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Twitter is such a brilliant platform to meet people just going by the sheer number and variety of people with whom you can easily connect with on it. This is such a big surprise to so many people that they get carried away and loose it , instead of building a network , they end up building up numbers or not building at all. The meaningful leverage of twitter is only possible if networking is taken seriously and worked upon . Else you will have numbers on your twitter page that are just numbers and nothing else. So here goes what I learnt about building friends on twitter .

1. Tweet meaningful things : Gone are the days when tweeting about forgetting to tie your shoelaces was trendy on twitter , it is now passe and the onus now is on sharing , discussing and informing . So if you have been overtly tweeting mundane stuff like the drip of sauce on your dog’s brow , after the first tweet , it gets buggy and people don’t like it . Grab eyeballs say meaningful things and share info . Engage in conversations , that is the twitter strategy that will work
2. Stop pedestal level tweets : Tweets that are sounding like a prophet delivering a sermon from a mountain will get you nowhere , at the best you will sound like Reggie from Archies
3. It is not just about reciprocation : Within your network , do not base a relationship just on you tweet me and I will tweet you . Ask , Understand , help out and hear out what people say . The mutual sharing should be voluntary and pleasing not forced and mechanical
4. Meet in person : This is a deal cincher , if you can meet as many of your local tweeps as possible, the relationship is solid and well founded . They can also related to you better .Tweet-ups are a good means for this
5. Expect the unexpected : Sometimes conversations go out of hand even with your friends , accept that like in real life and ensure that you argue but don’t fight , it’s ok to differ but don’t irk or get irked beyond a point . That is detrimental
6. IntelliDM : Use the DM feature intelligently to talk about things that may not look nice on the time-line , that way , the conversation is private and confidential

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Shakthi Social Media, Twitter online, relationships, reputation, Twitter

The twitter DM or Direct Messages as they expand to are now being touted as equivalent to or the next e-mail system and are buzzing everywhere . It is a wonderful feature no doubt but a few changes to it will definitely go a long way in making the DM more useful and the twitter experience more pleasing. From my little head , the following things could be added to make DMs better and effective and their management easier

1. Batch Select and process : There should be a “Select All” , “Archive” , “Delete” option in the DM page that would allow a tweep to select all or a few DMs and process them in batches , the current method of dealing with each message separately makes it very strenuous and tough to delete a lot of the useless things that get accumulated over time .Currently it is a pain and the possibility of accidentally deleting a useful and genuine DM meant for me is very high .Additionally there could be a radio-button adjoining each message that facilitates selective batch inclusion
2. Message Flagging : Twitter could try and look for patterns like Dojo , gift , Britney , MLM , Forex, Teeth Whitening and the like and flag them in a different color , one look and we know what to read and what to delete .That would be a blessing
3. Message Replication at recipient : The current scheme of DMs is implemented in such a way that if I send you a DM and you delete it , it disappears from my sent box and your inbox . This works both ways , If I accidentally delete something that you sent , it is gone from both sides forever .This can be solved by enabling replication and not linking of the message at the recipient end , that would mean that one copy of the message is potentially safe . In the scenario of someone sending me and objectionable DM and me wanting to sue , he can just delete it and deny it’s existence , poof ! So we really need a snapshot view and not a linked view
4. Sender qualification : Unless someone follows me , he shouldn’t be able to send me a DM , otherwise , replying is a mess and we will be left begging someone to follow you to respond to any DM that they sent you
5. Archive option : Like I mentioned in the first point , there should be an archive into which I can put selected DMs into for future reference , this need not hold all DMs , I should be able to select what gets archived

If all these get implemented , the DM system would be unbeatable

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Shakthi Twitter changes, DM, Twitter, wishlist

Impersonation is the act of wantedly taking on the identity of another person for personal gain or with intention to damage a person’s character , image or reputation .Silly and psychotic as it sounds , it is really dangerous both on twitter and in the real world . On twitter it is very easy impersonate anyone , all you need is to know their name and get your hands on a decent photo of them . You can then create an id on twitter and start tweeting as them . Scared now ? Me too ! Read on . Let us discuss some relevant points on this really important topic today

