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Everyone Knows Twitter Is a Big Party, So What Are Twitter “Third Parties?”

January 12, 2015 by Alex Yong

No matter what smartphone or tablet you own, chances are, you will find a large selection of Twitter applications (a.k.a. “apps”). These are fairly easy to find when you Google the brand of your phone or tablet + Twitter, in your query.

If that search does not provide enough search results, add app. If you have an iOS/Mac OS device, add App Store. If you have an Android device, add GooglePlay . You can also try searching on WebToolsWiki.com for information about apps and how to use them.

Is the Twitter App Enough?

“But I already have Twitter on my smartphone and Twitter.com …Why would I even want to do this?”

Although Twitter’s native desktop and mobile app give us complete control of our Twitter accounts, you may find that their layouts may not be exactly to your liking. For example, sometimes it is inconvenient to have a big browser window open on your laptop, or to refresh to see what’s new. Maybe you don’t like Twitter’s default black text on white background. Possibly there is something else that is not your favorite component.

That is where third-party applications (a.k.a. “third parties”) come into play. Twitter’s developers included a flexible application programming interface (API). This interface is the communication bridge between Twitter and the third parties. It is what the applications use to exchange information with Twitter.

Many Options Available

Thanks to intrepid app developers and Twitter’s API, we have many free or low-cost options which allow us to read and send tweets on mobile devices or desktop clients. The desktop clients are those non-browser-based interfaces and applications.

Some apps are feature rich, but the biggest draw is that their interfaces are customizable, to some degree. That is the sweet spot where people decide a certain app is more to their liking and become fans of that app.

Third-party desktop clients for Twitter are usually OS-specific, such as Twitter Windows clients, or for Mac OS only, though some are cross-platform. The mobile ones are always OS-specific such as Android Twitter. Warning: GooglePlay apps have little labels to let you know whether a mobile app is best suited for a phone or tablet by indicating “For tablets” or “For phones”. These labels aren’t very large, so look carefully. The Mac iOS also has a breakdown between iPhone and iPad.

Third-Party Tools

Third-party tools are software of a different stripe, but they have some similarities to the third-party clients, which is what we’ve been discussing so far. Tools are normally convenient desktop web apps, where no download is necessary. Tools tend to focus on a bundle of specific purposes, rather than acting as a client. For example, there are chat tools out there to enhance the experience of Twitter chats. Personally, when it comes to Twitter chats, I don’t need any outside chat tool because I’m really fast with standard Twitter. Mobile tools are far less common, but you can always try using a web tool on a mobile browser if you feel you absolutely need to, but just know it can potentially be a wonky and frustrating experience.

Twitter smartphone apps do act as a kind of Twitter client, but they’re mobile, which is supposedly going to be the new rage in how we use social media. Unlike tools, they don’t really aim to do “specialty” things.

Hopefully you have a better understanding of the two buckets — Clients and tools.

In the past, the iPhone’s normal Twitter was once a third-party named Tweetie. In 2010, through a corporate acquisition, Twitter rebranded Tweetie as “Twitter for iPhone.” Tweetie also had a desktop client, which Twitter also acquired less than a year later. That version was renamed “Twitter for Mac” and appeared in the new Mac App Store the same day.

When apps and clients ask for your username, password, consent, etc., it’s all normal and required. Without authorization from you, nothing will work. You can control most things as you would with normal Twitter. Using mobile touch menus, you will see buttons to read tweets, @replies, @mentions, add-to-lists, and in many cases, without a browser opening, the option to rapidly open webpages within the app or client itself.

So, rock on with third parties; they are really all about preference and you are still partying inside the giant party known as Twitter.

Canva Tutorials: Images, Social Selling Ads and Headers; How-to Stand Out on Twitter

January 5, 2015 by Gail Gardner

Images will be more critical in 2015 than they have to date – particularly on Twitter – because not everyone is currently using them effectively. There is a great advantage to using them now that will not exist when most tweets and other social media shares include an image. Today, any image gets more attention; in the future only the most compelling images will.

Because Canva makes it so much easier to create custom images than any other tool available for free, we have done several #SocialCafe Google Hangouts with tutorials on how to create images for various social networks using Canva. I’ve included the videos and video highlights below.

Images, Social Selling Ads and Headers: How-to Stand Out on Twitter using Canva.

Tips for Using Images on Twitter

The optimum size for images on Twitter is twice as wide as they are tall. If your images are square, the top and bottom will be cut off and only the center section will be visible. Note that you can sometimes expand images on Twitter to see the entire image (by clicking a link that says ‘expand’), but you can’t expand all images. That is why it is best to use images that are the appropriate proportion.

