Myspace has finally added a long overdue feature — syncing Twitter posts to your Myspace status. Syndicating your content across multiple channels quickly and efficiently is an important part of an efficient new media strategy.

Here’s how to set up Twitter and MySpace syncing.

1. Go to the Myspace sync page and click on the Sync Now button

2. Under Sync to Other Services you will see Twitter listed (the only option as of writing this article). Click on Get Synced.

3. You’ll be asked by Twitter whether you want to grant permission to Myspace. Click Allow.

4. Select the permissions that you want to allow. I opted to only allow Twitter to post to Myspace and not vice-versa.

Hubspot recently released their latest State of the Twittersphere Report which contains some surprising data. The report is based on data collected from 4.5 million Twitter accounts.

Here are the lessons that can be learned, starting with some common mistakes that you want to be sure not to make.

Are You Making these Common Mistakes?

It looks like the vast majority of Twitter users are missing out on an important opportunity. Take a look at the following statistics about Twitter users.

• 80% failed to provide a homepage URL
• 76% have not entered a bio in their profile
• 69% have not specified a location

To some this may seem like unimportant info. Perhaps it’s due to privacy concerns. If you use Twitter to attract and connect with your market, your homepage URL, bio and location are critical for three reasons.

1. To Be Found

First, this information is used to help people search for and find people that they might find interesting. Not filling out this info is like asking Google not to list your site.

2. To Be Followed

Second, it’s a question of conversion. Twitter users look at this info to decide whether or not to follow you. The decision is made in a matter of a few seconds while quicly glancing at the data you have provided on your page.

3. To Get Traffic

Lastly, the URL field in your Twitter profile is ideal for linking back to your site. Not only do links drive traffic, they are used by search engines to decide how highly you should be ranked. The more links you have, the higher you rank.

You Twitter URL is a freebie! Put it to use.

The Opportunity

If the vast majority of Twitter users are neglecting to include this valuable data in their profile, this is a huge opportunity for you to stand out.

The Growth of Twitter

Finally, I’ve included a graph here showing the growth of Twitter since it’s inception. As you can see, things have picked up significantly in recent months.

The publicity for Twitter has picked up enormously thanks to it’s use by celebrities as well as the impact it has had in spreading news in incidents such as the terrorist attacks in India earlier this year and the current demonstrations in Iran.

You can read the entire report here.

Take Action

1. Ensure that you have completely filled out your bio, homepage URL and location in your Twitter profile

What to you think?

• What other insights did you get from the this information or the rest of the report?
• How have you effectively used your profile information to attract and connect with your market?

I’d love to hear your thoughts  in the comments below.

]]> http://jasonvanorden.com/twitter-opportunity/feed 10 http://jasonvanorden.com/psychology-of-retweeting http://jasonvanorden.com/psychology-of-retweeting#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:30:27 +0000 Jason Van Orden http://jasonvanorden.com/?p=704 CNN posted an excellent article about the phenomenon of retweeting on Twitter. For those new to Twitter…

Retweeting, represented on Twitter with the symbol “RT,” means a user has taken someone else’s tweet — or message — and copied part or all of it. The original author is often credited through the convention “@username”…

The viral nature of retweeting is powerful for spreading your message and brand wide and far. When used properly, it can attract new followers and drive additional traffic.

In addition to providing great tips for retweeting, the article talks about the psychology of retweeting. Here are a few interesting excerpts.

The Most Interesting Points

• Retweeting tends to segment the market and reach those individuals who are most likely to be responsive to the information
• “Retweets are the new currency on the Web” – Michael Arrington, Techcrunch.com
• Online interactions play into “ancient proclivities,” such as the desires to connect with others and pass along gossip
• A new tool called Topsy is powered by tweets and shows the Twitter users considered most “influential” about topics; users get more influence the more their links get retweeted

Six Retweet Tips

Make sure you check out the six retweeting tips along the left side of the article. Here they are summarized.

1. Begin a retweet with the letters “RT”
2. Always give credit to the source by including their twitter username (e.g. @author)
3. Shorten URLs in your tweets (see my extra tips below)
4. If there are remaining characters at the end of a retweet, consider adding your own point of view.
5. Think twice before retweeting sensitive material or something that might be untrue.
6. Only retweet stuff that you think will be relevant to your followers.

My Bonus Tip

Tip #3 states that you should shorten your URLs. For this I recommend using BudURL for their excellent click-tracking features. This will allow you to know how popular different items are. In addition, when an items spread virally, the click stats will help you gauge the reach that an item has acheived.

What Do You Think?

• What success have you had with retweets?
• What other retweet tips do you have to share?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.