1. Impersonation affects only celebrities : This is a common misconception . No , it can affect you too , it is really easy to create another handle that sounds like like yours and start tweeting just like you . Then the onus would be on you to prove that you are you . That can be cagey and dicey at the same time .So be on the guard all the time . One good practice is when you change handles , block the older one , or someone will squat on it and confuse your friends. Or worse they an use the old one to make potentially venomous and damaging tweets that will eventually hurt you .Celebrities pay a higher price for it , but it damages everyone just about the same extent in relative degree
2. Impersonation is flattery : Maybe in the real world or in a reality TV show , definitely not on twitter. There are many movie stars and other famous personalities who will vouch for the fact that it does damage and nothing else. Think of this example , someone impersonates you and tweets nonsense about your boss’s wife and ensures that your boss can see it in his time-line . Or worse , they tweet about a fling and your wife sees the tweet . That can hurt ! So when you see an impersonator swat them right away . It is not flattery by any stretch of that word
3. Twitter is free and anyone can be me : Nope , twitter is free alright , but anyone can’t be you . If you can prove to twitter than you are you and the other is an impostor , twitter will promptly knock the impersonator and support your legal rights over the impostor to sue for damages
4. Twitter is against ALL impersonation : Nope , think again ! Parody impersonation , or impersonation with stated intent and purpose to criticize or make fun of a popular personality is allowed as long as it states clearly in the bio that it is a fake account intended for that . There are quite a few of them around a pretty popular too (yeah , there is one for Chuck Norris too )

So what if want to report impersonation ?

In order to investigate impersonation, twitter needs the following information filed in the twitter web support as a ticket :

• Username of the person impersonating you (or the URL of their profile page):
• Your First and Last Name:
• Your Twitter username (if you have one):
• Address:
• Phone:

Please let twitter know if you would like to remove the impersonation with no interest in using Twitter, or if you are reporting the impersonation because you’d like to use Twitter with your own name.

If you are not the person involved in the impersonation, but are legally authorized to act their behalf, please include the information above in addition this information:

• Name:
• Company name:
• Title:
• Phone:
• Fax:
• Company domain address:
• Company domain email address:
• Legal relationship to the person/entity involved:

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Twitter is the ultimate meeting and greeting place , it is now THE place to meet and network and share info . That makes it very important for you to come across as a nice and decent person on twitter .That is extremely important in people deciding to follow and become your friend .Many people get carried away with numbers and forget to be nice . That is counter productive . Here are a few ways that I think a person can come across as nice on twitter and be liked by fellow tweeps

1. Acknowledge Info : Whenever you see a brilliant tweet and know that spreading it will get you good exposure , remember that the RT button is there precisely for this . It is a good practice to acknowledge and leave the source of the tweet intact . Otherwise , it will not be long before people see through your tweets and find the real source of the information . Always Acknowledge Info and attribute it correctly
2. Converse and Connect : Anyone who forgets to talk to friends on twitter is going to miss them soon . The only distinction between a bot and you is the fact that you can communicate and interact with friends .If u get carried away and just keep broadcasting , then you will come across as a snob or a wannabe snob and both are not nice at all .But remember twitter is not IM and everything is public and visible
3. Build a trusted group : Consciously and painstakingly build a group of people that you trust . This is important , you need them to grow and be trusted . And work on this group and keep growing it with good and genuine folks . That is the right way to grow on twitter
4. Return favors without being asked : When there are people who will re-tweet you regularly and trust your information , remember , do not wait for them to ask you , do the same for them . That makes the relationship mutual and nice . People will then feel nice about knowing you . If you expect them to do everything and you just sit back and relax , one day , they will be gone for sure
5. Tag correctly : Everyone tweets NSFW stuff once in a while , ensure that you tag it properly when you do that
6. Be Sensitive to folks : Never take sides on religious/regionally sensitive issues on the time-line , you always end up hurting one side . Be mindful that it takes a while to get trust and only a sec to loose it . Moreover , it is a waste of time getting dragged into controversies . Tweets are indexed by search engines and the whole world can search and see you take sides . Think about it
7. Respect Everyone : Never take anyone for granted , remember this when you add comments to RT-ed tweets.Use your comments to bring out the tweet or your side and NOT to put down the guy who said it

That’s all I know . See you in the next . And if u like , pls follow me at http://twitter.com/v_shakthi

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Twitter is a lovely place to meet and connect and one of the best ways to network is to get re-tweeted . While many would agree with that , there is a big number of people who would love to master this difficult art . I call it art because there is no formula for this . To each one his own . Here is what I learnt . Remember , theses are only “Tips” not “Methods” or “Rules” .

1. Tweet Links : Chances are that if your tweet has useful information along with a useful link , people will relate to the reading material and find sharing meaningful
2. Tweet Regularly : If u tweet regularly and establish a pattern to your tweets , chances are that your followers know when to get what from you and they too would in turn like to leverage that to help their networking
3. Tweet Fitting : Even the best tweet in the world will not get re-tweeted if it does not fit well within the 140 char limit , remember the re-tweeter’s handle length and the space for a comment should be democratically provided , else there is no point
4. Tweet Timing : If you tweet about a current trend and it is a sensible and thought provoking tweet , chances are that it will get re-tweeted , yesterday’s news rarely gets attention today .
5. Tweet wording : Make a tweet hold and reward attention . The reader should read it fully and like reading it so much that he/she wants to share it . Terse and senseless commentary never gets re-tweeted
6. Tweet Link Service : NEVER use a URL shortener that people don’t trust , use widely used . respected and validated URL shorteners , no one will re-tweet a tweet with a suspect URL
7. Tweet Sense : Use the right attention words , like a blatant RT request or more subtle requests like “Blog Updated:” , they do work most of the time
8. Tweet and get Tweeted : The last but not the least thing to remember is that only if you re-tweet others’ stuff , they will feel like returning your favor , do not behave like celebrities who have one-way twitter networks , interact and communicated

