Comments

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  Jennifer Merigan June 15, 2010 at 4:10pm

  This is so interesting to read everyone's perspective on social media - i tend to use facebook and have connected that to tweeter so whatever i update facebook with automatically updates the twitter account - but at the end of the day the core product i work for is a newspaper but i see the potential of social media either helping to increase readership or creating a whole new audience which i am finding on facebook! A little local newspaper in Western Australia can now reach the world and i really want to explore that further. I love social media and i love the way the world is so connected now (like me on this network - especially when you live in the world's most isolated capital city) - but at the end of the day it is finding the mix that suits you best but a 'mix' i believe is a must.
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  Allan Lynch June 15, 2010 at 2:09pm

  Thanks Barbara and Maralyn. Yours are the first concrete examples of how tweeting has worked for anyone. Last year at World Travel Mart the head of one destination asked if followed them on Twitter. I said no, I haven't the time. She laughed and said she doesn't read them either, and that they only tweeted to cover their asses with their partners.
  
  But I do think it might also be a cultural thing, rather than fuddy-duddiness. I still get editors responding to my email queries. And they're still handing out assignments that pay high three and low four figures.
  
  If I ever get the time to launch the blog I have planned, it may help drive eyes to it. Only in the last several weeks have I had reason to go back and identify all the articles I've written in the last 20 years (the copyright collective I belong to is having a "Payback Year" where we are being recognized with cheques for the number of articles we're written and the number of pages they cover). Traditionally, I get $700-$900 a year for the previous year's photocopying rights, but this should be more handsome since the cheque pool is larger and more targeted. And then I'm part of a class action copyright suit that was settled for $11 million (alas, the lawyers get about almost $6 of that). So, I've been hesitant to put too much of my work on the web while it's still kicking off old technology, old copyright income.
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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.