unaboutique

If you’re an avid Twitter user, you likely scan your “mentions” and “interactions” on Twitter on a daily basis (if not more frequent than that). But, if you tweet for a business, you may be overlooking a valuable tool on twitter.   Not to sound alarmist, but there may be conversations happening on Twitter right now about your business that you aren’t aware of.   Compliments, complaints, questions, you-name-it.   How is this possible?   Reasons you may be missing tweets about your business: People often assume your Twitter name instead of looking it up.   If your business is ABC Sign, most will assume @ABCSign instead of a variation of that, like @ABC_Sign or @ABC_Sign_Co or @1ABCSign, is your Twitter handle.   People may not use your Twitter name (“handle”), but instead may simply type in your business name, such as “ABC Sign.” Others may hashtag your   business name instead of using your handle (example: #ABCSign)...

By now, you're likely tweeting away! Whether you're a twitter newbie or a veteran, Twitter lists will prove to be most helpful, especially as you grow the number of people you follow on Twitter. Someone recently asked me how I seem to find goodness-filled tweets when I'm following 4,000 people. My answer: Twitter lists. Thank goodness, I had enough insight when I was new on Twitter to create and use Twitter lists. Sure, it was somewhere between follower 1 and follower 1,000 that I realized how essential the lists would prove to be.  Yep, there were a few long days where I had to back-track and list each person I was following so that my streams were super-organized.  Example: Out of 4,000 people, nearly 500 are Charleston marketing and public relations professionals.  And I have them all in their very own list .  That means at any time of the day or night, I can jump over to that list (on my computer OR phone) and see what's going on with these talented peeps. Same g...

Do you tweet? If you follow my blog regularly, you know I'm a huge fan of twitter.  In fact, I've made nearly ALL of my friendships in Charleston through the beauty of Twitter.  So much so, that I co-founded a Tweetup group with Liz Deloach and Melissa K .  I also count Twitter as a blessing, since I met Diane Gottsman   and Jacqueline Whitmore there.  If you've tweeted for some time, you're used to design changes and new features every now and then.  I have always enjoyed the upgrades and am hopeful that the latest round of changes are great improvements.  Here's a quick video that Twitter shared to walk people through the latest changes.  It's here for those reading by email.  Enjoy, and thanks to Ashley Caldwell for tweeting about the changes. Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in Charleston , SC who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to th...

I'm here to share a #twitter feature that has left me feeling a bit uplifted and inspired.  I think it makes great sense for today, even if it may not be officially "Twitter Tuesday" for us here in this space. Have you noticed Twitter's latest feature? It appears as "recent images" on the left-hand side of the user profile.  You can get a sneak peek below.  Then, if you click on "view all", a page is filled with a collection of the images you've most recently shared. I'm sharing my most recent images below.  I don't know about you, but I like the picture that this slice of me paints.  I think it shows that I'm a woman exploring her way through life with the help of art and inspiration.  Color, faces, light, happiness.  Take a look at your images.  What are they saying about you?  It's a fun exercise! I hope your images line up with your heart and your goals.  If they don't, it may be time to regroup. Have a grea...

Let's talk about finding new tweeps by using the "browse interests" tool.  Last "Twitter Tuesday" we talked about growing your network on Twitter by using the "who to follow" and "others like you" tools. If you missed the post, it's over here .  First, how do you get to this tool?  You click on "view all" just below the "who to follow" suggestions on your home screen on Twitter.  From here, click on the "browse interests" tab. This is where you can click on the category that most appeals to you. One of my suggested interest categories was "art & design".  I can click on "view all" next to "art and design" and Twitter has a list of 59 tweeps who fit into this category that I may be interested in following. Today's exercise: Explore the "browse interests" tool on Twitter to connect with a few new and interesting tweeps today.  Time spent: approx. 15 minutes. G...

Today's "Twitter Tuesday" Tip is one you can easily execute in a manner of minutes! Let's talk about the "Who to Follow" and Similar to You" follow suggestions on Twitter. Both are great tools that are available to you via Twitter that will help you grow your network. First, the "Similar to You" feature on Twitter: Have you noticed the "similar to you" feature on twitter? If you visit your profile (and are logged in), it's just below your following/followers numbers (example below). By default you should see 3 people below the "Similar to You" header. Click on the "view all" just next to "similar to you" and you'll find a full page of suggestions for you. Some you may already follow, but others could make great new follows! Next, the "Who to Follow" feature on Twitter: From your "home" screen (not your "profile" screen), you should see a "Who to Follow" fea...

Have you visited http://Paper.li yet? According to their website, “Paper.li is a content curation service.  It enables people to publish newspapers based on topics they like and treat their readers to fresh news, daily.”  I came across Paper.li many months ago but have developed an increased interest in the content sharing after being featured in a Twitter friend’s own paper.li online newspaper.  @ SHUEDA ( Greg Shue ) publishes a “#CHS #Design Daily” using paper.li, and I have been thrilled to find myself as a contributor on several occasions (example here: http://paper.li/SHUEDA/charleston-design ). The best part? It’s allowed me to meet new people and has helped grow my relationship with @ SHUEDA and others featured in his daily paper.  A few weeks ago another Twitter friend, @ ashleytcaldwell , released her own paper.li daily newspaper, The Modern Connection Daily . Today I’m walking you through the process of creating your own Paper.li online newsp...

