To Tweet or not to Tweet?

“Do you Twitter?…”

“No! – I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“It’s a waste of time.”

“I don’t know how it works.”

“What’s the point?”

To Tweet or not to Tweet? 

That is the question. Some people take to Twitter like a white bird to a blue background. Others are more hesitant citing confusion, disinterest or even a fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. But Twitter doesn’t have to be scary – and it can be a lot of fun/a great source of information/a superb business tool/a lifesaver.

One step at a time

I hear a lot of people complain that they don’t ‘get’ Twitter, that it’s a waste of time, that it’s pointless.

My response?

How do you know unless you try it?

If we all did the same thing every day, day in day out we would never try any thing new, never learn anything new, never meet anyone new. If I stayed at home in front of my computer each day I wouldn’t know that there are curlews and oyster-catchers a mile from my house, I wouldn’t say hello to the three dog walkers that I greet each day and I wouldn’t listen to the old albums on my iPod and realise that I still know all the words to ‘The Beaten Generation’ by The The. Like most things in life sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and do it. Try it. Give it a whirl. Dip your toe in the water.

After all, what have you got to lose?

The Ever-Changing Landscape of Twitter

A beautiful day

Twitter is a resource, a treasure trove, a forum, a help line and a connection to people all over the world 24 hours a day. Got a problem with your computer? Tweet about it and you’ll get a reply. Want to know the best place to stay in Edinburgh this weekend? Tweet and find the answer in 140 characters or less.

When Japan was hit by the devastating earthquake earlier this year it was Twitter that spread the news first, that sent photographs around the world within minutes and that saved lives as doctors used it to coordinate their aid efforts.

Some days I get carried away in a stream the absolute gems that flood my screen – daily photographs by Terry Richardson or Perou, hysterical quips from Caitlin Moran or Grace Dent, news headlines that make it to Twitter before they hit the BBC news pages, downloads, infograms, links to amazing websites, blogs, rants and things that make you go ‘hmmm’ … and it’s all there for the taking. What’s not to love?

And for businesses, well – businesses of all shapes and sizes are just starting to realise the power of Twitter.

Over to you

If you’ve been brave and dipped your toe into the Twittersphere – what’s the best thing you’ve ever found there? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment box below.

 

I looked at my son who started High School this year today and wondered why I was missing him so much. He’s got a head full of maths and science revision, a uniform that looks like he’s been through a hedge backwards and a shy, almost teenage smile. And I miss him.

I miss the baby that he was and I miss the little boy who I ferried to school in the car or on a wobbly bike ride every day for the last six years.

Why do I miss him so much?

Because it was during these car journeys or during these wobbly bike rides (“I said STOP AT THE KERB”) that we would talk. And I mean really talk. The kind of talking you do when you don’t have to look at the other person, the kind of talking that’s easy to do and that’s when you put your world to rights.

Nowadays my son waits for a knock at the front door, pulls his school bag over his shoulder, grabs his lunch money and  he’s gone – shambling up the street with his mates without so much as a backwards glance. My morning slots have gone. My afternoons of ‘How was your day?’ don’t have the same space, the same solid regularity.

Yes, we still talk – but it’s not the same. Timing is all.

Every day, at around about the same time, a little email pops into my inbox from the mighty Copyblogger. It could be a list of top tips for writing killer headlines, it could something along the lines of the marvellously titled “5 Things Depeche Mode Can Teach You About Effective Content Marketing”, it could be a free WordPress theme to download or a link to their latest podcast. No matter what it is, a large part of the reason that I am such an avid follower of the site is that I always receive their emails at about the same time of day. They’re like clockwork. And I always read them.

A large part of being a writer is making a regular space for your writing. It’s about making yourself open so that ideas and inspiration can flow. It’s the same for reading – and for talking. Making space in your life for communication, whether it’s between yourself and your ideas, yourself and your inbox or yourself and your family, time – and timing – is everything.

How do you make time to communicate in your life?

Oh, I love Twitter. I do, I do. It keeps me company late at night when everyone else has gone to bed, it allows me to stalk my favourite celebrities (although Duran Duran’s John Taylor has yet to acknowledge my existence) and it helps me to write blog posts.

Like this one.

