that you want the app to track across all of Twitter, so you can see everything being said about or to you, whether you're following them or not.
I try to @reply to everyone if I have something to say. The beauty of Twitter is the public conversation. Much can be learned from "eavesdropping" on Twitter conversations, and you should consider any convo an open one - feel free to @reply even if your weren't the target of the tweet.
I often reply to @messages with a DM as opposed to another @.
If I think everyone will benefit from the @reply and/or I think I can celebrate the person I am replying to, I will do an @reply.
I use this rubric based on how many @replies drive me a little nuts . . . such as
"@markbatterson I know what you mean! ROTFL."
OR
@markbatterson yes
@messages also come in handy when someone doesn't follow you (if they are using a client that shows @messages and DM's in another color or shade) such as:
@barackobama you slay me! Good one, dude. Get a beer later?
Only @ when you have something to say :) And only DM when it's a private, not-for-everyone's eyes reply. DM's go directly to my phone; if everyone DM'd me instead of @'ing me, my phone would ding itself straight out a window :)
btw-downloaded transparent's song last night. pretty tight. thanks. twitter is great if leveraged timely and appropriately. it is great to gain value and resources as you can watch people post tweets. it is also great for micro-blogging (which is what it really is) for those who spend less time on blogs and more time on twitter. responding is...if there is something you can thank them for or add to the tweet (i fall to the side of not doing it so much unless i have something strong to say or a big thanks because what they wrote influenced me-some respond just to be seen). i often times respond to a person's tweet with a direct message so i don't clog up the list on tweet deck. I do limit the direct message too because it can bog down a person. i don't think people should openly respond too often because it clogs the flow. I think most of the comments on here are right on.
Understanding twetiquette is my new thing, how timely! @ replies are appropriate when you have something to say and can provide some context, since everyone is listening. I don't think you are obligated to @ reply back if your response is not continuing a conversation, like JVo said "@markbatterson yes" doesn't really do much for the listeners out there and just creates noise.
I really enjoy your blogging and tweets! Thanks! @mjnesta
Part of the challenge is that I got 47 @ replies yesterday. I love it. But it's hard to manage email, blog, twitter, and facebook all at the same time. So many channels of communication!
Mark
Mark, LOTS of communication channels. You should not feel obligated to respond to all your replies. As social media increases and more applications get developed you will need to form a strategy to deal with everything! You might bring this up with Greg Atkinson today at the Church 2.0 forum.
Matt,
I don't think Sunday works, but maybe Saturday night. Not 100% sure. Want to email my assistant, Juliet? Her email is Juliet@theaterchurch.com. Sure would love to connect.
Mark
Mark,
Have You ever heard of Tweet Deck?
If you have then disregard this message and have a great weekend!
If not I will briefly explain. TD for short, allows you to put all the people that are following you into certain categories. This helps you manage all the differnt people following you. It also makes for easier communication when dealing with @replies and with @d. This is a tool that has been most helpful in keeping up with many people.
Hey Mark, it was great to meet you briefly this afternoon (downstairs of Ebenezer's)!
My recommendation is to respond the same way someone contacts you. If they leave a voice mail, I call back. If they send an email, I email back. If they @ reply me on Twitter I @reply back (unless it is a private / personal matter) and if they DM me I DM them back. However, in order for someone to DM you on Twitter, you have to be following them first (which gives permission for the private message).
Chasing the goose.... Greg
I think it really depends on how YOU want to interact with your followers. I think if you start responding to a lot of @replies, out of courtesy to your facebook friends, I'd turn off updates over there. I have friends who tweet 100 times an hour and then it fills up my stream on facebook because they have it set to update both. Now THAT is rude. (At least in my humble opinion.)
If you send someone a DM that is following you, but you aren't following back, it really is a one way street because they won't be able to DM you.
I'm friends with some of the biggest people on Twitter (ie not celebrities who operate on a one way street) and they operate differently from person to person. It's all about the community YOU are creating within your twitter stream. As someone who is a paid social media speaker, I think I have a little cred here. :-D
~Terry
Oh yeah, and for anyone that would like to follow me (warning I tweet a LOT)I'm: @deucehartley
Hey PM,
I nearly always respond to @ replies with @ replies. Often others are following the conversation, and a hidden reply breaks that flow. I only use DMs to respond to DMs or if an answer needs to be private.
As for which ones to reply to, well, I'd just pick the ones you feel will provide the most benefit. I'd especially be sure to reply to the one's that are repeated. For instance, when 10 people say "Good luck on your trip, we'll be praying for you," I may not respond to each, but I will say "Thanks for all of the prayers!"
At some point can be too difficult to keep up with all of the replies. You'll probably want to let some of them slide, but I do think it's important to engage people. If you want some more tips, @pwilson is especially good at engaging online.
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