Welcome back from the 4th of July holiday! I have a few lovely Twitter backgrounds to share with you on this "Twitter Tuesday".  It's a bit late, but here are few designs I've recently completed.  Tomorrow I'll be sharing an inspirational post about my brother.  Until then, please enjoy these backgrounds.  Today's Etiquette with Darlene Das Darlene is new to Twitter and will be taking the Twitterverse by storm before you know it! I created a custom background to match her website.   Diane had lovely photos for me to work with, so she made my job super easy! Today's Etiquette with Darlene Das at @TodaysEtiquette  I feel a bit silly sharing the next background, but it's one that was in need of an update. Designers often work on their own websites and profiles last, and the same can be said about me sometimes. I updated my Twitter background recently and wanted to share it with you. Are we connected on Twitter? Follow me @LauraCatherineO ...

One of my twitter friends, @tiglu wrote an amazing post on “ Getting the Most out of Twitter ”.  Tim & I have never met in person, but have exchanged tweets back and forth over the past year or so.  I’m not sure how we found each other’s tweets, but I’m glad that we did.  Tim also shares podcasts, something that I have not done yet.  I can relate to Tim’s post about people’s reactions to Twitter.  I am used to folks saying “isn’t that just a site where you talk about what you had for breakfast?” or something along those lines.   I usually answer that Twitter has evolved a sophisticated networking tool that connects people all around the globe.  I then go onto to say that nearly all of my friends in Charleston have been made on Twitter.  Wow! Without further ado, hop over to Tim’s post! You’ll be glad you did! Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in Charleston , SC who has been active in social media since 200...

What is Klout ? Klout identifies influencers on topics across the social web. I wrote about my experience with this service in this post last September. Since that time, they've expanded their services to integrate your LinkedIn and Facebook business page activity into your Klout score.  If you haven't created an account on Klout yet, I'd encourage you to do so! The process is super easy and they integrate your Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn info effortlessly. Your Klout Analysis  Includes: Your true reach Your amplification Your network Your topic summary Your top retweets Most popular links shared Your influence "matrix" Your content analysis Who you are influenced by Who you are an influencer of A Klout Perk I received a notification from @KloutPerks that my "Klout" had earned me a goodie pack from the new TNT series "Franklin & Bash".  I wasn't sure what this was about but I thought it was pretty neat of Klout to offer this to a select ...

I used http://search.twitter.com/ to make new connections this past week! A few weeks ago I shared a post and video with you about http://search.twitter.com (post here ). Search.twitter.com  has to be one of my favorite tools offered by Twitter! I am posting again today about this great tool in the hopes that you'll take a few of my recent real-life examples and put them into practice for yourself. :)  At the end of this post, you'll find easy-to-follow instructions on how you can get started with this great tool. Two ways I used search.twitter.com last week: 1. I have a love of the arts and am always looking to connect with other folks in Charleston who share this same appreciation.  I used search.twitter.com last week to find other twitter users within 25 miles of my zipcode who were tweeting about the Spoleto Festival.   I then followed those folks who seemed to be a match with some of my interests.  How did I determine this? We...

Today's " Tutorial Thurs " post covers how to link your Facebook business page status updates to your Twitter account.  Please note, this tutorial is for those who manage business pages on Facebook, and doesn't work for your personal page. Linking your Facebook business page to Twitter is a time-saving tool.  Nothing replaces a carefully crafted tweet...but this is a good option for those who may otherwise not have the time to update in both places.  How to Link Your Facebook Business Page to Twitter: 1. Login to Facebook (also login to Twitter if you have tabbed navigation, otherwise, you can log into twitter on Step 4) 2. Visit http://www.facebook.com/twitter 3. Click on " link to Twitter " for the Facebook business page you'd like to link to Twitter 4. Click on " authorize app " on the Twitter screen that appears. After the link occurs, you'll be taken back to Facebook (the Facebook.com/twitter page).   5. Click on " edit setting...

Are you using search.twitter.com ?  It's an advanced social media search tool with a variety of uses! I came across an excellent video that gives you a wonderful overview of search.twitter.com and how it may benefit you.  Thank you, Jim ( @startmywebpage ) for sharing this helpful video on Twitter! This 5-minute video by BeatBlogging is worth the watch if you're active on Twitter. Advanced Twitter Tips and Tricks: Search.Twitter.com Video: (if you're reading this blog post by email, you may wish to visit the video via this link instead: http://youtu.be/KMgZt3RkMxI . Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in Charleston , SC who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to this blog via Email or    RSS . Laura can also be found on Twitter ( @LauraCatherineO ), Facebook , and LinkedIn . 

My first time planning a tweetup for the Etiquette Expert.  L-R: @ MackenzieImage @ MegsImageGuide , @ EtiquetteExpert , @ LizDeloach , @ DianeGottsman , @ Alesya , @ LauraCatherineO , @ AndrewCPetersen , @ HeatherMueller Have you ever wanted to schedule a tweetup? Have you wondered how to plan a tweetup?  I LOVE tweetups and think they are a useful tool to meet new folks and make new friends.  A tweetup is really just a casual gathering of twitter friends who often share similar interests.  It can be as big or small as you'd like it to be. It can be carefully planned weeks-out or put together just a few days before! The cost is little to nothing for most...simply show up and enjoy yourself! Before I begin, if you're in/around Charleston, SC, be sure to join us next Friday (May 27) for our "Charleston Ladies Who Lunch" tweetup! Details: http://twtup.com/chsLadiesWhoLunchMay . My Experience Planning a Tweetup Last summer, I created my very first tweetup.  Inter...