Twitter – What’s the fuss all about?

by Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, Copywriting Strategist – Frog Pond Publishing Article

 

This quote has been attributed to Hemingway, Cicero, Voltaire, Mark Twain, and Blaise Pascal. But whoever wrote, “If I more time, I’d have written you a shorter letter” understood it’s more challenging to write short copy than long copy.

 

This has never been more true than with the phenomenon of Twitter athttp://Twitter.com.

 

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that works kind of like instant messaging. You choose who you Follow or allow in your inner circle. Others choose to Follow or Unfollow you based on whatever criteria they have.

 

Then you communicate via text messages of up to 140 characters long (including punctuation and names) called Tweets.  

 

Think of it as a giant cocktail party where you contribute to other conversations, share relevant information, and at times include mindless babble. As my good friend, Scott Stratten www.twitter.com/unmarketing Tweets, “Take 5 mins to read other tweets and comment/reply/retweet. Nothing about you. Build, interact, give.”

 

Sometimes keeping your Tweets under the character limit can be tough, though. So I put together a list of some of the more shorthand so you can work in as many words as possible in your Tweets.

 

• Instead of ‘you’ use ‘u’
• Instead of ‘and’ use ‘&’
• Instead of ‘your’ use ‘ur’
• Instead of ‘for’ use ‘4′
• Instead of ‘to’ or ‘too’ use ‘2′
• Instead of ‘before’ use ‘b4′
• Instead of ‘favorite’ use ‘fave’
• Instead of ‘great’ use ‘gr8′
• Instead of ‘later’ use ‘l8r’
• Instead of ‘people’ use ‘peeps’ or ‘ppl’
• Instead of ‘are’ use ‘r’
• Instead of ‘please’ use ‘plz’
• Instead of ‘thanks’ use ‘thx’
• Instead of ‘with’ use ‘w’

Can it be a contraction? Instead of ‘I will do __’ use ‘I’ll do __’. Do you really need that pronoun? Instead of ‘I hope __’ use ‘Hope __’. Get rid of ‘that’ and ‘the’ whenever possible.

Of course what you choose to Tweet about is even more important than the length of your Tweet.

(Flickr photo/logo by szlea)

©2009, FrogPond. All rights reserved. FrogPond offers you More Royalty-Free Reprintable Articles at FrogPond.com

 

is putting up my listing sign on great updated home in Katy, Tx with pool in Williamsburg Settlement today. Will post MLS information tomorrow.

is starting off the morning at my Cinco Ranch BNI networking meeting and then to the PGG office for our Katy Sunshine Fest planning meeting (event is 4/16).

HOUSING RESCUE PROGRAM DETAILS RELEASED

– President Obama earlier this week unveiled details of his home loan aid plan designed to help millions of Americans who are at risk of losing their homes.

Administration officials say the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan could help nearly nine million households restructure or refinance their mortgages to avoid foreclosure.

The plan includes a $75 billion homeowner stability initiative that targets at-risk homeowners, many of whom have adjustable-rate mortgages that have increased house payments to as much as 50 percent of their monthly incomes.

This initiative offers cash incentives to lenders and borrowers for working out loan modification agreements that result in lower monthly mortgage payments and allow homeowners to keep their homes. Any bank that receives federal money under the Treasury Department’s $700 billion financial rescue program will be required to take part.

Another component of the plan is intended to help as many as five million responsible homeowners who took out conforming loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to refinance through those institutions.

To finance that effort, the Treasury is providing the two companies with up to $200 billion in capital on top of $200 billion that it had already pledged to them.

“This is not going to save every person’s home,” said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. “The plan is not intended to . . . augment somebody’s loan for a house that they couldn’t afford under any economic situation, good or bad.”

According to the latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, nearly 12 percent of homeowners — a record 5.4 million — were at least one month late or in foreclosure at the end of last year.

New York Times/Associated Press

is trying to get out of the office and head home but not making much progress.

finalizing a contract and listing a great corporate lease home in Katy today!

Getting ready for a terrific training session!