Social media marketing | Liz Hover's Diary of a Web Gal

A while back I wrote a post with my top five links to help you get the most from Twitter.

Since then I’ve spied more links that I wanted to share with you and collect together in one place. By no means am I the only blogger doing this but I know many of you enjoyed my newbie’s guide to Twitter so hopefully I can add to your visit with this list.

Some of these links are great resources while others are also entertaining and give an indication of peoples’ strong feelings about how you should use Twitter.

I’ve read all this stuff and will continue to read more about using Twitter. You take it all in, swirl it around and develop your own unique approach.

My one bit of advice to anyone using Twitter is not to take it too seriously. Don’t be a jerk, always be courteous but do it your way. All these rules and guidance shouldn’t put you off jumping in and having fun with Twitter.

1. A Twitter 101 by Charlotte-Anne Lucas
2. Twittering tips for beginners by David Pogue from the New York Times
3. How to use Twitter like a pro by Sean Tibbitts
   
4. Twitter – mastering the conversation by Adam Jackson
5. 140 Characters – a style guide for the short form by Dom Sagolla and Adam Jackson
6. 49 amazing social media, web 2.0 and internet stats by Adam Singer/The Future Buzz
7. 20 Twitter status design tutorials, icons and WordPress plugins

Do you have other useful Twitter links? Add them in the comments section.

I recently wrote about overcoming Twitter-block; how to find things to tweet about when all you can think of is the weather.

As a blogger, there are certain places I always find inspiration. Places I know will get me thinking or provide me with stuff I want to share with you.

So I’ve put together a list of my top 5 sources for blogging inspiration.

Now, these might not appeal to everyone reading this post. My blog focuses on social media and other web-related stuff and so do my top five 5 sources of inspiration. So if you’re looking for inspiration for your gardening blog for example, not every link will apply to you.

1. TWITTER – you’ll see from my own Twitter account that I post lots of links to other places. Many of those links come from folks on Twitter. Check out who I follow (you’ll need to be logged in to Twitter to do that). These are some of the most inspiring and talented people I’ve come across on Twitter. Many of them post links that I learn from each day. And sometimes those links turn into posts on my blog.
2. MY INBOX – A while ago I created a list of over 20 super cool websites to visit and then added to it with a new post featuring 10 super useful websites and Twitter peeps. As I make my way through my inbox each day I find an abundance of inspiration. For the feed reader fans among you, replace ‘inbox’ with ‘feed reader.’ I totally love email and have never learnt to love feed readers in quite the same way.
3. MY WORK – I got promoted to the role of web manager at the National Screen Institute (NSI) almost 18 months ago. During that time I’ve redeveloped NSI’s website taking it from a brochure site to a film and TV industry news hub. Throughout the development process I wrote about our progress, challenges and successes. It was the very thing that inspired me to start blogging.
4. MY BLOGGING PLATFORM – As recently as February this year I moved Diary of a Web Gal from Blogger to self-hosted WordPress. This was and still is a huge learning curve for me. When in doubt, write about it on your blog, right? A lot of the set-up involved in creating a WordPress blog boggled my mind. I don’t think I’ll ever be a WordPress genius but I can get by and when I make a total dick of myself, I get to write about it here.
5. MY DOG – My dog Sadie has had a blog pretty much as long as I have. Shortly after moving Diary of a Web Gal over to WordPress I also moved her from Blogger. Some of you may find this an odd thing for a web manager to be doing – creating a blog for a dog.  But Sadie is a constant source of inspiration. Just read her Twitter updates for starters.

New to Twitter?

Stuck for tweet ideas?

Fear not dear reader. Mark Havenner, an account manager at Pollack PR Marketing Group, has written a useful guide to help unstick you over on Ari Herzog’s blog.

Recommended reading for the update-challenged: Cure for Twitter-block.

PS – I am a tweeting machine and rarely find myself stuck for something to utter. Which can also be annoying.

Photo courtesy of Bossanostra on Flickr under Creative Commons

Months ago when the new National Screen Institute website was a mere twinkle in my eye (I’m its web manager) I got asked lots of questions about how the new website would function.

How would the navigation work?

How would the content be organised?

So I settled into my favourite spot in front of a computer and began to create my vision based on meetings with colleagues and our design folks.

I used Word. I added text boxes with menu items. I broke down the navigation and content. It was rudimentary.

I’ve used SmartDraw and would use Word again in a heartbeat. If you know how to draw a text box and move it around in Word then don’t bother with anything fancier.

