A period (.@) Can Make or Break Your Tweet

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If you are using Twitter to amplify a brand, either a professional or a personal one, it’s important to understand how the platform works before you start using it if you want to be successful.

I’ve seen this mistake too many times in the past few weeks to let it go any longer. I’m certainly not the first to try to help erase the practice (nod to Gary Vaynerchuk) but if writing my own post about it will help change the Twitterverse in some small way (and eliminate my own *headslaps* in the process) I’ll do it.

Gary V’s Slideshare is a fun way, in 44 slides, to talk about the problem. I’m going to boil it down for you into one sentence.

If you want all of Twitter to see what you post, for the love of all that is holy, do not start your Tweet with an @ symbol. (Click to Tweet)

Example:

@UVAMensHoops I really want to win a national championship this year. #GoHoos

In this example, only the people who follow both my account (@CShirkeyCollins) and @UVAMensHoops will see this post. Out of my 1300+ followers, that probably equals 15 people. Maybe 16.

I, however, am a rabid UVA fan, having matriculated there as the Class of 1994. Aside from a short time during my attendance, where our football team was ranked number 1 in the country for a mere three weeks, I’ve never witnessed a UVA football or basketball team get national recognition. Sure, we have a great soccer team with many championships, but we’re Americans. That would mean a lot to our European students, but we care about football and basketball. (We’re so shallow.)

That means I want THE WORLD to know that @UVAMensHoops needs to bring it home for me this year.

In that case, I am going to make sure I don’t start my Tweet with an @ symbol. I am going to add a simple piece of punctuation, a period (.), in front of my Tweet so the entire Twitter universe will know of my obsession.

Example:
.@UVAMensHoops Please oh please oh please keep your stellar season going and win one for the #Hoos!

Now, anyone can see my fandom! It’s a Twitter miracle!

Now you know! 🙂

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