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.
- Begin a retweet with the letters “RT”
- Always give credit to the source by including their twitter username (e.g. @author)
- Shorten URLs in your tweets (see my extra tips below)
- If there are remaining characters at the end of a retweet, consider adding your own point of view.
- Think twice before retweeting sensitive material or something that might be untrue.
- 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.
June 24, 2009 by Jason
Categories: Twitter