 Long Tails, Lady Gaga and Language

When I told Paul and Steve, the super patient guys over @Total WSI

, what the URL for this new site was going to be they grinned and said, simply, ‘Nice’. Because if you think about keywords and SEO and all that technical stuff that super patient web designers think about then ‘Copywriter Newcastle’ works.

It also works if you think about all that technical stuff, like long-tail keywords and short-tail keywords and SEO, as this little thing called language.

It’s the language that people use to type words in to that little oval box in the top corner of their search engine (in between their searches for YouTube videos of iPads being blended, babies rollerskating, gossipy Facebook updates and Lady Gaga’s latest tweet to her monsters).

Less about the Copywriter …

Now, I could start to write about copywriting and about what a copywriter does but I think that if someone gets as far as Googling ‘Copywriter Newcastle’ I can assume, for this first blog post least, that they know what someone like me does and why they might need my services.

So, instead I thought I would focus on Newcastle and on the North East. Back to Twitter and a quick Tweet before dashing out to a client meeting:

‘A specific North East question for a new feature – all replies much appreciated. ‘What? Where inspires you in this region?’#NEFollowers’

On my return to my desk I had a whole host of replies that would make any Geordie or Mackem proud.

More about the Newcastle …

The creatives over at @studioprecept, ‘A multi-disciplinary creative studio applying design and direction to help your business flourish’(who have the funkiest sofa and the coolest cushions) said:

“Geordies, Bars, Beer, Wine, NUFC, Creative Industry, Art and Culture, Music, Quayside, Ouseburn, the list goes on… ”

 Angela May, @angelsmay1,‘A busy, busy mum of 2, sewing, crafting & creating from old fabrics, scraps and buttons. Love tea, vintage china, faffing about in charity shops and the seaside’ said:

“Seven Stories, Biscuit Factory, Barter Books, The Laing, The Baltic…. Will keep thinking! …”

Elsewhere @RevSimonWard, ‘Itinerant Reformed Baptist minister and writer, school governor, runner, swimmer and pescatarian! A re-tweet is not necessarily an endorsement – but it may be’ said:

“As a relative newcomer to this region: it is the (1) undiscovered beauty of the NE(2) friendliness of the people #nefollowers“

 And then he followed that with:

 ”Newcastle itself! #amazing #nefollowers“

 Further north Lee Gray from @gandsorganics, ‘Organic smallholders in the windy Northumberland hills selling our meat and veg through our box scheme OH is @Organicbeth give us a follow and join in the fun!’ said:

 ”Constant Geordie optimism”

 This is from a man who gets up at 2am every Thursday morning to make deliveries of organic food boxes – and who has never missed a week yet – so if anyone knows about Geordie optimism it’s Lee!

 Chris Rooney, a fellow scribe, ‘Writer and fascinating – indeed intriguing – fellow with wide ranging interests. Especially interested in the shape of the universe and watching TV’, said:

 ”The power of place”

 ” … Since I took up walking, become very aware of the region’s deep historical roots, human roots, generations of people in place.”

 So it’s an inspiration that runs deep.

 Which brings me nicely onto a post from the very aptly named Neville Tynemouth who said that inspiration for him was:

 Presenting on that subject tomorrow – one thing for me – Tyne Bridge on Great North Run day.

The Great North Run - Nova International

Fiona Simpson at ArtVenturers, ‘Art & creative events company for children in Sunderland. Classes, parties, workshops, holiday sessions-we’re on a mission to get children of all ages creating!’ replied:

“The coastline. Stunning and dramatic in all seasons.”

Which I have to agree with, while Joanne Dolezal ‘Holistic thinker!’said:

“Embleton Bay… and thousands of great, local entrepreneurs!”

A Month of Ups and Downs

In a month where unemployment in the North East rose by 19,000 to 142,000 and small businesses in the region emerged as ‘the strongest in the country when it comes to boosting the economy’ (that is according to the latest research, organised and created by Barclays Bank, which praised the region for its strong “entrepreneurial spirit.”) the idea of inspiration couldn’t be more important.

This feeling was summed up in a Tweet by Speedy from @PoliticsNE, ‘Bit of a political animal, slightly left of centre, blogger, loves the North East, Local issues, sport and good music. Hates unfairness and discrimination’ who said:

“The people, their friendliness, humour and resilience.”

 And you can’t say fairer than that.

With thanks to the brilliant Shelley Armstrong at www.NewcastleGateshead.com