The Value of Twitter (cont.)

When I first wrote about the value of Twitter in 2009, most people thought of it simply as a platform for narcissists to tweet their every meal. After the 2016 campaign, many now view it as a cesspool of hatemongering and disinformation.

Well, both views are true to a certain extent. There are still some who tweet about everything (although most have migrated to Instagram), and there are plenty of folks on their worst behavior as they tweet.

But like any other social media platform -- or indeed, any real world social interaction -- it's really what you make of it. Imagine a reception in a large ballroom. You don't have to stand next to the ugly drunk and put up with their abuse. You can move to the opposite corner and discuss more pleasant topics. Perhaps you can connect with others who support your favorite sports team, or are from your old hometown, or share your hobbies.

One of the ways I use Twitter is to converse with fellow classical music enthusiasts. And, as a result, I've learned a thing or two. For example -- in December 2016 a few of us started using #BeethovenaDay hashtag. The rules were simple: for the month of December, post a link to a performance of a Beethoven piece.

In the process, I've been exposed to a number of great performances I wouldn't have otherwise discovered -- and so have others. To my post sharing a vintage recording of Beethoven's Serenade Op. 8, a colleague replied "Hindemith on viola? Oh my! Must hear" (the 1934 recording featured composer Paul Hindemith when he was still primarily a performer). He got to hear something new for him (and his tweets often expose me to exciting performances I hadn't heard before).



Here's another example.

The #BeethovenaDay discussion included this conversation:

Q: For #BeethovenADay, how about nominations for the greatest Beethoven-inspired Symphony?

Reply 1: Off the top of my head Brahms 1, Sibelius 1, Dvorak 9, Bruckner 9, Mahler 2, Harris 1. Will think of others.

Reply 2: Villa-Lobos's inspiration for Choros no.10 was Beethoven's 9th.

Reply 3: The slow movement of Ives' Concord Sonata uses motifs from Beethoven's 5th.

I had no idea that so many works were directly inspired by Beethoven. And secondly, I now have another list of works to explore, listening for those connections.

Of course, while we were having these #BeethovenaDay conversations, there were plenty of horrible, nasty, racist, misogynistic tweeting going on. But I saw very little of it. My Twitter feed follows a different crowd -- and yours can, too.

Choose what you want to share, choose your tone of voice, choose who to interact with. And don't be shy about blocking. Tweets can be used to transmit humanity's basest emotions or share our highest aspirations. I strive to contribute to the latter.

The Value of Twitter Part 6: Pi Day Classics (an annotated Twitter conversation)

What I really enjoy about Twitter is not just the conversations, but the depth of those conversations. In real life, the following exchange would have been a non-starter -- unless I was at a convention of public radio classical music broadcasters.

On Pi Day (3/14/14), WUOL Classical 95.5 fm, Fine Arts Radio for Louisville, KY, sent out a tweet calling attention to their Pi Day-oriented classical programming. It got my attention, and the following exchange ensued. If it appears a little obscure, I've included an annotated version directly below it.

The takeaway from this is simple: on Twitter you can find folks as passionate and knowledgeable about the same things as you --- no matter how obscure the topic may seem to the general public. Just as at a social gathering in real life, if you say interesting and thoughtful things in a pleasant manner -- and respond to others doing the same -- you'll have a rewarding experience.

The conversation:

WUOL: #PiDay on WUOL means we've been playing Op. 314, K. 314, BWV 314, RV 314 and HWV 314 all this hour. Did we miss a connection? 

RalphGraves: @WUOL Which Op. 314 did you air? Hovhaness' Symphony 38 or J. Strauss' Blue Danube? #PiDay

WUOL: @RalphGraves Strauss

RalphGraves: @WUOL Well, there's the Pi Symphony itself... youtube.com/watch?v=CGK2i2…

WUOL: of course there is! RT @RalphGraves: @WUOL Well, there's the Pi Symphony itself... youtube.com/watch?v=CGK2i2…

RalphGraves: @WUOL Also, what about Schubert's lieder "Nachtgesang" (D. 314) #PiDay

WUOL: @RalphGraves Good suggestion!

RalphGraves @WUOL Another option: Czerny's Op. 314, Grande polonaise brillante précédés d’une introduction pour le pianoforte et violon concertane

RalphGraves: @WUOL With the competing catalog systems, you could have three Domenico Scarlatti keyboard sonatas for the price of one! [1 of 2]
RalphGraves @WUOL P. 314, Sonata in C (K.251, L.305); K.314, Sonata in G Allegro (L.441, P.505); L.314 Sonata in D K.511, P.388) [2 of 2]

WUOL: @RalphGraves there are many ways to slice it.