Tip for working with images: always start large and reduce. Making small images larger will cause them to get fuzzy.

Choosing ‘Twitter post’ in Canva creates an image 1024x512px which is way larger than necessary. A better way to size the top image for your post is to make it as wide as looks good in your blog and half that tall. For example, on GrowMap I use images that are 560 wide x 280 tall. If your blog is wider you might use 600 x 300. If it is narrower you could use 450 x 225. The average blog is between 560 and 640 wide.

I save my Canva images as .png to use to upload manually to Twitter and other social networks and resize them to 72 dpi saved as .jpg with the same name. This allows me to quickly find the two options and know which one is in my blog.

If you don’t understand .png .jpg and dpi or want to know how to resize images you’ve made in Canva refer to my post How to Reduce Images Using GIMP. (GIMP is a free program that works in Windows, Mac and Linux.)

Pinning an image linking to any blog post you want to feature on Twitter will give it much more visibility and garner retweets and favorites. Only one tweet can be pinned at a time. Pinning a new image will replace the image that is currently pinned. You can only pin images you tweeted – not retweets. YouTube videos can also be added to tweets and pinned.

IMPORTANT: Do not leave tweets with old dates pinned because people who don’t look further down will think your account is dormant and could unfollow you. If you want to keep promoting the same image and link, create a new tweet and pin it with today’s date.

Important Canva Tips

You must choose the overall size of the image you’re creating at the start; this cannot be changed later within Canva
Images say either free or $1 each, but layouts do not. Layouts are NOT
If you rotate text banners 180 degrees the text will be upside down
Choose a layout first; clicking on a layout will cause you to lose whatever you’ve made so far; some layouts are free, but others cost $1 and they don’t tell you until you want to save your creation. If you need to know, put the layout on an image and see if you can download it before you start editing it. Layouts with a Canva watermark on them will not be free.
Using Canva is free until you download the completed image; if you use any of their images or non-free components you pay to download. Most images used in banners cost $1 and a credit card is required; Canva does NOT take PayPal.
Make sure the final image has auto-saved before you download. You must click out of the text box or resizing options before they will save. Look at the image once you’ve downloaded it to make sure it is the final version before saving and uploading it to your blog or social network.
There is no undo!

Video Highlights:

Backgrounds: selecting textures and changing their colors
Icons: many free options if you search for icons
Resizing, dragging, dropping and changing colors on sections of images
Adding text with and without banners
How to pin an image on Twitter (18 minutes in on the video above)
Retweeting the most visual interesting images will grow your Twitter account
IMPORTANT: layouts do NOT say $1 on them, but some do cost $1. The layouts with Canva watermarks on them (the word Canva visible on the image) are the ones that are not free.

Image Canva Design Tips

Here are some basic design tips that could keep you from creating ugly images:

Use no more than three colors
Use the same font throughout
Don’t crunch all your images together – leave some white space around them

Canva Ad Creation for Social Selling

In our second #SocialCafe Google Hangout about Canva we discussed the canned sizes Canva provides for creating images specifically for Facebook ads, Facebook posts, and Facebook apps. Much in this video is a repeat of what we covered in the first video, but if you aren’t a Canva expert watching it will make it easier to remember when you need it.

Video Highlights:

Using canned sizes provided by Canva
Facebook ads tip: always have one or more people’s faces in your ads
Easily edit existing images you’ve made in Canva
WARNING: do not apply backgrounds over what you’ve created or you will lose what you did; there is no undo!

Don’t miss the best tip I’ve ever heard for selling on Facebook I learned from Gary Vaynerchuk about his Seth Godin ad targeting the followers of his testimonial givers at 8:30 into the video above. This tip would also work on LinkedIn or anywhere you can use an image in your ad including on blogs and websites.

Creating Social Media Header Images in Canva

Major social networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Tsu now all use very large header images. Each one is a different size. Rather than keeping track of what size to make each one and where the smaller photo insets go, you can just use the options on Canva. This video shows the various options and reviews how to use Canva:

Video Highlights:

Choose a layout first; if you add it later you will lose what you’ve done so far
Layouts that do not have a watermark on them (the word Canva visible on the image) are free
You can copy images within an image or entire images to create additional images
NOTE: Facebook group headers are not the same size as Facebook business page headers.
What remarketing / remarketing are
Understanding implied endorsements
Be sure to include a clear call-to-action (CTA) in your ads

In this last video I mention an excellent post on How to Design Facebook Ads That Get Results. There is explosive growth in social media ads including LinkedIn and Facebook advertising. If you are going to pay for your images to be viewed you need to know how to get them to convert.

