When Phil Hollows and I met for the first time over a cup of coffee in June of last year, little did we know that it would be just one of many conversations about social media that we’d be having on a regular basis.

The difference between that initial meeting between us and every other since is that many others who share an interest in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs and the like have joined us for what we call the Sudbury Social Tweetup.

At our most recent Tweetup last Thursday night at Bistro 20 in Sudbury, I had the opportunity to speak to the group about “Twitter for Business in Five Easy Steps,” including…

1. Find and Be Found
2. Use a Good Dashboard like TweetDeck
3. Engage Your Constituents on Twitter
4. Maintain an Active, Interesting Twitter Stream
5. Measure Your Performance

What follows are the slides I used for my presentation. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. And if you’re ever in the neighborhood on the last Thursday evening of the month, please don’t hesitate to join us for the Sudbury Social Tweetup.

To follow Bob’s #SudburySocial list on Twitter, click here.

Related Reading

Talking about Social Media in Sudbury, Massachusetts by Bob Cargill

Ten Tips for Hosting a Successful Tweetup by Bob Cargill

I’m a news junkie. I admit it. I can’t go much more than a few hours without a fix of the latest headlines.

The weather forecast is important to me. If there’s been a crime committed, a notable death, an accident, a fire or any tragedy or disaster whatsoever, I like to know about it. I’m a huge sports fan. Celebrity gossip amuses me. Significant milestones and achievements impress me. I’m entertained by pop culture and fascinated by anything to do with business or politics.

And if any of this news is local, I find it even more interesting.

That’s why I spend so much time listening to the radio, watching TV and reading articles on such online properties as Boston.com, BostonHerald.com, Sudbury Patch and Wicked Local Sudbury. And that’s one of the reasons why I like Twitter so much. In fact, more often than not, I find myself using Twitter either exclusively or in tandem with traditional media to stay informed.

And one of the first places I turn to on Twitter is a list I’ve created there that’s comprised of Boston-area media accounts. Multiple times a day, I take a look at this list via my smartphone or laptop. In no time at all, I can scan the latest tweets from the more than 300 accounts on this list to make sure I’m not missing out on any important news, opinions, developments and issues. This is a great way for me to keep up with what’s going on without having to follow an inordinate number of the Twitter accounts on this list individually. I’ve even gone so far as to turn this list into a separate column on TweetDeck, a popular desktop application which I use to access Twitter from my laptop, which makes it even easier to follow at a glance.

With this Twitter list at my disposal, I know that I’m in the loop on pretty much anything and everything that’s happening out there – from Sudbury to Boston, throughout the country and all around the world.         

Thanks to this steady stream of tweets from newspaper writers such as Scott Kirsner and Ian R. Rapoport, TV news reporters like Susan Tran and Mike Beaudet and radio talk show hosts such as Michael Holley and Mel Robbins (just to name a few of those on my list), I’m not only being kept well-informed, I’m actually getting to know a little more about these folks than their professional personas might typically reveal in print or on air.

After all, as I wrote in a blog post a few months ago…

“From print journalists to TV news reporters, disc jockeys to talk show hosts, almost everyone on the local media scene is using Twitter nowadays to forge deeper relationships with their readers, viewers and listeners. That’s not to say they’re not promoting their own work via this increasingly popular social media platform. But they’re also winning favor among their constituency for being surprisingly approachable and responsive, giving time and attention to as many of their followers as possible.”

Of course, you can create your own list on Twitter and do the same thing yourself. Or you can click here and just follow the list of Boston-area media accounts on Twitter I’ve already curated for you. It’s your choice. But whatever you do, don’t underestimate the value of keeping up with the news as it happens – or any other topic you can imagine, by the way – by following such a list on Twitter.

Note: To follow my Boston-Area Media list on Twitter, click here.

Related Resources
20 Boston Media People to Follow (A New Marketing Commentator)
How to Use Twitter Lists (Twitter Help Center)
How to Use Twitter Lists (Sprout Insights)

This post was initially published on BostInnovation on August 16, 2011. To read the original post there, click here.

From print journalists to TV news reporters, disc jockeys to talk show hosts, almost everyone on the local media scene is using Twitter nowadays to forge deeper relationships with their readers, viewers and listeners. That’s not to say they’re not promoting their own work via this increasingly popular social media platform. But they’re also winning favor among their constituency for being surprisingly approachable and responsive, giving time and attention to as many of their followers as possible.