RalphGraves @WUOL D'oh! Well put.

The annotated conversation:

WUOL: #PiDay [using this hashtag creates a link in Twitter, and ties it to all the other tweets using this hashtag. This is a smart way for WUOL to get into the general conversation surrounding Pi Day celebrations -- and attract more online listeners.] on WUOL means we've been playing Op. 314, [Since tweets are limited to 140 characters, this is a clever way of communicating a lot of information. These are all catalog numbers for various composers. If you know a lot about classical music, you'll know the composers. The only exception is the opus number. Since it's just a publication designation, it can belong to any composer prolific enough to have that many works published (a concept I run with in my response).] K. 314 [Mozart: K.314 is his Flute Concerto in D major. K. stands for Ludwig von Köchel, who first cataloged Mozart's music in 1862.] , BWV 314 [Johann Sebastian Bach: Chorale "Gelobet seist du." BWV is an abbreviation for Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (Bach Works Catalogue), first published in 1950.], RV 314 [Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in G major. RV stands for Ryom Verzeichnis, the catalog of Vivaldi's works compiled by Peter Ryom and first published in 1972] and HWV 314 [Handel: Concerto Grosso in G major, Op. 3, No. 3 -- although this work has an opus number, so few of Handel's works were published, the HWV catalog number is a much more useful way of identifying the work. HWV is an abbreviation for Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis (Catalogue of Handel's Works)] all this hour. Did we miss a connection? 

RalphGraves: @WUOL Which Op. 314 did you air? Hovhaness' Symphony 38 or J. Strauss' Blue Danube? #PiDay [In my response, I also included the Pi Day hashtag to ensure it was part of the larger conversation. Also, don't be too impressed. I don't know a lot of opus numbers off the top of my head. I first had to remember which very prolific composers actually used opus numbers for their works and got into the 300's. A search of the catalogs of Johann Strauss the Senior and Alan Hovhaness lead me to the specific works quite quickly.]

WUOL: @RalphGraves Strauss

RalphGraves: @WUOL Well, there's the Pi Symphony itself... youtube.com/watch?v=CGK2i2…[Lars Erickson composed a symphony based on the numbers in Pi. I provided a link to the YouTube video of the work (YouTube is an amazing source for classical music). In Twitter, the link is valid, even though it extends beyond the character limit. I've added the correct link so you can follow it.]

WUOL: of course there is! RT @RalphGraves: @WUOL Well, there's the Pi Symphony itself... youtube.com/watch?v=CGK2i2…[WUOL liked the idea so much, they retweeted it.(That's what the "RT" means -- "retweeted from the name that follows.") The conversation just got broader.]

RalphGraves: @WUOL Also, what about Schubert's lieder "Nachtgesang" (D. 314) ["D" refers Otto Erich Deutsch, who assigned catalog numbers to all of Franz Schubert's works. The catalog was published in 1951.] #PiDay[I didn't have room for the hashtag in the Pi Symphony tweet, but I do here -- keeping the Pi Day conversation linked in!] 

WUOL: @RalphGraves Good suggestion!

RalphGraves @WUOL Another option: Czerny's Op. 314, Grande polonaise brillante précédés d’une introduction pour le pianoforte et violon concertane [Carl Czerny was a prolific composer and pianist. I happened to know his opus numbers extended up into the eight hundreds (he wrote a lot of piano exercises and etudes, each with its own opus number).]

RalphGraves: @WUOL With the competing catalog systems, [Domenico Scarlatti wrote 550 keyboard sonatas. Three different musicologists have cataloged his works, and all three systems are still in use. Alessandro Longo grouped them by keys in the 1920's, Ralph Kirkpatrick did a chronological listing in the 1940's, and in the 1960's, Giorgio Pestelli did a completely revised listing.] you could have three Domenico Scarlatti keyboard sonatas for the price of one! [1 of 2][I couldn't fit this all into one tweet, so my "1 of 2" note says that this tweet is to be read in conjunction with the one immediately following.]
RalphGraves @WUOL P. 314, Sonata in C (K.251, L.305); K.314, Sonata in G Allegro (L.441, P.505); L.314 Sonata in D K.511, P.388) [2 of 2] [P. stands for Pestelli 's catalog listing, K. for Kirkpatrick's catalog listing, and L. for Longo catalog number. Each D. Scarlatti sonata has three different catalog numbers, which was my point; one composer, three different Pi Day numbers! (And no, Scarlatti didn't number his own works, so there is no "Sonata No. 314"--technically.)]

WUOL: @RalphGraves there are many ways to slice it. [Brilliant punning reference to pie/pi.]

