“Hyper-local micro-blogging”. Ya heard it here first.
Let’s gather the pieces:
–Twitter might be a village, but real estate is local.
-To create an insanely great hyper-local weblog, “Be the community”.
-In order for Twitter to be useful, you have to tweet something useful.
Let’s put it all together:
-What if you created your own Twitter village?
-What if you created your own unique hyper-local community content?
-What if all the tweets were for the benefit of your readers, and they all pointed back to your blog, your website, or if you were a broker they could point to the brokerage website and your agent’s blogs?
Greg Swann says:
Good on ya, Teri. Consistently brilliant.
January 17, 2008 — 9:44 pm
Brian Brady says:
We gotta get the PTA President to use Twitter, Teri. Keep writing this stuff; the lighting bolt will hit
January 17, 2008 — 10:03 pm
Brad Coy says:
There ya go!
January 18, 2008 — 12:44 am
Teri Lussier says:
Brian-
I’ve had a heck of a time convincing people to contribute to my blog. But Twitter is 140 characters max. There is nothing to be frightened of. This might be the tipping point.
The difficult part will be explaining what Twitter is, and getting people to see past the chatty nature to the really beneficial hyper-local level. Sometimes it’s best to explain by example.
Another cool thing is that once the PTA president and the Little League coordinator and the school board begin to twitter, I can link each Twitter stream on the sidebar under “Links”. So someone looking only for the Little League can go there and find it, and that twitter stream could have a link to the Little League website, if there is one.
Think about it- you would have community links coming in and going out in all sorts of directions- like a spider web for a community; The Brick Ranch being the spider- a garden spider- not a black widow. 😉 And the time commitment for a local twitterer is still 140 characters max.
What if you added your local mortgage professional? A title officer? A home inspector? What if?
January 18, 2008 — 5:30 am
Jeanne Breault says:
Teri,
You ARE brilliant!
Now, I have a few questions of my own.
What if you didn’t need any sleep? What if your thoughts could tweet on their own? What if everyone was willing to use Web 2.0? What if we didn’t have so danged many good ideas and so few hours in a day?
If you have those answers, you’re UBER-BRILLIANT!
January 18, 2008 — 6:03 am
Douglas Karr says:
Integration of twitter is so easy as well! I built a test site (it’s quirky and dumb) called http://ifsuck.com that’s fully twitter integrated. I’m surprised people aren’t catching on to this!
January 18, 2008 — 7:31 am
Andy Kaufman says:
You’re so right on Teri.
I had the Twitter micro-channels epiphany recently as well, which was the basis for creating the REnet Talks channel (http://twitter.com/REnet_talks), which I’m playing around with here for the time being. (http://urltea.com/2jei)
I’m so excited that you’re thinking along the same lines and that you’re putting it into action already.
To the non-twitterers, I’m not going to go on and on about how you’re missing out if you’re not engaging the conversation that’s going on over at Twitter, but you are.
If you’ve tried it before and it didn’t click, follow some more people and give it another shot. If nothing else, it can be configured to turn you into a fly on the wall overhearing a conversation of thought leaders… not a losing proposition by any means.
–Andy
http://twitter.com/andykaufman
January 18, 2008 — 8:17 am
Dale Chumbley says:
Teri,
Great thoughts! Now I have something new to think about. I really like the hyper-local idea with Twitter. Easy updates on the go.
I finally figured out how to locate the Twitterers in my local area. Now I need to make something of value to them and we’ll see where this goes.
Thank you!
Dale
http://twitter.com/dalechumbley
January 18, 2008 — 9:57 am
Teri Lussier says:
Jeanne-
I’m working on the answers to those questions. As soon as I figure it out, I’ll be right here blogging about it. 😉
January 18, 2008 — 10:59 am
Teri Lussier says:
Douglas-
Howdy!
I’m quite intrigued by your site, and the possibilities for business and local blogs. Obviously yours is for fun, but to put a site together that tracked very specific tweets and displayed them… hmm.
Brilliant.
January 18, 2008 — 11:03 am
Teri Lussier says:
Andy-
The twitter badge is what sparked that idea for me. No one has to tweet to benefit from it on my blog. They only have to watch the twitter stream, or click over to the twitter profile to see the entire twitter stream from each twitter-er to pick up all the information.
It’s unobtrusive, but really informative for the client or reader.
I’m done encouraging people to tweet as well. Do it or don’t, everything is not for everyone. But then, I don’t encourage people to blog either. The only reason I posted this was because the Twitter Badge is in plain sight on my blog. Sooner or later someone would wonder about it… 🙂
Having said that: We truly are at the bleeding edge of Twitter possibilities, as you and Douglas both pointed out. Right here are three different and potentially beneficial uses for Twitter. How many more enter the Twitter stream daily?
