Twitter® For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Chapter 10. Finding Your Tweet Voice

In This Chapter

• Diving into Twitter

• Deciding whether to tweet for work or fun

• Figuring out who you're tweeting to

• Being yourself on Twitter

• Knowing what to keep personal and private

If you let it, Twitter can conveniently become an integral part of your day-to-day life. Twitter is available almost everywhere — you can update your Twitter feed many ways on many platforms. Wherever you have Internet or cellular coverage, you can more or less use Twitter. The mechanics are pretty easy.

But as you get up to speed and even "embrace the twecosystem," writing and sharing in only 140 characters at a time definitely takes some getting used to. It may seem a bit limiting at first, but over time that limitation changes the way you write and communicate. If you plan to use the service with some regularity, you'll probably want to think at least a little bit about how your updates compare with the image you want to convey.

In this chapter, we explore different approaches to using Twitter and how you can find your own unique voice.

Finding Your Voice, Whether for Business or Pleasure

When you first sign up for a Twitter account, you don't follow anyone yet, and nobody follows you. Updating your feed may seem a bit awkward. You're tweeting into the void, you have no idea who's really listening (if anyone), and you're almost certainly wondering what the heck the point of tweeting even is. Don't feel bad — most everyone's first tweet (see Figure 10-1) is a little awkward. ...