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retweets

Retweets don’t matter…

by Dr.Mani on August 3, 2010

RE-TWEET IT!

On Twitter, during the Heart Kids Tweetathon in September 2009, I said:

“Retweets alone don’t matter.”

They really don’t. Neither do clicks on links.

Donations do.

Caring does.

Involvement, too.

Passion helps.

Those are the things that make a difference.

Not more ‘clicks’ on a link to ‘measure your influence’.

Anyone can click. Because it’s easy. And means NOTHING.

That’s why when my new friend Nate St.Pierre (founder of ItStartsWith.US) shared a daring plan to “hijack” the FAST COMPANY “Influence Project”, I got excited about the social media experiment that had devolved (in my humble opinion) into little better than a link-bait viral tactic.

Nate wants to turn that public perception around.

In a style that’s his unique own.

By using YOUR ‘influence’ – to touch people you see, meet, talk to, care about, and engage in your daily life.

Read more about this exciting twist to the “Influence Project”.

I hope you’re curious enough to send Nate your email address to learn more.

He promises to delete the list after the event ends.

I trust he will.

I’m also sure you’ll go back to join his group – and continue to do cool stuff, like the monthly “love bombs“.

All hands to the decks… ship ahoy!

EAVB_UUXUUIGGIE

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Retweets Don't Make A Best-Seller

by Dr.Mani on August 28, 2009

RE-TWEET IT!

On August 25th, 2009, I had a fun-filled day launching my first ever print book, “Think, Write & Retire – How To Turn Words Into Wealth, Easily!“.

And in keeping with this era of social networking and marketing online, I was on Twitter most of the day, watching with mounting excitement as the buzz spread.

Tweet after tweet after tweet rippled across the Twitterverse. And as I watched the word spread like wildfire, rosy dreams of having an Amazon.com best-seller kept springing up before my eyes.

All who tweeted

And don’t get me wrong – the book launch went very well. My book started the week before with an Amazon.com rank of #821,902. On Tuesday morning, it was at #35,021. And by 3 a.m. on Wednesday, it had gone up all the way to #537 of all books listed on Amazon.com.

A few hours later, the book broke into the AMAZON.COM HOT 100 ranks, reaching #83 in Business & Investing, and a high of #474 overall.

Amazon.com HOT 100

Much of this was the result of the interest generated on Twitter.

But I wish Amazon.com awarded best-seller status based upon the number of tweets generated around a book – because then I would have BEEN NUMBER ONE… easily!
:)

Sadly, re-tweets do not make a best-seller. Book sales do.

And re-tweets not allow non-profits to do good work. Donations do.

Yet re-tweets will always be plentiful and profuse – because they are quick and easy. And therefore appealing.

The problem is, re-tweeting may be considered as EFFECTIVE ACTION, in and of itself.

It is not.

Impact, REAL meaningful impact, takes more than “quick and easy”.

It takes more than a casual involvement, for a few fleeting seconds, after which we get back to “business as usual”.

No. Impact takes effort. Commitment. Involvement.

Worst of all, impact takes TIME to achieve.

Time spent working behind the scenes. Without any fanfare or spotlights. Often doing the many tasks others won’t do, taking the trouble most are reluctant to take, hoping against hope that some day, all of it will pay-off in a big way.

Re-tweets are a prop to support the structure, for sure. Get your event or cause or product or service a quick flash of visibility among a wider audience.

But that impact is as fleeting and superficial as a casual ‘Thank you’ from a stranger.

It can, however, have the deep impact of a sincere smile from the same stranger – if the motivation behind it is deeper.

When you re-tweet from your heart.

And then, back it up by DOING something about whatever you re-tweet.

Like buying a book.

Or making a donation.

Or changing the world!

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