To say that this is a big change in how those in the business of mass communications interact with their fans would be an understatement. This is a monumental paradigm shift. The audience is now talking back – instantaneously and publicly – to the media in the form of not just idle chatter and gossip, but also rave reviews, constructive criticism and unique, unfiltered perspectives on life in and around Boston.

What followers are doing for their media tweeps is helping them to get the word out on everything from big breaking news stories to the latest weather forecasts, what’s happening in nightclubs and theaters to which newspaper and magazine articles are worth their undivided attention. They’re also providing real-time feedback and input, helping the media to gauge the interest level in their content and perhaps even make changes to it on the fly.

Besides some genuinely good, new friendships, what the audience is gaining is previously unheard of access to the manufacturers of media themselves, the opportunity to actually contribute to – and influence – the stories that are being put together for their benefit.

We’re talking about a win-win situation if ever there was one.

So just who on the local media scene is the most engaging on Twitter? You’ll have to follow them and see for yourself. To help you get started, I’ve compiled a list of 175 (and counting) Boston-area media accounts on Twitter, which you can find here. I’ve also listed 20 of those accounts below, including a short summary of who they are and what I’ve observed them “talking” about on Twitter.

@susantran – A reporter for WHDH-TV (7News) and a very active member of the Twitterverse, Susan doesn’t hesitate to engage with her followers in energetic, enthusiastic conversation.

@WBZNightside – You can listen to veteran TV journalist, Dan Rea, every weeknight from 8 PM-midnight on WBZ Newsradio 1030 AM. You can also follow him on Twitter.

@HeidiWatney – A Red Sox reporter for NESN, Heidi provides the scoop from the sidelines while the games are in progress, but she also answers a multitude of questions from a legion of followers (25,000+).

@TrackGals – Boston Herald gossip columnists Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa dish the dirt in 140 characters or less.

@Wesley_Morris – You can get to know this film critic for the Boston Globe better by following him on Twitter. Not only is he a great writer, but he has a great sense of humor, too.

@Jerry_Remy – He’s a former Red Sox second baseman and the current color commentator for the team’s broadcasts on NESN. RemDawg’s tweets include trivia questions, pictures and links to The Remy Report.

@cindyfitz25 – A meteorologist at Fox25 News, Cindy keeps more than 2,100 followers posted on the latest weather forecasts.

@BillyCosta – You’ve listened to him on Kiss108 FM and seen him on TV Diner. Now you can follow him on Twitter.

@BostonTweet – If there’s something fun happening in the Hub, chances are Tom O’Keefe is tweeting about it. Restaurants. Concerts. Theater. He’s got it all covered in 140 characters or less — and often a good TwitPic.

@PaulaEbbenWBZ – A WBZ-TV morning news co-anchor (with David Wade), Paula has an upbeat, friendly style on Twitter and shares a lot of news about Boston.

@ramirotorres – You can find Ramiro all over the radio and TV airwaves — and, yes, on Twitter, too — but he’s probably best known for co-hosting the popular Ramiro and Pebbles Morning Show on Jam’n 94.5.

@JoannaWeiss – This op-ed columnist for the Boston Globe and author of the book, “Milkshake,” shares her wit, wisdom and thoughts about motherhood, among other things.

@scottzolak – Candid, no-holds barred rants and raves from the former New England Patriots backup quarterback and the current co-host (with Andy Gresh) of the 10 AM-2 PM time slot (weekdays) at 98.5 The Sports Hub.

@kelleratlarge – Insight, wit, humor and expert commentary from the inimitable WBZ-TV and Radio political analyst, Jon Keller.

@joedwinell – Boston Herald Managing Editor for Web-print integration, Joe will keep you up-to-date on news as it’s happening in the city and suburbs.

@larryridleyon7 – Sports anchor for WHDH-TV (7News), Larry answers questions from his fans and exchanges Boston sports-related news and information with his followers.

@ScottKirsner – With over 10,000 followers, this Boston Globe columnist and blogger certainly wields influence on Twitter, where he tweets frequently about start-up businesses, technology, innovation and more.

@MicheleMcPhee – Updates and news from a veteran crime journalist, Boston Herald columnist, best-selling author and popular TV and radio commentator who recently joined WCVB-TV NewsCenter 5.

@HeyCallahan – Co-host of the Dennis & Callahan Show on the WEEI Sports Radio Network and Boston Herald columnist, Jerry on Twitter is like Jerry anywhere else: direct and to the point.

@lvanderpool – Multimedia reporter at the Boston Business Journal and WBZ-TV morning show contributor, Lisa posts news from a variety of sources, plus plenty of her own personal commentary, too.

