Tuesdays, here at the Glen Oaks Escrow website, we post Technology Tips designed to help you, the REALTOR®, grow your business, keep up to date on the latest technologies, and move you forward into the new era of real estate.
A year ago, when I would introduce “Twitter” to a group of agents, it would be the first time Realtors had heard the word. Today, thanks to an explosion of Twitter users in the media and entertainment world, most have at least heard the term. But, I still usually get the question, “What is Twitter anyways?”. And, once I explain Twitter, many are left trying to figure out if it is relevant for use in their real estate business. This post is designed to define what Twitter is. Future posts will discuss what the value is in Twitter and investigate if there is any value for real estate agents.
What is Twitter:
I like to explain Twitter as “broadcast texting”. Basically, you type a short message, and when you hit send, it broadcasts out that message to everyone who chooses to “follow you” (people can choose to receive your Twitter updates). So, if you have 200 people following you, that one message will simultaneously go to all 200 people.
Some important details to understand about Twitter:
- Twitter is a social network
- Messages are called “tweets”
- Messages/Tweets are limited to 140 characters (Twitter is often defined as “micro-blogging. For a better understanding of blogging, check out our post on What is a Blog & How Does it Relate to Real Estate)
- Tweets answer the question “What is happening?” (Twitter asks this on the website)
- You can use Twitter from both the web and from your cell phone.
- The service is free. Note however, that if you use the service via text from your cell phone, you may have charges associated with it depending on the texting plan you have with your carrier. Once I started really getting into Twitter, I invested in an unlimited texting plan on my cell phone.
If you are still not clear about what Twitter is, other’s have done a great job explaining Twitter. Here are some links to others explanations:
- Common Craft has a video explanation of Twitter that appears on the Twitter website.
- About.com answers “I just don’t understand Twitter“
- Tweeternet answers “What is Twitter and Why Does it Keep Following Me Around“
- Real-Tech Guy does a nice job of explaining how to get started with Twitter
Also, Nicole Nicolay of MyTechOpinon.com has written the definitive guide on using Twitter for real estate. It is a free ebook you can download and it is outstanding. If you are ready to get started with Twitter, or already have an account and want to learn how to best use it for real estate, you won’t find a better source.
This post lays out a definition of what Twitter is. I can tell you that Twitter is my absolute favorite social network. Twitter provides me a new form of communication I didn’t know I needed and it has transformed my business communication and networking activities. Future posts will expand on the value that Twitter provides and introduce strategies to successfully use it in real estate. For now though, if you want to get started with Twitter, go to Twitter.com and sign up for an account (it is very easy and requires minimal information from you). Then, follow me (my twitter id is @staceyharmon). By watching my Twitter account, you’ll start to get a feel for what Twitter is all about!
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