LinkedIn originally only allowed header images on paid accounts, but I recently noticed I can now add a header image on LinkedIn. I do not have a paid account so most likely anyone can now add a header image at LinkedIn. LinkedIn indicates their recommended size is at least 1400 x 425.

By using Canva to create your header images, you can then figure out where to click to change your social media cover images on Twitter, Google Plus, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Tsu.

Hopefully these Canva tutorials show you how easy it is to create your own images. Don’t forget that creating compelling images and using them on Twitter today is far more beneficial than it will be in the future because soon everyone will be doing it. Be an early adopter and you can really grow your Twitter and other social network followings.

Experts Share Why They Love Twitter Chats and Why You Should, Too!

August 7, 2014 by Deborah Anderson

Twitter Chats

Clearly, Twitter Chats excite me. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t be providing Twitter Chat training to corporations and promoting my own Twitter Chat, the #SocialCafe Twitter Chat on Tuesday nights (6p PST/PDT; 9p EST/EDT).

I was curious if I was the only one out there and if others also found Twitter Chats fun, exciting, and rewarding. So, I decided to use Ann Smarty’s new (one month old) MyBlogU system to do a group interview. After all, it seems fitting that I use her system after I had suggested… correction, insisted… that Ann start her own Twitter Chat for branding purposes and after a couple months of suggesting, she did! (And, how many years ago was that now?!) Out came the #MyBlogGuest Twitter Chat, as well as how-to articles throughout the ‘net, like this one on Social Media Examiner.

So, coming full circle, let’s ask the experts why they enjoy Twitter Chats and maybe this will help you to decide whether it is a good fit for you to participate, how often to participate, and whether you should start your own.

Questions we’ve been discussing:

What makes a Twitter Chat irresistible, causing you to participate every time (i.e. 5 qualities that make the ultimate chat).

A. Don Sturgill (Writer)

Things I most like about Twitter Chats:

Chats are an excellent way to meet others who have a common interest (i.e. excellent for networking)
Chats can help build your Twitter presence by gaining and adding followers
Twitter Chats are a free and excellent means of gathering (learning) state-of-the-art information
Leading a Chat is a powerful means of getting established as an authority in your niche
Chats allow me to ask questions directly to those who may otherwise be difficult to reach

My only regret about Chats is that my schedule doesn’t allow me to attend more of them. The new #myblogu chat is bound to be a blockbuster.

A. Alan K’necht (Partner: Social & Analytics)

I host #SocialChat Monday’s at 9pm. After hosting 170+ #SocialChats and participating in many others I’ve come to the following conclusion what makes the ultimate chat

1. Hosts that create an effective form to faciliate the exchange views, observation and knowledge with peers

2. A chat that frequently brings in experts on a subject and where that expert is asked challenging questions.

3. Chat’s that are consistent in scheduling and don’t just happen soratically

4. A chat where great personalities come back on a regular basis.

5. A chat with hosts, that welcome newcommers and encourage them to participate.

6. A chat where all participants can ask additional questions to the group or the featured guest.

A. tim capper (useful Info)

Hi, I dont really use twitter but read this the other day and it may be useful to you. It is about books being serialised in tweets, so this could be a handy example of the nature and exolution of twitter for you.

Hope it helps and good luck

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28268869

A. Ann Smarty (Founder)

Here are things that draw me back to Twitter chats:

Reminders 🙂 Yep, reminding past participants is so essential! People are busy! If I feel Twitter chats hosts care about me participating, I cannot usually resists!
New featured guests every time: I have found this to be a great connection discovery tool. When there’s a featured guest on a Twitter chat, I always learn something new!
Just natural attraction.. Sometimes you just cannot explain it: You love some communities or groups and you don’t get others. Sometimes the chats just stick!

A. Greg Shuey (COO)

They are great for meeting new people in a specific industry.

they are great for building your credibility as a thought leader in a specific industry.

They are super great for getting mentions and links back tontine blog content.

And that’s all I can think of. Each of these have been critical for me, that is why we founded #seochat. Ash Buckles, Dan Patterson and I saw and opportunity, ran with it, and but paid off immensely.

A. Sourav Saha (Web Consultant at Webaholic)

The reason why I love Twitter chat so much because it helps me and my business in many ways.