What other accounts would you include in my list? Who among the hundreds of Boston-area media Twitteratti do you follow? Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment at the conclusion of this post.

Note: To follow my list of Boston-area media accounts on Twitter, click here.

Even though Twitter recently celebrated its fifth birthday and there are now some 200 million users of this micro-blogging site, there’s still plenty of skepticism among marketers regarding its viability as a sales channel.

I understand. After all, those who are most successful on Twitter are those who are listening intently, sharing great content and engaging with others, not pitching their own products and services. And all that, well, socializing requires an investment of time and resources that many businesses have trouble justifying.

But apparently not The Quaker Oats Company. Let me explain…

One of the people I follow on Twitter is Dianna Huff, a very talented web marketing expert in the B2B world and someone I know quite well from my involvement in the New England Direct Marketing Association. After reading her March 27 blog post, Three Things Cap’n Crunch Taught Me About Facebook Engagement, I thought it would be something my followers on Twitter would be interested in reading, too – so I went ahead and tweeted about it. About six minutes later, I was surprised to hear from @RealCapnCrunch himself, asking me if I enjoyed Cap’n Crunch or had any good memories of it.

Not only was I impressed that The Quaker Oats Company was listening to what people were saying about one of its products, but I was also glad to have the opportunity to exchange a couple of tweets with the Cap’n Crunch persona. And the next time I was at the grocery store? Yup, I was quick to buy a box of this cereal that for anyone with a sweet tooth — like me — is almost impossible to resist.

So while Dianna was impressed with how Quaker Oats was working its Cap’n Crunch Facebook page, I’m here to sing the praises of this famous cereal’s voice on Twitter. Clearly, the folks behind the scenes are listening to who’s saying what online about Cap’n Crunch and going to great lengths to engage with that constituency accordingly. 

Yes, whether you like the cereal or not, you have to give @RealCapnCrunch a lot of credit for working the crowd. That’s how not just Twitter, but every other channel in social media is supposed to work — whatever you have to say, whatever you have to sell.

To read Dianna Huff’s “Three Things Cap’n Crunch Taught Me About Facebook Engagement” in its entirety, click here.
To follow @RealCapnCrunch on Twitter, click here.
To like Cap’n Crunch on Facebook, click here.

The older you are, the more accustomed you are to satisfying your need for news, entertainment and conversation via newspapers, magazines, books, television, radio and good, old-fashioned face-to-face interaction with others.

Imagine. Many of us even grew up looking forward to reading the mail at the end of the day.  

But that was then. This is now. This is the age of the Internet and instant messaging, smart phones and even smarter notebook computers, laptops and tablets. This is the era of newfangled social media communications tools and technologies that are already well on their way to changing the way we create, share and receive information forever.

Take Facebook and Twitter, for instance, two of the most popular social media sites today.

If Facebook were a country, its user base of more than 600 million (about a fifth of whom reside in the United States), would make it the third most populated one in the world, behind China and India. And it looks like that may be just the tip of the iceberg. Facebook is currently growing at the rate of over 500,000 users a day, poised to reach one billion users by the end of 2013.

We’re talking about a force to be reckoned with, if ever there was one.

When I joined Facebook in late 2007, it was considered quite the novelty among grownups, having gone live in early 2004 exclusively for college students and unavailable to the general public until September 26, 2006.

But the rest, as they say, has been history.

Like many others on Facebook, I use it for both personal and professional reasons, staying in touch with not just my friends and relatives, but also my colleagues and contacts in the business world.

Facebook is great for sharing family photos and videos, spreading the word about activities and accomplishments, soliciting opinions on the top stories of the day, discussing important issues and getting the inside scoop on all your favorite brands.

Thanks to Facebook, I’ve been reunited with many of my old high school classmates and have been able to keep up with everyone from distant cousins to former co-workers, famous celebrities to others right here in Sudbury.

I’ve also “liked” a number of local businesses and institutions on Facebook, including the Buddy Dog Humane Society and the Goodnow Library, opening up my customized news feed to their status updates and anything else they care to share with their “fans.”

As for my wife, Barbara, I don’t know what she’d do without Facebook. To her, it’s like a water cooler around which she engages in an endless stream of dialogue with a tight-knit circle of friends, some of whom are our Pine Lakes neighbors and some who live as far away as California.

