My Name is @hiphongkong and I'm a Twitterholic!

First came Crackbook- now there’s a new form of addictive social media, Twitter, and I’m becoming a bonafide twaddict. I couldn’t really figure out what the hoopla was all about surrounding till I saw this hilarious video.

Basically Twitter is like facebook but only the status update part. You stay connected with your friends and fans by throwing your random daily thoughts out on cyberspace, engaging in conversation and sharing information. On twitter, you need to be creative to make your point in 140 words or less but you’re encouraged to tweet often and share real-time experiences.

Since my business is online, I figured I needed to be current on all social media avenues so I signed up for a twitter account. By the time hiphongkong had 150 tweets, we had about about 500 followers and we followed about 200 people. I really didn’t want to get inundated with junk tweets, so I only followed people I found interesting or relevant.

That’s when twitter guru @bethebutterfly told me to attend #tweetcamp. Basically all people in the twitterverse have user names. You use the @ symbol to reference users in a tweet when you are speaking to them or retweeting something they shared with the twitterverse. This increases a user’s visibility hence encouraging others to follow or engage in conversation with that user. In social media, it’s no surprise that the more friends or followers you have, the more credibility and ‘twinfluence’ you have. This twinfluence can be used for business but some just do it, well, because they like the attention and they want to be twitterlebrities.

@TweetcampHK we learned not only basic twitter functions, but we learned about Twetiquette. For example, Friday is the day where you endorse twitterers you find interesting. If someone mentions you on #FollowFriday -you should thank them and #FF them back. It pays to retweet people's posts so they will in turn retweet yours.

We also learned how to use the different twitter applications like Tweetdeck. Tweetdeck is useful because it helps you organize your twitter interface in columns and you can see very clearly what people are tweeting about, who's trying to talk to you and who is mentioning/retweeting you. It’s becomes super easy to follow specific people or topics you're interested in by designating a column for them. This allows you to follow more people without getting too confused about all the nonsense being tweeted about out there.

The # symbol comes in very handy when you’re using tweetdeck. When I want to reference Hong Kong for example, instead of writing ‘Hong Kong’ I write #hongkong. People on tweetdeck can open a search in a separate column called #hongkong. Anyone talking about #hongkong in the twitterverse will show up in that column.

Twitter hosts a constant stream of useful information for my business. I get loads of great tips like which noodle shop got awarded 2 Michelin stars or where the Sephora shop is in Mongkok. I can also give people interested in #hongkong my tips. It’s information Hong Kong readers want to know delivered right to their doorstep in real time! Twitter has been a decent tool to disseminate content but it has been even more useful on the market research front. By listening to what’s being tweeted about, I can find out more about what topics people want covered and how they want it covered.

There are other useful applications for twitter. There are sites, which help you analyze stats- like where your followers are from and when they are online. There’s even an application that allows you to schedule tweets so your tweets are delivered when the maximum amount of users are online. There are websites which suggest people you should follow or unfollow. There's even an application that helps you block spammers.

Anyone who wants to master a social media campaign needs to know how to use these tools. After doing tweetcamp and learning how to use these tools, I got 400 more followers over the course of a week!

So one night, I get a DM (direct message) from @JayOatway, one of the most influential tweeters in #HK with 80,000+followers, saying do I want to have a tweet-up with twillionare Stef Michaels who happened to be passing though Hong Kong. On twitter, Stef is known as @adventuregirl. Stef is an avid adventurer, ex model, travel blogger, TV personality and tweeter extraordinare! @Adventuregirl has over 1,300,000 followers! Now that’s Guinness Book! Check out the adventuregirl blog here. Though I never got to meet her, I did have a chance to interview her.

Twillionaire Stef Michaels and Jay Oatway
 

What did you enjoy most about Hong Kong?
Beside the fact that it is my new favorite city!...I’d say meeting up with a friend who was one of my first followers on Twitter. He’s this huge social media guy named Jay Oatway in Hong Kong. It was one of those “feel like I’ve known him” before I had ever met him - which is so social media. We were “pen pals” on Twitter, and now we know each other in person. It’s just so cool that social media wraps around the world and you never know who you will meet and what kind of experiences you will share. We sat at the Intercontinental Hotel’s lobby and watched the laser light show- we had a small tweetup with @lunaticatlarge – Kristen Luna, and our local guide, Rita. Watching the laser light show was magical and something I’ll remember forever.