RalphGraves @WUOL D'oh! Well put.[That pun was the perfect place to end the conversation so both of us could get back to work. But what fun!]

The Value of Twitter, Part 5: An Annotated Conversation

The Value of Twitter Series:
Part 1: The Personal
Part 2: The Professional
Part 3: The Informational
Part 4: Join the Conversation
Part 5: An Annotated Conversation

Many of my friends are still confused about Twitter. My last set of posts on the subject outlined some of the general benefits. But understanding how Twitter might be useful for a specific person can be difficult to draw from generalities -- especially if there's no personal experience to draw on.

So I present a recent group of tweets I participated in that might help demonstrate not only some of the social and professional value of Twitter, but the usefulness of one of its tools.

A little bit of background. This conversation is about classical music, but even if you don't care a fig for it, please read on. What's important here are the underlying concepts, which could just as easily be applied to conversations about needlework, investment banking, or college lacrosse teams.

In this group of tweets, all of the participants agreed to listen to a concerto each day in the month of March -- just for fun. Note that the tweets use the the same hashtag (#concertoaday). Putting the # sign in front of a word (or phrase without spaces) creates a unique term that's easily searchable on Twitter. And some third-party programs let you click on a hashtag to pull up all related posts.

Twitter names are noted with the @ symbol in front of the account name. This turns them into links in Twitter-based programs. Below is an actual Twitter conversation, followed by an annotated version First, the original conversation (each day's tweets are spread over an 8-10 hour period):


March 1, 2010
UMKCCons:
My first #concertoaday for March! Vasks: English Horn Concerto @NaxosMusicLib WER6705-2

RalphGraves:
@UMKCCons I'm in for the #concertoaday. First up: Daniel Asia's Piano Concerto (Summit Records)

villa_lobos:
#concertoaday Hummel's 2nd Piano Concerto, with Stephen Hough on @ChandosRecords - from the 30th Anniversary set: http://bit.ly/dcicUv

NaxosMusicLib:
RT @DrGeoduck: #concertoaday in March sounds like a fine idea, @UMKCCons, @villa_lobos, #symphonyaday

UMKCCons:
Listening to Menotti Violin Concerto for #concertoaday sigh. Not the best choice. Was hoping Barber would have rubbed off on him. Alas.

NaxosMusicLib:
is bidding good-bye to #symphonyaday but ushering in #concertoaday for March with the incomparable... http://bit.ly/bps1S5 (expand

DrGeoduck:
First #concertoaday: Schumann Cello Concerto.

RalphGraves:
#concertoaday Max Bruch: Concerto for 2 pianos, Op. 88a. Classic Philips recording w/Katia & Marielle Labeque, Semyon Bychkov &  Philharmonia

UMKCCons:
@RalphGraves @Tom_godell I only know the Bruch violin cto. Will check the others out. #concertoaday

Tom_Godell:
@RalphGraves Isn't that the arrangement of the clarinet/viola concerto? If so, it's a lovely piece.

RalphGraves:
@Tom_Godell According to the liner notes, Bruch's Concerto for 2 Pianos started life as a suite for organ and orchestra.

Tom_Godell:
@RalphGraves It'd be very interesting to hear the original suite. I wonder if it was published?

RalphGraves:
@Tom_Godell There is a version of the original version available on CD from a very small label I'm not familiar with. http://ow.ly/1deXZ

UMKCCons: #concertoaday Nerding out. Jan Bach: Steel Drum Cto and Gould: Tap Dancer Cto @NaxosMusicLib TROY521. Wish me luck! Can my ears handle it?

RalphGraves
@UMKCCons Two cool pieces I wasn't aware of before. Who says Twitter's useless? (I'm actually finding it to be quite expensive).

villa_lobos: You had me at Moderato Nobile - #concertoaday Korngold's Violin Concerto - all the wonder & excitement of early Technicolor

UMKCCons
#concertoaday Kurt Weill: Violin Concerto in honor of his birthday on @NaxosMusicLib PSC1090 @Tom_godell Scottish Fantasy LURV!

DrGeoduck
A quite recent #concertoaday today: the Colin Matthews Violin Concerto

March 3, 2010
UMKCCons:
#concertoaday all 3 Bartok piano concertos. It's that kind of day. If I have to lecture on Schubert, I need one of my favs to get me thru.

RalphGraves:
#concertoaday Music by the finest swordsman in all of France, Joseph Boulogne de Saint-Georges. Violin Concerto in D, Op. 3 (Naxos 8.557322)

DrGeoduck:
Today's #concertoaday is the Richard Strauss Horn Concerto no. 2. There's something golden and autumnal about late Strauss.

