17 Tips to Get More Twitter Followers and Tweeter Friends

Posted: 16 Feb 2011 05:19 AM PST To tweet or not to tweet was your question of 2010.  Now that it’s 2011 you’ve decided to take the big tweet plunge.  You finally get the guts to hop on Twitter. Chances are your experience might have started out a little like this: 1. You setup your account. 2. You followed some famous people that Twitter suggested you follow. As you did this you thought… “hmmm… just what I thought… Twitter is a waste of time… why do I need to follow Justin Bieber?” 3. You listened to the advice of the people “who get it” and put a real photo of yourself as the avatar, not the generic egg Twitter provides you with. 4. You tried changing your Twitter background and colors but gave up as you don’t have a brand yet anyway. 5. You question the purpose and the fact that you setup your Twitter account. You don’t see what all your friends are getting so excited about Twitter. You might even be thinking to yourself that you’ll never set foot on it again after today unless at least one person follows you back within the next 24 hours. 6. You start to wonder if you are as cool as you thought you were before you hopped on Twitter.  But then you think again and decide you aren’t going to let some dumb blue bird determine your cool factor. 7.  You send your first tweet and it reads something like “hellllooo… It’s my first day on Twitter… anybody there?” 8. You wish you had more followers. 9. You decide to wait until tomorrow to figure out this Twitter thing. You have real work to do. 10. On your way home from the office you start thinking about what on earth you are going to Tweet about tomorrow! You just can’t seem to get that crazy little blue bird out of your head! I know the above may not be exactly the same steps you went thru when you hopped on Twitter.  However, from my experience in helping many small and medium size business leaders, my guess is it’s pretty close! So, let’s talk about where you should go from here. 17 Tips to Get you Tweetin’, Makin’ Friends and Hopefully Some Followers Along the Way! 1. Organize your social house. Grab yourself a notebook and keep track of all logins, passwords etc.  Create a folder in your email inbox to save all of the account creation confirmations and other information. 2. Develop your tweet plan. Random acts of tweeting and random acts of social media have offer only one guarantee and that is to waste your most greatest asset which is time.  Ensure that your social media and tweetin’ activities align to your business goals and objectives.  Having a purpose in your tweets will better organically attract people to you and your content. 3. Create a content message house. If you don’t already have one, create a message house for your business.  At minimum it should include your vision, mission, value proposition, descriptions of business and products, key features, differentiation statements and key positioning messages.  As part of the message create a list of potential tweets  that could help an audience. Focus on educating and inspiring your target audience. 4. Start social listening. The first step in social media is to learn about the ecosystem you are getting ready to enter.  Spend some time searching for, following and listening to interesting tweeters.  Hop on to Kurrently, Twellow and Twitter Search for real-time searches.  Kurrently offers real-time results for both Twitter and Facebook.  These types of tools will provide you an easy way to find and connect with like minds. 5. Create Twitter lists to start tracking the people you meet and find interesting. Organize your twitter lists by topic, industry, demographics or whatever best supports your business and marketing objectives, goals, and plans. 6. Show some social media love! During your early stages of social media and tweeting focus on learning from and supporting others.  Even if you aren’t yet creating your own content you can be a content curator which searches for and serves up great content from other thought leaders in your industry.  Focus on finding good quality content creators in your market industry or niche. Then you can retweet and share their content on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. 7.  Connect authentically with other thought leaders. Now that you’ve done some social listening, started to curate some decent information and also share some of the best content you find with your friends, now it’s time to start building some relationships.  Leave a comment on your favorite blog.  Send your favorite writer a tweet about their content, their website or something you found interesting that they said. 8.  Be authentic and real. Don’t pretend you know everything.  Be humble and don’t be afraid to ask for help.  If you don’t understand something someone writes about or tweets to you, then by all means ask them for clarification.  Let people know the real you.  The more you do this the easier it will be for you to connect with real people. 9. Search for and start following more people. Now that you’re getting the hang of this “Twter thang” a little bit, it’s time to start finding more people to “tweet with”.  There are numerous tools that will help you find and follow people easily.  Check out HootSuite, TweetDeck, and simple do a search on Google for Twitter tools.  Send a tweet and ask for suggestions or ask one of your favorite thought leaders you met during your early stages of social listening. 10. Continue to focus on adding value. Never stop giving when tweeting. Focus on sharing valuable, relevant content with your audience and you will organically grow your following. 11.  Use hashtags such as #sm or #twitter. Hashtags increase the chances of your tweets getting found, increase your organic twitter following.  Hashtags are basically a keyword that starts with a pound sign.  For example people talking about real estate might use #realestate.  Hashtags help people connect who have similar interests in topics. You can check out trending and popular topics using hashtags at What The Hashtag. You can also connect with groups or create a group for a hashtag at Hashtag.org 12.  Make it easy for people to find your twitter handle. Add your new twitter handle to your online and offline signatures and identity.  Don’t forget to add it to your business cards, email signature, LinkedIn profile and Facebook information page.  Basically add it everywhere and anywhere you provide your contact information. 13.  Learn and accept twitter and social media is one big conversation. This is not a gimmick or a bunch of crazy tweeters gone mad.  Twitter is truly one big social conversation.  The best thing you can do is join and add value.  Become part of the conversation as early on as you can. Ask questions, provide answers, share quotes, and tell jokes.  Just be the person you are but do it in 140 character increments. 14. Realize your success will greatly depend on relationships. The better you can connect with other tweeters via conversations and by providing valuable content, the more benefit you will reap.  You will organically attract friends and followers as you build real and authentic relationships.  If you think about it, it’s really no different than how you network offline.  The big difference is instead of wasting time driving to a networking event and having to talk to Sally, Dick and Harry about the same thing you talked about at the last 25 networking meetings, you can now be more selective in where you spend your time.  You can have side bar 1:1 conversations with 1, 2 or 10 people at a time.  Learning the conversation and relationship duo in social media will jet set you above your competition and fast. 15.  Know you are not going out of business if you lose a twitter follower! Followers will come and go. Everyone will not like you but that doesn’t matter. Focus on the ones who do! You aren’t going to learn everything over night. Learn what you can at the speed that makes sesnse for you.  Focus on the good people you meet and give then your energy and focus. There are 10 more good people who will follow you for anyone who won’t or who unfollows you.  Realize many people use auto-follow and auto-unfollow tools.  Often times if you don’t follow someone back their auto-tool may drop you.  So, if they un-follow it might not be personal at all! 16.  Don’t get caught up in the lingo. Yes learn it but don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s okay if you refer to a twit as a tweet in early days. It’s not going to blow up your tweet account.  We’ve all been there. You’ll learn it eventually! 17.  Have fun. When all is said and done it’s not life or death if you “get twitter” within the next 30 days. You’ve been without it this long, what’s another 30-60 days.  Integrate it into your business and find fun ways you can engage and leverage to build real relationships. Your Turn