I essentially built what I now know was a wireframe.

Some time later I sat for several hours with our website developer and sketched out our new website based largely on my initial Word diagrams. Another stage in the wireframe process.

Why am I writing about this now?

Randa Clay published a post today about wireframing and I was reminded how important that process was for me and my colleagues in bringing this mythical new website to life. Suddenly ideas had a structure.

It’s one of the most basic steps in planning a new website.

Oh, and PS – developing a website is one job you’ll never finish. There is no end. I’ll write more on this in coming weeks. But eight months after launching our shiny new site, I’m about to redevelop one of its – if not THE – major parts.

In January I published a post listing over 20 cool tech, design and marketing cool websites for website folks. I promised to add more sites as I found them.

Instead, I’ve created a new post for ya. There are so many amazing and inspiring websites that have helped me as a blogger and web manager that I wanted to collect them in one place.

I use Twitter daily and, thanks to the folks I follow, have discovered some brilliant websites and very talented people. They are included here too.

1. Webdesigner Depot – Not only does this site look delicious, the content rocks too. Webdesigner Depot covers stuff on design, coding, typography and Photoshop tutorials. I think I’ve added almost every one of their recently published posts to Twitter.

2. Stuart Robertson/Design Meme – I discovered fellow Canadian (and web manager) Stuart Robertson through Twitter. I’ve sought his advice and expertise and enjoyed his many Twitter updates. This guy knows where it’s at.

3. Movie Marketing Madness – I’ve discovered so much stuff on this blog and posted links to a lot of it on my work website – National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)

4. CinemaTech – This is a super useful blog run by Scott Kirsner who recently published a very interesting book called Fans, Friends & Followers about building an audience and a creative career in the digital age.

5. I Love Colours – An inspirational and beautifully designed website about technology, typography, graphic design and WordPress stuff.

6. DesignM.ag – This has to be one of my absolute favourite websites. I subscribe to their daily feed and am always excited about their brilliant articles and resources for web designers. Steven Snell does a wonderful job of collating tons of information.

7. Vandelay Design Blog – Another treat for web designers. These folks always put together inspirational collections of cool websites and other useful bits and pieces.

8. Grace Smith – I’m a big retweeter and this cool chick from Northern Ireland provides so many amazing links to web related stuff. Grace is another of my top peeps on Twitter. Grace rocks.

9. One Degree – I gotta toot my own horn here. One Degree is an online publication about digital marketing, online communications and social media. I recently started tweeting for them at @onedegree.

10. Mari Smith – Mari is one of my favourite folks on Twitter. This Scottish-Canadian chick is a complete hub of information on all things social media. And despite following a zillion other folks she always finds time to respond to direct messages or @replies.

So you’ve got a Twitter account. You’ve got followers and you’re tweeting.

By now you should know what all these things mean. If not, read my Newbie’s guide to Twitter part 1.

In this post we’re going to look at enhancing your presence on Twitter. Whether you have a personal Twitter account or are representing a brand, this all applies to you.

1. Add a custom background image – this is one way to make your stamp on the Twitter world. I’m going to make an assumption here. You know how to use Photoshop – if not, find someone who does. Then give them these specs and brief them about the design you’d like. If I remember correctly, these were the specs I used to create my own Twitter background.

Right now you’re probably seeing Twitter’s blue clouds. Or you’ve switched to one of the other default backgrounds they offer. Many folks choose to be extremely creative in this space.

It’s really up to you what you add to this space. Remember it’s only graphic. A link to your website won’t work on your Twitter background but it’s probably a good idea to include it.

However, this is a brilliant opportunity to show off your brand.

2. Change the colours on your Twitter page – yet another way to enhance your brand on Twitter. This section of your Twitter profile lets you change certain things about the appearance of the page. Whenever someone visits your Twitter page they’ll be greeted with your personal touch. Use your corporate colours or add those from your own brand. Or just add colours you like. You’ll need the hex code which looks something like this #ffffff.

3. Add your website feed to Twitter – if you run your own website or are responsible for your employer’s website then you should be feeding your content to Twitter. There are applications that require you to set up the account and never think about it again. Your feed is automatically sent to Twitter. And I love a time saver.

I personally use Socialise which is built into Feedburner but there are other options open to you. Check out Twitip or Google.

Still Twitter-curious?

The excellent website Webdesigner Depot has published the ultimate guide to everything Twitter. I highly recommend you head on over and check out their alphabetized glossary, a list of popular Twitter applications and instructions for incorporating Twitter into your website and blogs.