But let’s not forget about Twitter. Launched in July 2006, there are now over 200 million accounts on this so-called “microblogging” site, more than half of them in the United States. On Twitter, users adopt handles (mine is @cargillcreative) and exchange short, real-time text messages with their network of followers.

Every day, more than 100 million messages – called tweets – are sent across the Twitterverse, many by people and places in Sudbury, including Jill Baker (@JBakerMarketing), Bob Familiar (@bobfamiliar), Adam Gross (@AdamGross), Rob Mossi (@RMossi24), Larry Robiner (@LRobiner), Bearly Read Books (@BearlyReadBooks), The Frugal Flower (@TheFrugalFlower) and yes, of course, the Sudbury Town Crier (@SudburyCrier), to name just a handful.   

Since I joined Twitter on May 8, 2008, I’ve tweeted over 4,000 times about everything from marketing, social media and copywriting (all of which I do for a living) to running, pop culture and my family.

And while I don’t have anywhere near as many followers as, say, Lady Gaga (over 8,700,000), Oprah Winfrey (over 5,300,000) or Shaquille O’Neal (over 3,600,000), I’m proud of the fact that over 2,700 others are interested in what I have to say in 140 characters or less.

Yes, you can meet plenty of like-minded people on Twitter as well as those who might otherwise never give you the time of day. Personally, it’s where I go when I want to listen and learn, congregate and converse, publish and promote. It’s where I’m fortunate to have formed a bunch of good relationships with folks I look up to and admire, trust and respect for their knowledge and expertise, generosity and support. It’s where I’d be happy to connect with you.

Bob Cargill resides in Sudbury with his wife, Barbara, and their two sons, Scott and Ben. You can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bobcargill and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cargillcreative. Or you can reach him by email at Cargill123@gmail.com. 

The article, “Facebook, Twitter and Sudbury,” was original published in The Sudbury Town Crier (Sudbury, MA) on Thursday, March 17, 2011. It is republished here with permission.

I joined Twitter on May 8, 2008, a little more than two years ago. And since then I have tweeted 2,680 times – and counting.

For me, logging onto Twitter has become as much a part of my daily routine as checking email and voice mail, meeting with colleagues and clients, listening to the radio, watching TV and reading the newspaper.

It’s where I know I can find answers and antidotes, honesty and humor, news and views, friends and followers.

It’s where I go when I want to listen and learn, chat and connect, inform and inspire, publicize and promote.

It’s where I’m fortunate to have formed so many mutually-beneficial relationships with people I look up to and admire, trust and respect for their knowledge and expertise, generosity and support.

Not only do I think it’s fun to use to Twitter, I fiercely believe in its efficacy as both an interpersonal and mass communications vehicle. In my mind, Twitter has transformative power and unlimited potential.

