Comments

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  Barbara Weibel June 15, 2010 at 11:15am

  Hi Allan: Maralyn hit it right on the head - the editor was using twitter to communicate rather than emails. The youngsters will tell you that only fuddy-duddy old people use email - it's the new snail mail, having been replaced by texting. Same sort of thing with twitter. The travel conferences I attend are full of such stories - people connecting with all the top writers and editors with a tweet. last year I heard one story at TBEX about a writer who sent out a tweet as he was driving cross country, saying he would be passing through a particular city, and a well-known writer tweeted back and invited him to meet for coffee. This type of a meet-up would have never happened with an email or a phone call, because the writer was not responding to either.
  
  Since becoming immersed in social media, specifically Facebook, twitter & StumbleUpon, I've brought my blog up to a PR5, more than doubled the traffic to 21,000+ unique views and more than 30,000 page views per month. Twitter is a very powerful tool when used correctly.
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  Maralyn D Hill June 14, 2010 at 5:51pm

  Allan, I know you directed this to Barbara, however, I think if the editor likes Twitter, it may be easier to pitch him there. He may not be the one going through his e-mails.
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  Allan Lynch June 14, 2010 at 1:09pm

  Barbara, call me thick, but how is pitching a story via Twitter any different than querying the editor via email? The editor is buying the idea, not the medium.
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  Cliff Chapman June 14, 2010 at 9:16am

  See how Google ranks your page to find if Twitter's worthwhile for you. If it's low then step up your game. Mine is http://www.twitter.com/traveljunkies and has a PR=5/10 so it seems to work for me.
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  Barbara Weibel June 14, 2010 at 7:55am

  I recently pitched a story idea to the editor of a Florida newspaper using Twitter and got a front page feature out of it. Anyone who says Twitter is a waste of time just doesn't understand it well enough.
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  Mary Jo Manzanares June 14, 2010 at 7:40am

  One of the frustrations in using Twitter may be that the ROI can be difficult to figure. It's not a matter of a formula (if I tweet 2x/day for 5 days/wk, I'll increase income by X%).
  
  I am a fairly regular Twitter user, more so when I'm not traveling, Here's what I tweet, and what I think my ROI is:
  
  I tweet my posts as they are published. I re-tweet great stuff that has been tweeted by others, and by great stuff I mean links to posts, news items, questions to be answered, referrals, etc. I ask questions and engage in casual conversation (the equivalent of stopping by someone's cube for a quick question or feedback). I use it for research, networking, find a source, etc. I've used it to support causes that I believe in, get a restaurant recommendations, and re-connect with old friends.
  
  What I get out of it: Increased readership to my blog, and with increased subscriptions and traffic my advertising rates go up. It helps to position myself as an expert, leading to speaking engagements and some consulting projects. It shortens research time, which in turn increases by hourly rate. It's connected me with the right people for press trips (group and solo). I've found referrals for hiring writers. I've raised money for a cause. I've made friends, who've had occasion to send work my way or to make an introduction that has opened a door or two.
  
  That's why Twitter has value to me.
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  Lana Bortolot June 14, 2010 at 6:02am

  Hi again! wanted to clarify that I DO think Twitter is an essential tool--I think its value is highly subjective to those who don't use it as part of a holistic communications strategy. That is to say, in itself, it's not a magic bullet. And I DO think people who aren't using it in today's communications landscape are sort of shooting themselves in the foot. Glad to be part of this savvy forum and thanks for all the dialogue.
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  Stacey Wittig June 14, 2010 at 5:59am

  Good to see you in this forum, Maralyn! The couple that I met at Sedona TweetUp mentioned below is Mari-lyn and Robin. I'm planning on attending the Pillsbury Wine Tasting - I should Tweet it out!http://www.pillsburywine.com/events.html
  Lana - there IS no magic bullet, even if we all keep looking for one! Ha! For over 30 years of marketing and advertising consultancy I've been a proponent of this recipe for success: have a Media Mix. The media has changed, but the recipe hasn't.
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  Maralyn D Hill June 14, 2010 at 5:21am

  Great points Stacey. Maybe I'll see you the 26th at the Pillsbury Wine Tasting in Sedona with Mari-Lyn.
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  Stacey Wittig June 14, 2010 at 4:50am

  Kat M: I am a hiking guide writer. You may find some of my stuff at http://www.examiner.com/x-37185-Grand-Canyon-Hiking-Examiner
  BTW others - I love Twitter and how it connects me to events and trainings I would not otherwise know about. Last week did a personal interview w/a gal I met on Twitter, met another Twitter friend for drinks and am following another Twitter friend who is keeping me up on her travels (and Travails) in Nepal via Facebook. Oh, yeah the couple we had over for dinner (a writer and marketing guru) I first met at a TweetUp in Sedona.
  Do you follow me? --Travelwriter is my Twitter handle.