9 Ways to Get More From Twitter
If you talk about social media, invariably someone is going to say something I’m sure you’ve heard a lot: “I don’t have time to chit-chat. Time is money, and I don’t care about a bunch of nerds’ opinions anyway.” …or something along those lines! Twitter is often the target of such criticism.
Now, reading Social Media Examiner, you might be surprised to hear that sometimes I think people who say this have a point. Sometimes.
Fact is, if you see Twitter or any other social media service as a venue for chit-chat, and that’s how you use it for hours a day, then you’re likely better off doing something more productive with your time.
On the other hand, there are ways to get a lot of value out of Twitter. As with most things, it all depends on how you use it.
We programmers have a saying: “Garbage In – Garbage Out.” This essentially means you get out what you put in. If you put in chit-chat, don’t be surprised if that’s all you see in return!
Here are nine benefits I’ve personally seen through my couple of years of Twitter usage.
Top 5 Social Media Articles from 2009
The year is coming to a close and there’s been lots of great social media content developed.
Here are our top five articles (in order of popularity) from this year…
#1: Five Must Read Social Media Marketing Studies
Here’s a quick overview of the this article:
Study 1: By 2010, 26 Million (1 in 7) U.S. Adults Will Use Twitter Monthly
The study by eMarketer found the following: “In 2009, there will be 18 million U.S. adults who access Twitter on any platform at least monthly. That represents a 200% increase over 2008 levels. Usage will reach 26 million U.S. adults in 2010, a further 44.4% climb.“
Fun Social Media Promos Feed Souplantation Customer Frenzy
Imagine marveling at Peru’s Machu Picchu ruins, and a guy nearby asks if you’ll take his picture. But it’s not just him; he’s proudly holding a paper cutout of a smiling tomato.
What, exactly, inspired this traveler to carry a cartoon tomato to one of the wonders of the world?
In a word, fun.
He’s just one of nearly 140 people who vacationed with the tomato, named “Sweetie.” These fans of the restaurant Souplantation, or Sweet Tomatoes in some markets, were enthusiastically participating in the chain’s latest social media promotion, “Where’s Sweetie?” 
How to Add Retweet Buttons in Your PDF Documents
Yes, Twitter is hot. Have you noticed this growing trend: retweet buttons showing up on websites everywhere?
Did you know you can add retweet buttons inside your PDF files? The benefit: readers can effortlessly share your great work with their Twitter followers—just by clicking a button in your PDF file.
Below I lay out how to do this in six simple steps. By the way, if you like this article, please click the retweet button you see above.
The Marketing Power of the Retweet: An Interview With Dan Zarrella

I recently sat down with Dan Zarrella. Dan is a social media and viral marketing scientist. He’s also the author of the brand-new book coming out called The Social Media Marketing Book by O’Reilly.
What’s really unique about Dan is that he makes science practical for the social media world. He takes a deep look at what’s going on with social media activity and he extracts knowledge or nuggets that are really amazing and very helpful for marketers.
Dan has contributed to major websites like Mashable, Copyblogger and ProBlogger. He has also developed a number of tools for Twitter, including TweetBacks, which is a great tool that actually helps bloggers display tweets related to a blog post on their website. He also works at HubSpot as an inbound marketing manager. 