January 18, 2008 — 11:14 am
Teri Lussier says:
Dale-
It’s so obvious now, isn’t it? And like Douglas said, the beauty of Twitter is in it’s simplicity.
January 18, 2008 — 11:22 am
Gary Elwood says:
Terry superb business strategy. This is the ONLY way Twitter should be used in real estate because of the potential distraction. To see what I mean, read http://www.doshdosh.com/ways-you-can-use-twitter/.
On a different note: your title threw me off. I thought you were going to tell me that Twitter is now password protected. [Almost didn’t read it because of that.]
January 18, 2008 — 2:58 pm
Brian Brady says:
“the beauty of Twitter is in it’s simplicity.”
True. Once you realize that Twitter is not a cure for cancer, its utility is revealed.
“I can link each Twitter stream on the sidebar under “Links”.”
I understand in principle but not yet in application. I’m watching you!
January 18, 2008 — 6:51 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Gary-
I have to respectfully disagree about this being the ONLY way Twitter should be used. I have made some contacts with the RE.net that have enabled me to put this idea together. The ‘hardcore’ RE Twitterheads are always pushing envelopes and are very supportive of each other. It’s a fantastic and friendly environment.
Plus, it’s so easy to throw a question into the Twitter stream and get a few answers right away. That is invaluable to the RE.net.
I will agree that if you are not careful, it can be a time suck.
January 18, 2008 — 8:15 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Brian-
I can blogroll this: http://www.twitter.com/thebrickranch, or http://www.twitter.com/DaytonRE, for example.
Why would I do that?
Because if someone shows up looking for the minutiae of life in Huber Heights, TheBrickRanch twitter stream is yet another way to for them to quickly find what they are looking for.
If they want to know what the house down the street sold for, the DaytonRE twitter stream is where they need to be.
Once I get more than a few streams in my Twitter badge, it’s going to be harder to find just the one you might want.
Greg’s recent post about wringing actual commerce out of a blog is ringing true to me. One of the things that has been on my to-do list is an extreme blogroll and link makeover. I need to keep whittling down my blog to be only what *readers* want or need to read. Part of the reason for the Twitter Badge and corresponding links is to boost the consumer value of my blog.
January 18, 2008 — 8:29 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Sorry (Now I see what the “preview” button is for). Let me try this again:
Because if someone shows up looking for the minutiae of life in Huber Heights, TheBrickRanch twitter *link* is yet another way to for them to quickly find what they are looking for.
Same with the DaytonRE *link*. If all goes as wanted, it’s going to be hard to scroll through my twitter badge and find just one stream, as my twitter badge only shows 2-5 latest tweets at a time, and maybe 10 at max, once you scroll through the badge.
So. A reader looking for one twitter stream can find it faster on the blogroll. Does that make sense?
January 18, 2008 — 8:37 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Alright Brian-
I just added a “Twitter Streams” category to my sidebar. As more streams are added, they will each have their own link. Then all you have to do is click whatever twitter stream link you want, and you can see the entire stream for that particular account only. No need to scroll through the Twitter Badge first, hoping to find what you are looking for.
Lordy, I should have written a longer post. 🙂
January 18, 2008 — 9:11 pm
Andy Kaufman says:
Teri- Once again, I truly believe that you’re on the right path.
The comment by Gary that states that the “only” reason to use twitter for a certain use raises immediate red flags in my head.
Gary, what’s your twitter username, so that I can follow what you’re thinking, tweeting and engaging the community about, because you obviously know what you’re talking about.
I truly believe that we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible from from molding, shaping, and remixing these micro-publishing tools like twitter, pownce, utterz & seesmic and I’d venture to say that anyone who sets hard rules on how we’re going to use them isn’t a user, but someone stuck in a marketing medium that’s about to be rendered obsolete by what the future holds.
I was hanging out with some of my friends that I’d consider to be on the extreme bleeding edge of social media and their applications in marketing and what I was talking to them about was definitely raising eyebrows.
I mean come on… You can sit there and make absurd declarations, meanwhile my friends and I will keep pushing the envelope.
Teri, we’re behind you. You inspire us.
January 18, 2008 — 9:24 pm
Brad Coy says:
>I’m done encouraging people to tweet as well
Amen! I am as well. There has been much ado about twitter when it’s still in the early days of conception really. What most are missing is that this is a different frequency of communication and it NOT chat. Some people use it to BS, true, and that’s alright. But you are missing the usefulness of the utility if you don’t get creative and get involved with how you are communicating with others. When twitter or whatever it morphs into becomes more usable for the masses for correspondence, you will see email die. I personally wish it were incorporated in my gmail sidebar like gtalk. Conversations, not unlike email don’t have to happen in real time. Micro-publishing, chat, RSS, and email private and public should be integrated. It’s a natural.