NaxosMusicLib:
#concertoaday is David Chesky's Violin and Flute Concerto (SACD288) http://bit.ly/cZHmYK

villa_lobos:
#concertoaday Villa-Lobos Guitar Concerto - Norbert Kraft's on @NaxosRecords 8.550729 is my favourite

     ralphgraves
      @villa_lobos Why am I not surprised? Definitely a good choice, though. And a good recording.

     villa_lobos:
     @RalphGraves #concertoaday is a good choice for the Villa-Lobos lover. His symphonies aren't top drawer - lots to choose from concerto-wise

**********

Think Twitter's a total waste of time? Read the annotated conversation:

UMKCCons:
My first #concertoaday [hashtag to organize conversation] for March! [Peteris] Vasks: English Horn Concerto @NaxosMusicLib [this is an account of an employee at Naxos Records -- watch how this company benefits from their Twittering] WER6705-2 
[This is the catalog number for the CD -- free publicity for Naxos]

RalphGraves:
@UMKCCons I'm in for the #concertoaday. [My use of the hashtag brings me into the conversation] First up: Daniel Asia's Piano Concerto (Summit Records)
[a nice plug for Summit Records]

villa_lobos:
#concertoaday [hashtag]  Hummel's 2nd Piano Concerto, with Stephen Hough on @ChandosRecords [Chandos Records issued this recording, @ChandosRecords is their Twitter account] - from the 30th Anniversary set: http://bit.ly/dcicUv
[This is a shortened URL that links to the Chandos page giving you additional information. Because tweets are limited to 140 characters, several URL shortening sites have sprung up.In this case, http://bit.ly was used. One thing to note: bit.ly and other URL-shorteners allow you to track usage. The originator will be able to see how many people clicked on this link, when, and from what country.]

NaxosMusicLib:
RT [RT is the designation for "retweeting." This is the equivalent of forwarding an email. Usually after the letters RT you'll see account name of the original tweeter -- in this case, DrGeoDuck.] @DrGeoduck: #concertoaday in March sounds like a fine idea, @UMKCCons, @villa_lobos, [the inclusion of these names ensures that these accounts will see this message] #symphonyaday  
[This hashtag refers to the previous month's game of listening to a symphony a day. Including this hashtag ensures the tweet shows up in both hashtag sorts, which in this case helps the followers of the "symphony a day" conversation transition into the "concerto a day" thread.]

UMKCCons:
Listening to [Carlo] Menotti Violin Concerto for #concertoaday sigh. Not the best choice. Was hoping Barber would have rubbed off on him. Alas. 
[Idle chatter? Not for me. I wasn't aware that Menotti wrote a violin concerto. And because through other conversations I know how my musical taste lines up with UMKCCons, I know it's not likely I'd enjoy this work either.]

NaxosMusicLib:
is bidding good-bye to #symphonyaday [hashtag links to older thread] but ushering in #concertoaday [hashtag links to new topic] for March with the incomparable... http://bit.ly/bps1S5 (expand)
[This is an interesting work-around of the 140 character limit. Because the message is too long, NaxosMusicLib includes a shortened URL -- basically the equivalent of adding a second page. Note that the link goes to the Naxos Music Library Facebook page, driving traffic (and building awareness of) said Facebook page. On that page is the disc -- which has a Naxos catalog number, of course. So although NaxosMusicLib has entered the spirit of the conversation, they're also subtly -- and very appropriately -- strengthening their brand.]

DrGeoduck:
First #concertoaday: Schumann Cello Concerto.
[Just contributing to the conversation.]

RalphGraves:
#concertoaday [Note that I launch right into the meat of the message. I'm relying on the hashtag to provide context, having it understood that this is what I will be listening to for my concerto a day.] Max Bruch: Concerto for 2 pianos, Op. 88a. Classic Philips recording w/Katia & Marielle Labeque, Semyon Bychkov & Philharmonia  
[The use of ampersands, and other abbreviations very helpful with only 140 characters to use.]

     UMKCCons:  
[I'm using indentations to indicate replies. If you just send out a tweet, everyone sees it. If you use the reply button, everyone still sees the answer, but the other person's name appears first to indicate the relationship. Some Twitter apps will link together these responses so you can follow the thread -- as I've done here. If you respond privately, "direct message" you'll see DM at the start of the tweet.]
     @RalphGraves @Tom_godell [Two names are included, as this is actually a response to both of us.]  I only know the Bruch violin cto. Will check the others out. #concertoaday
[UMKCCons uses the hashtag to ensure other people involved with concerto a day will also see this tweet.]