d Tweeter Friends

CTV News | Is the U.S. housing market now in double-dip territory?

CTV News | Is the U.S. housing market now in double-dip territory?

How Real Estate is doing, south of the Border

HIGH MEDIAN PRICE IN SAN JOSE- HERE IS A SURVEY FOR YOU

There has been a remarkable increase in median sales price and with is the median days on market have drastically fallen. According to the statistics of San Jose Real Estate market report there has been an improvement but at the end the total units sold has depreciated as the buyers were not prepared for the price hike. Another reason of the decrease in units sold can be analyzed if we compare the ratio of sale price to list price. San Jose has experienced a rise in the median sales price comparatively than last year.

In Los Gatos, a neighboring city there was a decrease in the median sales price and the median days dropped almost by half and so there was a negligible appreciation in the units sold. Morgan Hill, also a neighboring city fell a prey to a sharp decrease in units sold and suffered the same ill-fate in San Jose Real Estate.

But overall homes have shown signs of improvement with median prices rising high and the sellers earned 100% of the asked price and houses selling like hot cakes. There are periodic reports based on extensive research on San Jose Real Estate which helps to locate San Jose houses. This is the third largest city in California and the tenth largest in United States and this is one of the main reasons for the city’s demand. It is the suburban magnet to the newcomers and so the city is facing new housing and industrial developments.

San Jose Real Estate has been doing well, the market is moving upwards but it is not as simple as it seems because you cannot ignore the number of units sold. If you are looking for a home, survey market thoroughly, take at the purchase list, calculate the PreQual Mortgage amount and match your profile with the offers of the lenders and then find the perfect home.

Kindly provided by R. P 

for more information in Real Estate in the San Jose Area, contact  : rockwithrocky@yahoo.com

Re-doing a Kitchen the Green way

If you’re building a new home or updating an older one and want to go green wherever you can, you’ve got more options than ever in eco-chic materials for countertops, flooring and cabinets. Here’s a quick guide to eco-friendly kitchen materials — including five favorites of eco-design experts, plus top materials to avoid.

