I’m an ‘early adopter’ of Twitter, signed up in June 2007.
Seeing how this could easily become a serious time-sucking activity, I set a limit of no more than 10 minutes a day on Twitter.
Also, I chose to follow no more than 40 people… and actually engage with them, read all their tweets, and have mini-conversations on Twitter – because relationships matter more than sheer size of your network.
It was fun. My friendships on Twitter have been incredibly energizing and inspiring, profitable and lucrative, fulfilling and satisfying.
Yet, it can be more.
More extensive. More beneficial. More efficient.
Especially since Twitter has grown massively through 2009, and fantastic tools are now available to make it more exciting. So, I’m re-thinking my Twitter strategy.
I’m Segregating
No, don’t worry. Nothing racial here! This is by ‘interest area’… yours and mine.
I wear many hats, and at different times, I’m a:
- heart surgeon
- Internet infopreneur
- online business owner
- blogger
- writer/author
- social entrepreneur
- parent
… as well as many things more. And when someone follows me on Twitter from knowing one facet of my online persona, they are often surprised by how varied and diverse my Twitter stream gets!
My business clients wonder why I’m fund raising. My donors and supporters wonder why I’m hawking an information product. And those who know me as a doctor or author are confused at both!
Not good.
So, I’m segregating my “business” and “marketing” oriented stuff, taking it out of Twitter (which anyway isn’t great for direct response stuff) – and moving it to another micro-blogging service I’m starting to like a lot… SOKULE.
If you are following me for my business and marketing opinions, thoughts and insights, you should follow me on Sokule here.
On Twitter, I’ll still be ME… just less the ‘marketing me’! 
I’m Minimizing
Twitter introduced a new feature called ‘lists’. It’s now easier to follow people with similar interests – without cluttering up the main timeline.
I’ve set up a few lists. Will expand to include other topics. And then move those I follow for subject-specific information into a relevant Twitter list.
This will help me stick to my “Twitter in 10 Minutes a Day” limit – something that has become more difficult lately. Lists can be browsed quickly, whenever there’s time available. My main Twitter timeline will have a smaller stream of general tweets – and can be consumed more meaningfully.
It’s kind of like how I use email just now – with filters handling most of the inflow, leaving a manageable amount to tackle daily.
I’m Keeping It Real
Auto-tweets, Twitter adders, pre-scheduling services and more script-based tweeting behavior has destroyed some very useful features of Twitter lately.
Direct messages used to allow quick access to busy people. Not any more. Today, DMs are worse than email (at least email may get glanced at before deletion!) The @username feature is the last bastion… and I wonder when it will fall.
M.K.Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world!”
So, my contribution is to keep it real – by not using any of this garbage on my main Twitter account, @drmani
Transparency and authenticity are cornerstones of today’s social media networking, and I’m keeping my Twitter presence at @drmani in alignment with these tenets.
- You’ll get my attention with an @drmani tweet.
- You’ll lose it right quick if you abuse it.
- You’ll interest me if you engage with something of mutual concern, and do it in a polite, fun or innovative way.
- You’ll keep my interest if that’s really ‘you’ – and you’re always like that!
I’m Expanding My Network
In a blog post on trend predictions for 2010, I placed the death of email marketing right at the top – and am putting my money where my mouth is!
In 2010, while my email marketing will continue, it will become subsidiary to my main thrust – which will focus on expanding my network on social media like Twitter, Sokule, Facebook and others.
- I will be blogging VERY actively at my new blog, “Information Marketing Made Easy“.
- I will be providing some very valuable material to my GOLD members on that blog.
- I will be using my email list primarily to share links to the blog content.
But on social networks, I will be trying out many of the tactics that were earlier limited to my email marketing. This will be, in a sense, like going back to 1997 when I started marketing online, with barely a few dozen people in my network – and growing it by hundreds of thousands since then.
Except that this time around, the focus will be NOT on the ‘numbers’ but on ‘value’.
If YOU are someone who would like, enjoy and benefit from being in my network, I want to know you. I really do. So please come over and introduce yourself. 
Where Should We Meet?
- Are you interested in discussing marketing and online business?
You should follow me on sokule here
- Are you interested in more general topics of mutual concern to you and me?
You should follow me on twitter here
- Are you (or want to be) a supporter of my work with under-privileged children born with congenital heart defects?
You should follow me on twitter here – and then @drmani me to say you’re a CHD fan)
You should also join the Heart Kids Tribe here
- Are you a writer, author or infopreneur – or want to become one?
You should follow me on twitter here
And join the ‘Think, Write & Retire’ tribe here
- Are you not sure yet WHY you want to be associated with me, but still want to?
You should follow me on twitter here
Watch the stuff I tweet about, and then decide if that’s right for you.
- Are you old-fashioned, conservative and straight-laced, think social media is all a new-fangled fad, and will only consider email-based communication?
You should sign up for my email list here
Be sure to READ my emails!
- Are you the ultra-shy, uber-sensitive, hiding-in-your-cave recluse that I used to be in my early days online?
You should go to my blog here and subscribe to the RSS feed
Just click on the big orange button beside the word SUBSCRIBE at the top right corner of the page. That way, you get access to all that I’m sharing, without having to ever engage with me in a single conversational exchange – until you’re ready to!
Tweet Me Your Thoughts
What do you think about this revised Twitter strategy?
How do you think I can make it better, more effective, useful?
Which way will you move ahead with Twitter?
Please tweet me to share. Or leave a comment right here, below.
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