     Tom_Godell:
     @RalphGraves Isn't that the arrangement of the clarinet/viola concerto? If so, it's a lovely piece.
[A second response to my tweet. I actually got this after UMCCon's response, but I believe it was sent first.]

     RalphGraves:
     @Tom_Godell According to the liner notes, Bruch's Concerto for 2 Pianos started life as a suite for organ and orchestra.  
[Yes, we're two music geeks. But consider how helpful/fun such an in-depth conversation could be in your own area of interest.]

Tom_Godell:
@RalphGraves It'd be very interesting to hear the original suite. I wonder if it was published?

RalphGraves:
     @Tom_Godell There is a version of the original version available on CD from a very small label I'm not familiar with. http://ow.ly/1deXZ 
[This is another shortened URL that leads to the product page for this release at ArkivMusic.com. Not only does it provide additional information for our conversation, but if Tom_Godell wanted to, he could immediately purchase the CD. A nice benefit for ArkivMusic -- and they're not even part of the conversation!]

UMKCCons: #concertoaday Nerding out. Jan Bach: Steel Drum Cto [Cto is a standard abbreviation for "concerto." 140 character limit, remember?] and [Morton] Gould: Tap Dancer Cto @NaxosMusicLib TROY521. [Another reference back to Naxos. And UMKCCons includes the catalog number. So if I'm interested in these works, I have the info I need to track them down and purchase them.] Wish me luck! Can my ears handle it?

     RalphGraves
     @UMKCCons Two cool pieces I wasn't aware of before. Who says Twitter's useless? (I'm actually finding it to be quite expensive).
[I've ended up purchasing several recordings based on these in-depth conversations with colleagues who share my interests.]

     villa_lobos: You had me at Moderato Nobile - #concertoaday Korngold's Violin Concerto - all the wonder & excitement of early Technicolor

UMKCCons 
[This is unusual. There are actually two different things going on in this tweet.]
#concertoaday Kurt Weill: Violin Concerto in honor of his birthday on @NaxosMusicLib PSC1090 [Another unsolicited plug for the Naxos Music Library service] @Tom_godell Scottish Fantasy LURV!
[A reference to our earlier conversation about Max Bruch (who wrote the Scottish Fantasy)]

DrGeoduck
A quite recent #concertoaday today: the Colin Matthews Violin Concerto

March 3, 2010
UMKCCons:
#concertoaday all 3 Bartok piano concertos. It's that kind of day. If I have to lecture on Schubert, I need one of my favs to get me thru.  
[UMKCCons shares some personal information about his day. Some disparage Twitterers for talking about what they're having for breakfast, etc. But a college professor talking about music to other colleagues in the field, this is simply relevant (and interesting) small talk, which could potentially lead to a conversation about Schubert.]

RalphGraves:
#concertoaday Music by the finest swordsman in all of France, Joseph Boulogne de Saint-Georges. Violin Concerto in D, Op. 3 (Naxos 8.557322)
[I don't think a lot of people are familiar with Saint-Georges, so I'm providing a little background cast as a teaser. And notice that I'm also sending some traffic to Naxos.]

DrGeoduck:
Today's #concertoaday is the Richard Strauss Horn Concerto no. 2. There's something golden and autumnal about late Strauss. 
[If you don't know this work, this is a wonderfully succinct and evocative characterization.]

NaxosMusicLib:
#concertoaday is David Chesky's Violin and Flute Concerto (SACD288) http://bit.ly/cZHmYK
[This link goes the Naxos Music Library Facebook page.]

villa_lobos:
#concertoaday Villa-Lobos Guitar Concerto - Norbert Kraft's on @NaxosRecords 8.550729 is my favourite
[Another unsolicited endorsement. Why all the Naxos love? Probably because Naxos employees are regularly part of the conversation, and they aren't just there to sell stuff. They converse as real people, chatting about the topic at hand, sharing details of their days, joking, posting pictures, and building a lot of good will for their brand.]

     ralphgraves [I respond publicly to villa_lobos' tweet]
      @villa_lobos Why am I not surprised? [villa-lobos' favorite composer is, of course, Hector Villa-Lobos. Just teasing a little here.] Definitely a good choice, though. And a good recording.
[Another unsolicited endorsement. I have the recording, and I really do like it.]

     villa_lobos: [the conversation continues]
     @RalphGraves #concertoaday is a good choice for the Villa-Lobos lover. His symphonies aren't top drawer - lots to choose from concerto-wise.

If you want to see how the conversation's progressed throughout the month, just use a Twitter search program and look for the hashtag #concertoaday -- or pick a topic you're interested in, put # in front of it, and search for that hashtag. You might be surprised at the results.