Yes, there are countless reasons why I like Twitter. Here are 50…

50 Reasons Why I Like Twitter

1. It’s an excellent way to make new friends.
2. I can count on whom I’m following to provide me with the latest news and information.
3. It allows me to connect with big companies and big shots.
4. On Twitter, I’ve gotten to know people I’ve never met in person such as Ryan Taft, Kat Jaibur, Eric Andersen and Dave Kerpen, among many others.
5. Writing something meaningful in 140 characters or less is an enjoyable challenge.
6. I can share what I know there with over 2,500 followers – and counting.
7. A stream of tweets is a microcosm of life.
8. Using a Twitter profile widget, I can import my latest tweets to my blog (see upper right-hand sidebar).
9. It’s like my own personal soap box whenever I have something on my mind.
10. It’s amusing to participate in such a unique competition for attention.
11. Using bit.ly, I can shorten and share links on Twitter, then track how many times they’re clicked.
12. I can learn a lot about someone or something in a matter of minutes there.
13. On Twitter, I can follow my favorite sports writer, Bill Simmons.
14. It’s a good way to drive traffic back to my blog.
15. On Twitter, I can segment the people and companies I follow by lists (see below).
16. There are many directories (such as WeFollow) and tools (such as Twellow) to help me find and follow more people and companies there.    
17. Whenever I want, I can customize and enhance my Twitter experience using such platforms as TweetDeck and CoTweet.
18. It’s a very good way to get discovered by others.
19. It can lead to new business opportunities.
20. Wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, I can tweet from my BlackBerry using UberTwitter.
21. It’s free — except for the investment of time.
22. It’s always on — 24/7/365.
23. On Twitter, I can sing the praises of my favorite brands.
24. I can get – and give – feedback there on important topics and issues.
25. I can listen to what others have to say on Twitter about almost anything.
26. Most people who tweet believe in keeping it real.
27. The voyeur in me enjoys peeking at whom others are following.
28. Twitter chats, such as Mack Collier’s #blogchat, are really cool.
29. Using FourSquare, I can tell my followers exactly where I am.
30. Using TweetPhoto, I can share photos via Twitter.
31. It’s an easy way to separate the wheat from the chaff.
32. I can follow people and companies I think highly of on Twitter.
33. If and when I want, I can send my tweets to LinkedIn and Facebook.
34. It’s like a telephone, newspaper, TV and radio, all rolled into one.
35. It keeps me current on what’s what and who’s who in the industry in which I earn my livelihood.
36. Hashtags work wonders.
37. I can follow live action — conferences, sporting events, etc. — on Twitter.
38. I find it fascinating to see how often people change their avatars.
39. It’s a powerful branding and thought leadership tool.
40. Using TweetLevel, Twitalyzer, Klout, Twitter Grader, TweetStats, TweetMeme and TwitGraph, I can analyze any Twitter account’s — including my own – activity.  
41. It’s an excellent way to spread the good word about my favorite causes.
42. It’s flattering to be mentioned in a #FollowFriday or #TweepleTuesday tweet.
43. On Twitter, I can follow a diverse array of celebrities like Alyssa Milano, Ellen DeGeneres, Conan O’Brien, Dr. Drew, Tony Hawk, Tony Robbins and Ann Curry.
44. I can also follow one of my heroes, Lance Armstrong.
45. Most people on Twitter are generous and gregarious, fascinating and fun.
46. I can get weather updates and traffic alerts there.
47. I enjoy talking about how to use it in presentations I give at conferences, schools and industry-related events.
48. It’s like one big cocktail party to which everyone is invited.
49. It feels good to get retweeted.
50. I can write about it on my blog (like this).

What about you? Are you using Twitter? If so, why do you like it? In my list above, have I overlooked any of its benefits? Don’t be shy. Let me know what you think about Twitter, its pros and its cons, by leaving a comment here. I’d love to hear from you. Thanks.

P.S. By the way, one of the many reasons I like Twitter so much is that I can place noteworthy people and companies on lists. This makes it easier for me – and anyone who wants to take a look at my lists — to monitor particular segments of influential users at a glance. It also sends a signal to those on my lists that they have my attention. Here are the lists I’ve created so far on Twitter…

Massachusetts Social Media
Massachusetts Marketing
New England Social Media
New England Marketing
Copywriters
Social Media Heroes
All Star Bloggers
Fundraising
Marketing Social Media

Finally, if we’re not already following each other on Twitter, please don’t hesitate to look me up there. My handle is cargillcreative. Thanks again.

If you’re one of the millions of people using Twitter to share what’s on your mind, you know what a challenge it is to stand out among the crowd.  To some, Twitter’s a cocktail party. To others, it’s a soap box. But to the majority of its users, Twitter’s more like an uncontrollable scrum in which everybody is competing for a greater share of the discussion.
 
But it doesn’t have to be that way, not if you do as much listening as talking on this social media communications platform – and, when you do put yourself out there in 140 characters or less, you pause before you post.
 
That’s right, like a good conversationalist, the last thing you want to do is come across as loud and insensitive, vain and inattentive, crass and inarticulate.  
 
The truth is, to be successful on Twitter is really as easy as being mindful of the “Six Ways to Make People Like You” featured in Dale Carnegie’s classic book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”…

1.    Become genuinely interested in other people.
2.    Smile.
3.    Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4.    Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5.    Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
6.    Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.

Another way to be a hit in the Twitterverse is to follow the lead of creative director, copywriter and coach, Kat Jaib (@katjaib), who goes above and beyond to lend her ear and pearls of wisdom to the nearly 2,000 friends she’s following there. Seriously, Kat is a role model if ever there was one on Twitter, someone who doesn’t hesitate to reach out to others with kind words and a smile.  
 
Kat always has something nice to say, but she’s outdone herself recently with her answer to a meme called Follow Friday, a hallowed tradition on Twitter of people suggesting others to follow. Kat has taken this notion to the next level by honoring a select few Twitterers each Friday with a short, clever write-up as part of what she calls the Katnip Awards.

While it’s not an Emmy, an Oscar, a Clio or a Hatch, a Katnip is the first award that I know of to be given for tweeting — and just for coming up with the idea, Kat herself deserves kudos.  After all, like her, I like to think of Twitter as one big, happy family in which every member deserves as much recognition as possible.