Now that I have sufficiently rambled and probably indulged in some hypocrisy let me add a helpful hint to Teri and those using it as more than one user. Use twhirl http://www.twhirl.org/ it’s a desktop publication that allows you to be simultaneously logged in to more than one account so you can twiter like your wings are on fire. It is the killer app for twitter!
I’m tired of hearing the fearful rhetoric from those who claim to have figured this “whole social media thing” out. Give me a break. Was this how it was when somebody brought about the idea that as a Realtor, you might want to spend 20+ hrs of your work week as a blog publisher?
January 18, 2008 — 9:47 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Andy-
Thank you for your kind words. I’m very pleased that this has inspired you. You’ve done the same for me.
I’m glad you are behind me- and I’m aware of that. The RE Twitterheads I know, we are all behind each other, don’t you think? I see no sniping over there. The conversation flows so smoothly, it’s a real pleasure to hang out with Realtors, for a change. 😉
And I appreciate your support, but as far as Gary goes, his words don’t touch me. I’m not here to evangelize and lead a Twitter revolution. I’m throwing out ideas- use them or don’t. Wait and see, or push me along, or put your own twist on it, or show me how it’s done and I’ll thank you for it. And I’ll say it again; it’s becoming my mantra “Everything is not for everyone”.
But. Hold on to your hat because think about it- what can’t go hyper-local? I want to push Jott and Utterz and tumblr into the hyper-local mix; working those into some b2c value as well. Ideas are incubating- More great in 2008!
January 18, 2008 — 9:47 pm
Teri Lussier says:
Howdy Brad-
>this is a different frequency of communication
Nicely stated.
Some unsolicited advice (honed from my project blogger days) Tune out the noise and focus on what works for you. You’ve jumped on this, and I’m learning from you. Good stuff, Brad.
Thanks for the twhirl info. I suppose it’s time to pimp my twittering. Don’t want to be left behind. 😀
January 18, 2008 — 9:58 pm
Brad Coy says:
Teri,
I’ve got it tuned out proper and for no other reason than you and I have talked about this before. Thanks for the reminder. Your advice is solid. But if you keep posting on this, I need to engage. It helps me think 😉
January 18, 2008 — 10:12 pm
Eric Blackwell says:
Kudos Teri…
The successful integration of social networking like Twitter into a blog / site only makes BOTH more powerful. Creating those synergies as you build your online community are EXACTLY what I was talking about on Todd’s blog. You nailed it with a great way of connecting the dots…time to get my rear in gear.
Thanks
Eric
January 22, 2008 — 4:34 am
Teri Lussier says:
Thanks Eric-
>successful integration of social networking like Twitter into a blog / site only makes BOTH more powerful.
That was my thinking, plus and most importantly, it’s simply a great way to get *information* to readers is an easy-to-digest format.
I completely agree with Greg and his traffic vs conversion thoughts https://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/BloodhoundBlog/?p=2519. Twitter has become one of the top referers to my blog. By expanding the twitter information pointing in and out of my blog, and making it highly relevant and hyper-local (key to this whole thing) hopefully I can turn the traffic into conversions. I think it depends on the relevance of the twitter information.
If I’m tweeting about my breakfast (Tim Horton’s coffee and bagel, btw) that holds no use to my readers- who cares what I’m eating? It’s simply noise they have to filter through or ignore- not good to my way of thinking.
If, on the other hand, I’m giving them true information, even in quick twittering bursts, they may find that useful. They may see I know what I’m talking about. They may consider me the only possible source of real estate information in the area and tell their friends about me. Can you hear the heavenly choir? The holy grail of online presence has been achieved.
But. It’s all new, untested, unproven. I’d love to see a brokerage- that’s you- tweet their agents blogs and local RE info. I think that could be a market dominating idea.
January 22, 2008 — 8:08 am
Eric Blackwell says:
That’s precisely where I am going. Would be happy to give it a go.
I have lunch on Tuesdays with all of our bloggers (21 now…yikes! all in different hyperlocals / niches–now you know why I don’t sleep!). Today’s agenda is full, but next week, this one bird in the office is gonna try to hatch about 21 more little “twitterers”. If I am out there “tweeting” their latest info, you are correct that has some real potential IMO. (Worth a try…)
You are right that it is untried and unproven, but that is how you get places is to experiment in the search for relevant traffic.
Will it work? There’s truly only one way to find out…
January 22, 2008 — 9:07 am
Teri Lussier says:
Good for you!
I’ll be very interested to see how this works for you, and I’ll be closely watching.
January 22, 2008 — 9:21 am