1. First and foremost it helps you to build relationships with new people, influencers, and probable customers and also builds your personal brand. When you tweet out a helpful information it might get retweeted by attendees which results as exposer to more people and you might get noticed by an influencer 🙂

2. Depending upon how you tackle problems/issues coming up in a twitter chat it shows your in-depth knowledge on that specific topic and builds authority. This might result in adding some clients in your box who were looking for experts in that area.

3. And if you are a business and hosting a twitter chat it surely helps you to promote your brand and getting in front of more probable customers.

A. Philtrate (Entrepreneur)

People I know and respect participating
The probability of learning and acquiring new ideas and aproaches
Where I am confident that the atmosphere will be supportive and positive
A time that works for me. I am in Ireland and evening US time is too late for Europeans
The possibility of developing relationships that go beyond Twitter

A. JacobkCurtis (Digital Marketing Strategist)

The Host – One of the most important aspects of an irristible Twitter Chat is the person moderating it. Without an experienced host guiding the conversation, whether its an open discussing or interview, a Twitter chat can tangent and digress from its main goal and become irrelevant off-topic noise.

The Members – Twitter chats not only introduce you to new “highly relevant” users who you can connect with, but can also be strategically used to build (personal)brand awareness with influencers. For example, If there’s an influencer you are trying to get the attention of for an opportunity or partnership, check to see what Twitter chats they participate in. Or if they’re guest interviewed on a specific Twitter chat, you better make sure you’re there engaging. Understanding that you can connect with these influencers in real-time during a Twitter chat is a powerful method for building rapport outside of traditional outreach methods.

Optimized Hashtag – Another factor of an irresistible Twitter chat is the hashtag associated with it. Is it easily memorable? Is it short enough to still leave room for chatter? Would I mind my followers seeing that I’m participating in the chat as it will show their feed? Is the hashtag recognizable, (i.e. #CEOchat) and encourages others to check it out or participate? Or is it too ambiguous, (i.e. #CoolChat).

Reminders and Representation – The majority of popular Twitter chats tend to have a representation outside of Twitter. For example, #MediaChat is a weekly Twitter chat every Thurs at 10pm EST featuring guests on social and online media, new apps and anything media related and is hosted by @kilby76. Along with having a specific Twitter handle @MediaChat, there’s also a #MediaChat Facebook group and Google+ community that are used to keep people up-to-date on each week’s guest or topic. Having other outlets for participants to elaborate on ideas or connect with others in-between Twitter chats is always a good idea!

Recaps and Transcripts – The frequency of Twitter chats vary widely, with most being held weekly while others happening just once a month. While it’s unlikely users can commit to being there for each Twitter chat they participate in, it’s the chats that provide a transcript or recap of what was discussed or missed that are really irresistible. With transcripts or recaps, users can still benefit from key takeaways even though they weren’t there. Transcripts also helps with keeping participants engaged and retained, because they know if they miss a chat, there’s a resource available for them to catch up and attend the next round.

A. Sandy (Writer and IT Project Manager)

I joined my first Twitter Chat today which happened to be for MBU and can say that I really enjoyed it! Why?….

First, it was an upbeat environment. Everyone who joined seemed to be having fun – at least that is the impression I got from watching the interactions. It’s always great to be a part of a group that is encouraging, respectful, and enjoyable to “be around”.

Second, being able to network with new people is always a plus! I started following others who joined and gained followers as well from the interactions. Making connections is a huge reason for social media networking to begin with!

Third, I believe it is a great display of support. For any Twitter Chat, attendance is an obvious show of interest for the topic and the desire to be a part of something.

There you have it. The experts’ opinions on why Twitter Chats are so helpful (possibly even essential) in your social media strategy. So, join us at our next Twitter Chat this coming Tuesday –> 9p EST/EDT with hashtag #SocialCafe and let’s reap those benefits, shall we?

A Visual Way to Understand that Tweet

July 19, 2014 by Guest Author

Are you a big fan of Twitter? Of course you are, everyone is. And anyone who says they aren't are just fighting the urge. Twitter has become one of the most popular internet phenomenons of all time. As far as social media goes, this microblogging network is something innovative and interesting that has opened communications up in a way that nothing else ever has.

But it is far more than a place to post your every minor thought in 160 characters or less. It is actually a versatile tool with many (many, many, many!) features for you to use…

But how to explain it to a social media newbie so that it made sense? From what I hear from my parents, Twitter doesn't make any sense at all! "So should I just publish what I am doing from time to time while making sure it's less than 140 characters? WHY???"

This article is a good start to explain Twitter: How to Explain Twitter to a Non-Social-Media Person

To make your explanation more visual, consider some visuals like this infographic.

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