          Thumbs Up: 5 Eco-Optimal Options

Recycled glass: “Recycled glass is one of my favorite things to use for countertops,” says environmental design consultant Michelle Bexelius. “It’s so beautiful and comes in so many colors.” Look for glass tile that is 100 percent recycled, either from post-industrial or post-consumer sources.
PaperStone: It’s a pretty cool concept — paper that’s pressed into a stonelike material. It’s strong and workable like stone, but made from recycled paper. PaperStone comes in various colors and uses no petroleum products. “I really love this stuff,” Bexelius says. It’s ideal for countertops — or anywhere else you would use stone. Find a dealer through Paperstoneproducts.net
Bamboo: Don’t be fooled by bamboo’s stick-like appearance in the forest — it’s an extremely hard and durable material that's ideal for countertops, cabinets or flooring. Bamboo's eco-friendly status comes from the fact that it’s a completely renewable resource — it grows amazingly fast. Also check out other sustainably harvested wood flooring options, such as cork oak.
Marmoleum: This natural flooring material is made from linseed oil, wood flour, rosin, jute and limestone. “It’s a great alternative to traditional linoleum flooring,” says Bexelius.
Natural plaster: Skip the dry-wall mud and the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) found in conventional paints. This fume-free wall finishing alternative, also known as earth plaster, is made from natural clay and pigments in a range of earthy colors. It goes directly on almost any material including dry wall, wood, adobe, straw bale or masonry. You can texture it as you like or leave it smooth. Either way you get an organic-looking finished effect that's far more interesting than the homogeneous wall mud sold at home improvement stores.

Thumbs Down: 4 Materials to Avoid

Particleboard: “Do not use particleboard for cabinets,” cautions Debra Lynn Dadd, author of "Home Safe Home: Creating a Healthy Home Environment by Reducing Exposure to Toxic Household Products." “It emits formaldehyde, which can make your eyes water and cause rashes.” It’s also a suspected human carcinogen. Cabinet-grade plywood is a better alternative, and custom-made solid wood cabinets (preferably reclaimed wood) are the best option, Dadd says.
Imported Materials: “Try to source materials as locally as possible,” Dadd says. The material itself isn’t usually the problem; after all, products like marble and granite are natural stone — usually a good choice. “But it’s all about how you get it here,” she says. Shipping granite from Italy, for example, uses a tremendous amount of fuel and other resources. Check with local kitchen remodeling stores and services to see if they have some decent-sized hunks of scrap stone that can work for your project.
Toxic glues, grouts and stains: Even the most eco-friendly product gets tainted if high-VOC  products are used to adhere or finish it. Follow the process through and make sure you specify low-VOC products. Ask your builder or your local hardware store about the most environmentally friendly options, such as nontoxic glues, low-VOC tile adhesive and polymer-free grout. Using polymers does help prevent mold, so be sure to use an eco-friendly sealant in their place. And use natural materials — like beeswax to seal bamboo — whenever possible, Bexelius says.
Wood from non-sustainable forests: Hardwood is a wonderful natural material, but deforestation concerns make it important to do your homework. Contact the lumberyard, the manufacturer or your contractor and start asking questions. “Be your own reporter; find out if the wood is coming from a sustainably managed forest,” Bexelius says. “Are the trees being replanted? If not, don’t buy it.”

We would like to thank GAIAM LIFE for  the information above.

Suzanne Dutoy : A service with the sign of Excellence

Suzanne Dutoy has a lot to offer as a Realtor:
- A solid education: MBA (Master in Business and Administration), Scholarship for Excellence-Broker (2007) – RE/MAx

- Expertise in credit risks and considerable skills in project management and negotiations

- A smiling, fully motivated agent

- The personalized welcome you love to get

- The dynamics of efficient and rapid service

- The assurance of total availability

- The guarantee of absolute seriousness in carrying out the mandate

- The reassuring certitude that there is finally someone you can trust

- Her specialties: bringing sellers and buyers together

Here is one of the great properties that Suzanne has waiting for you :

Luxury on the lake! Located on a large lot directly on the lac St-Louis with a superb view on Baie d'Urfé. Relaxing site, only 15 minutes from the Island of Montreal.

