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This blog post is inspired today by Helen Raptoplous (@HelenRappy on Twitter) and her blog post #4 in the 30-Day Blog Challenge. I actually already wrote a draft of my post for today, but decided to finish it some other time and write this new one. Here’s why…
A few months ago I tweeted, “I miss Twitter of two years ago.” And, I really did miss it.
I have a few thousand followers and I follow most of them back (I check each one out first) but at the time I thought having so many people in my Twitter stream was the problem….
What happened to the personal interaction that used to be the best thing about Twitter?
In fact, I left a comment on Warren Whitlock’s blog recently reminiscing about the “good old days.” I mentioned the time a couple of years ago when he and Coach Deb were in a race to reach 1,000 followers. Deb won by a hair. (Btw, Warren has 58,130 followers and Coach Deb has 21,185 as of this writing.) The two also had a Live Twitter Handbook session where everybody tweeted things about Twitter using a hashtag and the handbook was being written in real time by everyone. It was a great idea and much fun!
Reading Helen’s post today, I realized that Twitter hasn’t changed at all. Just because its huge now, doesn’t mean you can’t find people to interact with. This 30-Day Blog Challenge has brought people together that otherwise may have never known each other. I feel the start of many online friendships happening all around me. I know others feel it because they have expressed it too.
So, if you’re not feeling like you’re a part of anything on Twitter, it’s because you’re not putting the effort into it. Helen gave some great tips in her post, especially retweeting. It does make a big difference to people to be retweeted because they have evidence that someone “out there” is listening.
Responding to other people’s tweets is also a good way to start a conversation. Even if you’ve never tweeted them before. It’s all about connecting but if you don’t get involved, you’ll never connect.
I appreciate all the people involved in the #blog30 challenge. We aren’t in it just to get traffic to our blogs and (hopefully) comments (hint, hint), both are a really nice benefit, but it’s about sharing, caring, helping, connecting, and about putting a good, solid effort into what we do online, in this case our blogs.
A really big Thank You goes out to Connie Ragen Green (@ConnieGreen on Twitter) for putting this challenge out there for us. Connie, you are an angel!
Hugs to everyone! I’ve come to care a great deal about all of you participating in this challenge!
Thanks for your help, inspiration and support.
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I too, was inspired by Helen’s post today and may write on the same subject tomorrow. What I love about twitter et al, is that I have met so many kindred spirits, supporters, nurturers and all round nice guys and I haven’t had to leave my office to do so.
I used to be an avid net-worker out in the real world and I just can’t imagine how many meetings I would have had to go to in order to connect with this many people. It makes everything so easy. It’s all in one place and we can catch up and dip in and out whenever we want or need to. It’s a whole new way to make connections and build relationships. And, if you can’t tell already, I love it. I even got to ‘meet’ You, Connie & Helen ~ what a bonus.
Much love
Heather x
Thank you Heather, you have really showered me with great luv today and I am feeling like a million bucks!! I am so thrilled
to have connected with you and to have taken that to a most friendly new level!! I really appreciate what you!!
xox
Helen
Twitter: mywebgal
says:
You both are absolutely wonderful gifts that have come into my life!
OMG!! I am besides my self with smiles!! Thank you Deb! I am very touched by the dedication!! Relationships, especially the right ones, the ones with people who are like minded and are playing bigger then the average person are so important to how we show up in the world! Great people doing great things holds us to a higher standard (if that is what we want for ourselves) and it encourages us to be more of what our potential is. I know that I am playing bigger and better and stronger and more determined then ever because Connie Ragen Green is that person to me who makes me want to raise my standards and be more of my potential. Relationships are key both online and off!! Do everything you can to cultivate the right ones!!
xoxo
Helen
Hello from Montana:
Happy to meet you in the blog Challenge with Connie. I will stumble you if you will return the favor.
Looking forward to meeting you in person some day.
Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, family relationship author and keynote speaker
Twitter: mywebgal
says:
Hi Judy,
Very nice to meet you. I was happy to stumble you!
Deb
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Helen Raptoplous, Helen Raptoplous. Helen Raptoplous said: http://bit.ly/9c1heh this is by the lovely Deb Augur. TY so much @MyWegGal I am honored! (It is about me!) [...]
Lots of fun in this Blog event and in getting to know each of you. It’s like a big party with lots of cool people to get to know.
I’ll be transitioning my blog to my main site, so I’m excited about that as well. Thanks for your insight! I can’t wait to learn more!
Mike
Twitter: mywebgal
says:
Mike, Keep us posted as to where you will host your blog. Would like to stay connected! Deb
Deb,
How wonderful to connect with you in cyberspace! Yes, Helen is quite a special person, I must say. I also was concerned that things would change when I got to 20K followers on Twitter, but it turned out that the only thing that changed was my income.
I am still able to connect with wonderful people from around the world. You were on the call today when Heather – she left a comment above – joined us from Scotland!
This just goes to show that you can be a huge success online and still remain the person you always were. I hope to get to know you better over time.
Connie
Twitter: mywebgal
says:
Thank you Connie! I look forward to getting to know you better also. I appreciate your kind words and your support!
Twitter: gwenatanner
says:
I’m so happy to be in the blog challenge and getting to meet such great people in the challenge. I’m overwhelmed with my 1800 twitter followers, I cant imagine 20K. But you are right, there is still some benefit and it can be personal if you take the time to get to know everyone (or as many as you can).
Like Mike said, it IS like a big party!
Gwen
Hi Deb,
It does seem to be a happy party if you take the time to connect. My problem is that I’m sporadic and I need to get into better habits — that’s why I’m doing Connie’s challenge!
Nice to meet you here, and thanks for stopping by my blog.
Marcia
From one Deb to another, I’m enjoying getting to know you through the #blog30 challenge. Isn’t it wonderful how we truly have become a global community through Twitter? There have been times in my life that I felt isolated because of where I lived. But now, we could live in a cave, under a rock, or up in a cloud, and we’d all still be Tweet-mates (as long as there was a giant Wi-Fi station in the sky, I guess
) Looking forward to more of your articles, Deb.
Debra
I think you hit the nail on the head in your closing. The blogging challenge, Twitter…and business in general today is about building relationships.
Whether you’re talking about new customers, returning customers, or strategic partners, it’s all about relating to people and connecting to them where they are.
As a matter of fact, my next post in the challenge is about this very topic… Why Your Marketing Doesn’t Work.
Thanks for connecting with me…I feel the momentum building too!