The Value of Twitter, Part 4: Join the Conversation

The Value of Twitter Series:
Part 1: The Personal
Part 2: The Professional
Part 3: The Informational
Part 4: Join the Conversation
Part 5: An Annotated Conversation

In the three previous parts of this series, I talked about the ways I find Twitter valuable using the analogy of a cocktail party. Many people hear about Twitter, open an account, look around, and abandon their account fairly quickly. Talking with some folks I know that have done so, there seem to be two reasons:

1) They don't understand how Twitter works

2) They don't know where to start.

Hopefully, the three previous posts help with point 1. As for the other, let's return to our cocktail party analogy. You walk into a very large room (perhaps at a convention) and it's entirely filled with people engaged in conversation with each other. The din is overwhelming, and there's no way you can make out more than a few words of what anyone's saying.

What do you do? Well, you could join the people lining the walls, the wallflowers looking on, but never participating (until they decide this is stupid and leave the room). Or you could plunge in. And most of us would probably do so in one of two ways. If we saw someone we know, we'd probably join their conversation, at least initially. If we happened by a conversation about something we were really interested in, we might introduce ourselves and join in. In either case, you're filtering out the noise, by focussing in on something specific.

Same with Twitter. To get started, you need folks to talk to and things to talk about. Many abandoned Twitter accounts have a single tweet that essentially says: "I'm here, now what?" The response is the same as it would be if you made it at the door of that convention hall -- nothing. Because you're not talking to anyone. So the first thing is to start following people.

Following friends

A good place to start is with other people you know on Twitter. The search function is fairly useful in tracking people down. Once you start following some friends, you've part way there. Each person you follow receives a notification that you've added them, and (if they're really friends), they'll return the favor.

Once you have some followers, that's the time to ask "I'm here, now what?" because then folks will see your question and have an opportunity to answer.

Following friend followings

OK, sounds a little circular, but it's not. If you visit the profile page of someone, you'll see a list of everyone that they follow. It can be a great way to discover other people or organizations of interest to you (depending on how much overlapping interests you have with your friend).

Following strangers

You're not just limited to friends, of course. I find it useful to follow my elected officials, for example. Many other public figures have Twitter accounts, too. As do many news organizations, cultural institutions, etc. One way to find such feeds is to search by the name of the person or group.

Get hip to hashtags

Another good way to expand your follow list and find interesting conversations is to search with hashtags. A hashtag is a word with a pound sign (#) in front of it. It serves the same function as a keyword. Twitter recognizes this symbol and uses it as a link. You can click on it and see everyone else who used that hashtag.

So, for example, if you're interested in knitting, you might search for #knit (with only 140 characters, #knitting is a little too chatty). I've found hashtags handy for communicating during conferences (using the conference initials) as a way to talk to other attendees -- some of whom I met through the process.

RT and FF

There are two other ways to join the conversion -- Retweeting (RT) and Follow Friday (FF). When you see RT in a tweet, it means "retweet," or forward to your followers. It can be an efficient way to spread the word about breaking news, things requiring fast action, etc. Yes, it's similar in concept to the idea of forwarding emails, but there's a difference. With only 140 characters stupid stuff like urban legends, and chain letters tend not to happen. RT or not as you choose.

"Follow Friday" has become something of a tradition on Twitter. Every Friday people send out lists with recommendations of people to follow. Usually, the tweet has the designation FF or #FF (remember hashtags?) and then a few names. Sometimes there will be a word or two about why that particular person is worth following. It can be a great way to find people to follow -- and for you to help others find the folks you enjoy conversing with.

Reciprocity optional

Just because someone follows you, you don't have to follow them (and visa versa). If you're at our hypothetical cocktail party and the person you're talking with is boring (or saying something inappropriate) you move on. Same with Twitter. It's fine to unfollow people (even friends) if you find you're not interested in what they're saying.

And conversely, don't be too upset if the people you follow don't follow you. Let your list of followers and follows reflect your use of Twitter -- the numbers don't have to match.

So there are my suggestions on where to start. Where you go with Twitter from there is entirely up to you.

- Ralph

Day 186 of the WJMA Podwatch

#twitter

#twitterset

The Value of Twitter, Part 3: The Informational

The Value of Twitter Series:
Part 1: The Personal
Part 2: The Professional
Part 3: The Informational
Part 4: Join the Conversation
Part 5: An Annotated Conversation

In the first post of this series, I outlined three major areas where I find value in Twitter: the personal, the professional, and the informational. Of the three, the informational is probably the easiest to understand.