The plan of this home is great due to the great layout
divisions, separate dining room, elegant living room,
cordial family room, exceptional kitchen including an
island, and to top it all off its solarium has a direct
view on the lake.

Enjoy the fairytale like sunsets on the water.

Feel like you are on a country vacation year round!

Visit more rooms of this lovely property by visiting Suzanne's Web Site:  http://ow.ly/32SD9

For more information regarding The West Island , visit Agents par Secteur : http://ow.ly/32SF3

Gina Lavoie, Real Estate Broker in Lasalle, Qc

For 24 years now, Gina has been very active in the Atwater market district (south west) as an experienced professional real estate broker. Well-known for her communication skills and her honest and efficient approach, her customers benefit from her expertise and her knowledge of the real estate market. Having lived and worked in this region, she can negotiate the best possible price and can also offer you excellent advice.

Graduated in administration, Gina worked in this domain before getting interested in real estate. She also acquired many years experience in a family firm in retail business. She started her career with ‘’ The Permanent’’ and joined the Sutton Group in 1994.

Your satisfaction is her priority; from beginning to end. She advises you in the process of buying or selling and will pay particular attention to all the details of the transaction. Gina has many sales to her credit including more than 29 transactions already this year. It is said that she really works for her clients and it’s the truth. She will offer you a highly professional service that will meet your very best expectations.


For a satisfactory transaction with complete peace of mind,
contact Gina Lavoie.
Office : 514-861-3000
Fax : 514-364-3649
E-mail : glavoie@sutton.com

Designer's house whispered 'art deco'

- You've heard of the horse whisperer? Trevor Compton is more of a house whisperer.

The local interior designer says often, a house "speaks" to him about the kind of decor that suits it best, like his own, flat-roof, 1950s home, in which he found the perfect showcase for his collection of art deco furnishings and collectibles.

While art deco dates from the 1920s and '30s, some 20 years or more before his own North Glenora house was built, Compton has found the perfect marriage of the two in the clean lines and architectural esthetic they share.

The art deco movement encompassed a range of styles over those years, from soft curves and flowing lines in the 1920s, evolving into a harder, more architectural look in the 1930s, he says. His collection spans the gamut of styles.

His 3,000-square-foot house, which he bought seven years ago, was built in the art moderne style by a local architect for himself and his family. "He would have trained in the '40s, when they still would have had that art deco esthetic, but he did all kinds of things that were new at the time," like adding double-glazed windows, weeping tile and insulation, says Compton.

"I've tried to restore it, rather than renovate it. The house really spoke to me. It said art deco, kind of a Hollywood glamour," he adds. To that end, he's included geometric, leaded-glass inserts in the interior doors and had a matching glass panel made that runs along the side of the main staircase.

His furniture, decorative glassware, clock collection and many other accents are all art deco, amassed over many years of searching here and in Montreal, where Compton used to work as the head of display for the Eaton's downtown store. Since returning to Edmonton in 1991, he's worked at Finesse, Hothouse and now, at Cottswood Interiors as a design consultant.

"I go to lots of clients' houses and sometimes they want to imprint their style on the house and they don't allow the house to speak," he says. "Sometimes the house speaks a language that's quite definite as to what kind of style it should be."

He recalls one woman in a flat-roof house like his who had decorated the home in a Victorian style. "It was such a jarring disconnect between what the house style should have been and what it was. She actually did the house a disservice."

But that doesn't mean a particular house can take only one style of decor, he adds.

The prior owners of his house had decorated it in an ultra-modern, almost space-age style that worked very well in the home, though it was built more than 50 years ago.

"This clean-line esthetic can take an art deco look, it can take a '50s look, it can take a really contemporary look. ... This era of house was really a kind of chameleon for lots of design styles that would come after it was built," Compton says.

The house has been modernized in many ways, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. Compton has also changed the doors and windows, but has tried to maintain the same graphic, clean lines of the house.

He has also added beautiful outdoor spaces, including a "plaza" on his front lawn that includes gorgeous landscaping, a water feature, sculptures and outdoor furniture. On the second floor, a large balcony includes a smaller water feature and a dining area.

"It's a real entertaining house," says Compton.

His modern kitchen opens to a large dining area and living room. A second, smaller and more intimate dining room used to be the owner/ architect's office. Now it's filled with an art deco dining suite and collectibles.

But soon, Compton hopes it will take on someone else's personal style, as he's selling his home and downsizing to a condo.

Our thanks to :
Marta Gold, Edmonton Journal