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I have been on twitter since 13 Jan 2009 (not a long time, less than a year ) , but enough to learn a few things . These are things that come in handy on a lot of occasions believe me .Every incident that taught me is etched very sharply in my memory .Let me share them with you and I am sure you will agree that they are indeed scary things .

1. Avatars lie : Look at mine and try meeting me in person , you will understand what I mean . I looked like my Avatar eons ago , so long ago that the next sequel to Jurassic Park can conveniently feature it . Jokes apart , I have seen that a very few tweeps use their own photo and when they do , it rarely resembles them in their current state ! Some tweeps go overboard with the most annoying ones , there are “celebrities” with Dog photos in their avatar and there a people with celebrity photos in their avatar . That is a psychological quirk that fails me . I can understand a cartoon character that you identify with , but a dog ?
2. Glory gets Gory : There is a new breed of tweeps who have a fixed strategy for tweeting , they RT other’s tweets and try and Add snide remarks as their claim to fame . Nothing can be more irritating believe me . Cracking a joke is fine , but this is like constantly riding somebody’s back to show the world that you are tall . Then they pull out select tweeps and start conversations with the sole intent of annoying them and they rejoice when they succeed at that . Sad , but true and I have borne the brunt of quite a few .They normally have a few weirdo groupies who pounce on you .
3. Bravery Anonymous : There are some tweeps who will never get out of the safety of their handle , not once will they mention their real name or real locations or even real intent .They get so much into the character of their handles that they start fooling themselves that twitter is another world and they are a different person here . That is demented to the core .These are guys who go on mindlessly ranting crap about a city or a community or even a person . If they do it in real life , you betcha , they will be either in a hospital or a jail !
4. Stalker Talker : These are guys that are following you , they never RT you , or @ mesg you or even show any signs of life , but suddenly they spring up and call you things like “handsome” , “clever” , “intelligent” and then go back to oblivion . They give me the jitters all the time .
5. RT the girls and follow only them : Yep , there is a bunch of tweeps who follow ONLY girls and their only tweets are RTs of whatever the girls tweet , nothing else . Nothing else at all !Why ? This is their idea of fun ! Sick man !
6. The Pseudo-celebs : These are people who are in popular lines of work like actors , sportsmen , mediapersons . But they themselves don’t make the cut in their fields in the real world and pretend to be Great ones on twitter . They do weird things like throwing kisses to boys following them , asking a seemingly intellectual question , collecting responses , but rarely responding to anything they are asked . Writers pretending to be change makers , IT experts who never tweet about IT and much rather about Pak citizens gt irked by Indian Visa authorities and the like .Repulsive to say the least . The followers get fooled into thinking that they really matter to them when they don’t
7. IM spillovers : Remember the A/S/L age ? quite a few people sign up on twitter to randomly follow pple and tell them “I am new to twitter , help me” , you reply and the next question is “A/S/L ?” followed by “can we be fraands ?” . Seriously WTF stuff . Totally irritating !
8. Block round the Clock : These are people who bitch about you on twitter , but they do it AFTER blocking you , so that you can’t respond or see it and at the same time become a laughing stock at their hands ! That is the height of nonsense and cowardice and it is sadly a new trend that I am seeing .

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Ever wondered what twitter considers spam ? Well here is a list to start with

1. If you have followed a large amount of users in a short amount of time;
2. If you have followed and unfollowed people in a short time period, particularly by automated means (aggressive follower churn)
3. If you repeatedly follow and unfollow people, whether to build followers or to garner more attention for your profile
4. If you have a small number of followers compared to the amount of people you are following
5. If your updates consist mainly of links, and not personal updates
6. If a large number of people are blocking you
7. The number of spam complaints that have been filed against you
8. If you post duplicate content over multiple accounts or multiple duplicate updates on one account
9. If you post multiple unrelated updates to a topic using hashtags
10. If you post multiple unrelated updates to a trending or popular topic
11. If you send large numbers of duplicate @replies
12. If you send large numbers of unsolicited @replies in an attempt to spam a service or link
13. If you repost other user’s content without attribution.
14. If you have attempted to “sell” followers, particularly through tactics considered aggressive following or follower churn.
15. 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).

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