2. How long have you been tweeting?
Since March 2009.

3. How did you get so many followers?
A combination of things. Within 3 weeks- I had about 175,000 followers from e-mail blasts I sent out to my contacts in the travel industry and fans from my site adventuregirl.com. I was tweeting 21x more than the Twitter founders combined- that brought me attention, and next thing I knew I was on the suggested user list. That made fans easy for me to find, and then of course I tweeted all the time, so I was constantly getting retweeted- the tell two friends and so on and so on is so true and it works. Soon, more and more people followed. I also appeared in People Magazine and on some TV sows in the US, and that helped push my exposure.

Basically, I’m on it all the time!

4. Give us some tips for successful tweeting.
Engage. Don’t push your agenda if you’re a business= go back to your mission statement of why you started your business. It’s what we want to know- not what your advertising. Please don’t ask me to follow you- I won’t unless I get to know you and who you are after I learn about you from your feed. Retweet other’s information always if it’s something of interest to you, make sure they get the original credit for it. Attend tweet-ups, and let people get to know “you”. Get involved with community projects= help the homeless, save a pet, help raise funds to eradicate cancer. There is so much out there to get involved with, which will get you networking and meeting people with like minds.
Twitter is also like a phone call - two-way conversations. You wouldn’t talk to someone and just have it be about you. So, ask questions, be curious.

Simply put…Care about others, not yourself.

5. What have been your main offline benefits of using Twitter?
Meeting some of the most amazing people I would never have had the chance to know if it weren’t for Twitter. I mean, how would I have ever found Jay in Hong Kong , if it wasn’t for the magic of Twitter and social media. Twitter is so different than most social media that tend to be insular like Facebook. People on Facebook rarely reach out to others that aren’t all ready friends. For people on Twitter, reaching out into the world, garnering knowledge about people, places and things is what it’s all about. It’s revolutionized how we communicate and share information. I thank the founders each day when I wake for helping we (all of us) share, connect, and hopefully give us a platform to help make the World a better place through that communication. So, thank you Biz, Kevin, Jack, Ev and everyone who started and work at Twitter. THANK YOU. You have changed my life so much for the better.
 

Here’s what some other tweeters had to say about why they love twitter:

@anjkan My fave thing about Tweeting? The PINGS to my PONGS. Connecting, getting tweet greets & meme-spreading. I like to pass on anything Viral that I've caught! (Re: Meme-spreading). Just spreading the love and the swine! Woot!!!

@mochachocolata I find twitter & flickr are better for gettin 2 know new ppl, get u 2 really interact. fb, better 4 keepin in touch w old frens

@fernandogros my fav thing about twitter? Introduction to interesting and creative people in #hk, not just online, but in person.

@the_real_amanda Twitter has proved the most efficient to communicate with my local friends when I travel, no sim card drama or dealing w/FB

@genesoo I like Twitter coz I can listen & read about what people are thinking of & also catch latest gossip on tech & current events

@Ifeelcool I start serious fashion twitter n many cool ppl starts following me- imagine NY magazine fashion following u, so cool!

@bethebutterfly tweeting on her I-phone

I like twitter because when I go on my adventures around Hong Kong, I can tell people about what I’m seeing and people can follow my discoveries in real time. For example I went with @bethebutterfly to this outdoor sculpture exhibit in Repulse Bay. As we walked along, we took pics on our Iphones, uploaded them to Facebook and Twitpic- and we tweeted about the different sculptures and what we thought about them as we went along. If you were following our tweets, it would be just like you were right there experiencing that with us. Not only were there words, but there were photos too! How fun is that?! I often tweet at parties as well to tell people if it’s good or if it’s not worth going to.

What makes social media amazing is- online connections go offline. You can actually meet people! I have made so many real friends whom I met initially online from both facebook and twitter. At the end of the day, social media sites are about connection and sharing. That’s why it’s called ‘Social’ Media.

Be one of our tweeple and join in the fun!
@hiphongkong

FYI- Twitter trainer @jeffpulver is going to be bringing his conference 140conf.com to Hong Kong soon! @hiphongkong will keep you posted.

From the 140conf.com website:
At the #140conf events, we look at twitter as a platform and as a language we speak. Over time it will neither be the only platform nor the only language. #140conf is not an event about microblogging or the place where people share twitter “tips and techniques” but rather where we explore the effects of the real-time Internet on Business.
 

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