Virtually every news-gathering agency maintains a Twitter feed at this point. The 140-character format actually works very well for delivering a news headline with a link to the full story. I follow a few key news services to keep up with international, national, state and local news.

And it’s surprisingly easy to do. I prefer the BBC World for international news, and Breaking News for most everything else (I found if I followed too many news sources the feed got cluttered with a lot of repetitive tweets). Other people use CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc. –- depends on what flavor you like your news in.

But the real advantage of Twitter for me is the local coverage. In our little community of Orange, Virginia, we have a local newspaper that publishes weekly. The regional television stations do a good job, but I seldom catch the morning, noon or evening newscasts. So one might think it’s difficult for me to keep up with local events.

But when our board of supervisors abruptly canceled a controversial meeting in the early afternoon, I knew about it. As I did with every other important event that’s happened in our county (and there have been several). Why? Because I followed the Twitter feed of said regional TV station, NBC Channel 29.

And that’s the informational value of Twitter to me. I receive live updates of important events nationally, and locally. If I want more information, I can click on the provided link and get it. If not, at least I’m aware of the event.

Twitter’s what you make of it. Choose the news feeds you follow carefully, and it can be a valuable resource. Twitter’s not the be-all and end-all, but it can be a good place to start.

- Ralph

Day 184 of the WJMA Podwatch

#twitter
#twitterset

The Value of Twitter, Part 2: The Professional

The Value of Twitter Series:
Part 1: The Personal
Part 2: The Professional
Part 3: The Informational
Part 4: Join the Conversation
Part 5: An Annotated Conversation

If you want to understand Twitter, think of a cocktail party. In part one of this series, I talked about the value I find in Twitter on a personal level. This would be the equivalent of making light conversation with friends and acquaintances. But sometimes a cocktail party can be more about networking and make business connections than socializing – and so can Twitter.

Like networking face-to-face, it’s important on Twitter to strike a balance between self-promotion and genuine interaction. From a professional standpoint, I use Twitter to do the following:

1. Promote our company’s activities
2. Discover and interact with professional colleagues who can help us, and whom we can help
3. Develop a resource for information

So how do I do that? Well, I actually have two Twitter accounts. @ralphgraves primarily deals with my personal tweets, and @DCDRecords is the Twitter feed for our record label, DCD Records.

Professional tweets in a professional feed
I use the @DCDRecords feed to promote the activities of DCD Records. Normally our tweets concern

1. Notices of our Friday sales and other special offers
2. Notices when new episode of the “DCD Classical ‘Cast” podcast is posted
3. Notices when new releases are added to the DCD Records website
4. Notices when updates and additional features are added to our website, such as sound samples, new artwork, etc.
5. Reminders that we have a Facebook Fan Page and a MySpace page as well
   

All of the above, of course, include a link to the pages I’m referring to. And yes, I’m looking at the traffic for those links. I also like to go a little behind the scenes and share vignettes of what it’s like to run (almost single-handedly) a small record label as eccentric as ours. I’ll post about writing podcast scripts, formatting web pages, exciting new projects, all kinds of things.

As yet, we’ve not received much feedback, but should some of our followers offer up questions or opinions, I’ll be more than happy to start a conversation. And that conversation doesn’t have to end in a hard sell, either. Just as you can form an opinion about a person’s character through conversation, I believe you can do the same with a business -- especially a small one. That’s why our little label (read: me) continues to tweet away.

Professional tweets in a personal feed
I also do some professional tweeting at @ralphgraves. The goals are different than those for DCD Records. On my personal feed, my goal is to build my own personal brand. I do that by posting the following:

1. Notices about a new blog post to C.E. Conversations. If you want to know who I am, and what I know about, this is a good place to start!
2. My radio program on WTJU. This serves two functions. I want to raise awareness of the station within the online community, and document my knowledge and experience in radio.
3. Notices about updates to the “Gamut” playlist. This is the playlist for the above-mentioned radio show. It’s a pretty unique program, predicated on the rule that I will only air a particular classical work once. I just finished show #851, and I still haven’t run out of music to play. The Gamut Playlist site documents that journey.
4. Participating in collegial conversations. It’s not just about me. If other broadcasters are tweeting about an issue, I’ll join in. If you’re at a party, you don’t want to hear the other person’s list of accomplishments – you want a back-and-forth conversation. Me, too.

Other advantages? When our company attended the Public Radio Development and Marketing Conference this summer, we used Twitter to our advantage. I tweeted commentary about the sessions I attended and picked up several followers in the process. I tweeted invitations for a get-together at our booth in the exhibit hall – and people showed up. All good from a business standpoint, you’ll have to agree.

And here’s something else. There was a professional conference I wasn’t able to attend earlier in the year. I really wanted to be in a certain session, as the information presented was critical to our business. One of the folks I follow was there and tweeted during the session. I raised an objection to one of the things being said, my colleague read it, and asked the question to the presenter, and then tweeted the answer. And this conversation wasn’t just between the two of us. All the other professionals in the field who were following the thread got the information, too.

Final advantage – I follow several fairly prominent journalists and podcasters in the tech field. I’ve commented on their tweets, and have received some responses. And in a few cases, been asked for input. Without Twitter, it is extremely unlikely that any of this would have happened.

So yes. I personally find professional value in Twitter. And if you think creatively about your business, you should, too.

- Ralph

Day 182 of the WJMA Podwatch.

#twitter
#twitterset

The Value of Twitter, Part 1: The Personal

The Value of Twitter Series:
Part 1: The Personal
Part 2: The Professional
Part 3: The Informational
Part 4: Join the Conversation
Part 5: An Annotated Conversation

Several people have asked me what value I find in Twitter. They all signed up for the service, and after a few desultory posts pretty much gave up on it.

Well, as I recently wrote, Twitter is what you make it. And it works pretty much like a cocktail party. If you're a wallflower and don't talk to anyone, you're not going to get much out of it. Personally, I find three areas where Twitter's valuable to me; the personal, the professional, and the informational.

Let's talk about the personal.

If you're not familiar with Twitter, you might ask how is it different than Facebook or any other social media site?

Part of it has to do with the length of the posts, and the nature of the service. With only 140 characters, you have to be brief. Facebook, et al, allows for more lengthy conversations, along with embedded pictures, videos, etc. With Twitter, it’s all text. You can provide a link to further illustrate your point, but even that URL must remain within the 140-character limit.

People often dismiss Twitter as a time-waster. And if you're perception of the service is an endless series of tweets about what one had for breakfast, or when they went to the bathroom, then that would be true. But it’s not.

Go back to the cocktail party analogy for a moment. Plenty of people just make small talk in social gatherings. "How's the weather?" "How about them [favorite sports team]?" There's not much value in those conversations. And I think few of us would be interested in talking with someone who could only make small talk.

But suppose you were a fan of said sports team. That opening question might get you to respond with your opinion of the star quarterback. Which could lead to a discussion of the current season, and then favorite plays from past games, and so on. Now you and the other person are conversing in depth about a topic of mutual interest.

That's how I use Twitter for the personal. I sometimes throw out informational tidbits about what I'm doing, to give folks a better idea of who I am. But they’re also designed to be conversation starters, too, if anyone’s interested. Here are some real tweets I’ve done:

One thing I like about fall. When it's chilly, the morning sky is clear and I can really see the stars (even the Milky Way this morning).

"Food will not bring us close to God." (1Cor.8:8) Hmmm. So I guess I better put down that Lil' Debbie snack cake.

Bird feeder's knocked out of the window, and there’s feathers on the windowsill. I think we've inadvertently fed the hawk again.

Sometimes it works. In the following real-life example, I happen to know a goodly number of my followers are interested in classical music. So when I talk about what I listen to, I expect to get a comment or two -- like this:

Me: Listening to Bruckner's Missa Solemnis in B flat. (thanks, iTunes DJ) This choral work seems to flow better than his symphonies. IMHO

Tom: Bruckner's Symphonies flow majestically if the conductor knows what the f*ck he's doing (i.e. Furtwangler).

Me: Not saying I don't like Bruckner symphonies. I do. Now Furtwangler's symphonies are another story entirely...

Tom: Furtwangler's symphonies are awful. He did write a decent Te Deum, though. It's not as good as Bruckner's however.

Me: I actually have all 3 symphonies, his piano concerto, and violin sonata on CD. So I think I've given Furtwangler a fair shot!

Not earthshaking, but a pleasant conversation, nonetheless. And I learned a little in the process, too (now I have to track down that Furtwangler Te Deum).

Just as I would at a cocktail party, I only disclose so much on Twitter. I seldom talk specifics about work (boring), and politics (too polarizing). Since other family members aren't on Twitter, I don't talk about them to respect their privacy.

But still, I find the personal content of my Twitter feed to be an engaging read when I check it. If you pay attention, you can get to know a person better just chatting with them informally. And I've found that to be true, even through a 140-character filter.

Are my followers BFFs? No. But, just like a good cocktail party, it’s an interesting mix of personalities. And one that I brought together by taking part in the conversation and not being a wallflower.

- Ralph

Day 182 of the WJMA Podwatch.

#twitter
#twitterset