UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

Whilst using a social media site like Twitter goes against the grain for me (I'm sure the world doesn't want to know I've just drunk a coffee,burped, kicked the cat, etc) it seems us writers have to use it to get the word around.

Justunfollow has a few automated functions and I wonder, apart from sending new followers a nice thankyou message, whether anyone has found it particularly useful? The free version, that is...

Generally, no. While tools like that might give you bragging rights ("I've got thousands of followers"), they won't be people who are actually interested in you or your message. They probably won't even read your tweets.

So from the point of view of getting your message out to the right people, they're pretty much a waste of time.

In my experience, no. People who use automated following and unfollowing get unstuck sooner or later and lose their real friends when the API malfunctions. Use hashtags... that way you can find people to chat with about your interests! :D

I quite like twitter but as soon as I get one of those dreadful 'Thank you for following. Check out my Facebook page' I unfollow immediately.
It's not much good for promotion, I don't think. It is good for complaining to major companies though. I know of a few people who've had no response to emails/letters/phone calls, but tweet a complaint against a company and BOOM.

Hmmm. That almost tempts me into sorting out using twitter, Bob.

Been a few times where we've had problems with airlines.

Patti (baconater) wrote: "Hmmm. That almost tempts me into sorting out using twitter, Bob.

Been a few times where we've had problems with airlines."

They won't ignore a tweet. Without going into details, a friend tweeted a grump about the customer service of a company. She had a pm from the breakfast team at the BBC asking if she'd be willing to take a phone call live on air the following day during a 'feature' on said company.

Patti (baconater) wrote: "Hmmm. That almost tempts me into sorting out using twitter, Bob.

Been a few times where we've had problems with airlines."

Twitter has been the only way I can contact my phone contract provider, Patti!

So, does ANYONE use Twitter to promote their books?

Not with any success

Twitter is like throwing stuff into a bottomless pit - it all just disappears without trace, never to be seen again.

I certainly haven't ever sold a single book as a result of posting on twitter

Tim wrote: "Twitter is like throwing stuff into a bottomless pit - it all just disappears without trace, never to be seen again.

I certainly haven't ever sold a single book as a result of posting on twitter"

I read somewhere that a tweet has a lifetime of four seconds. There is the chance it will get retweeted a zillion times. Sadly the bots only seem to pick up my tweets when they're a 'Ta' or 'Good morning to you too' or some such drivel.

Bob wrote: "I read somewhere that a tweet has a lifetime of four seconds."

And that is the problem with Twitter, and - to a lesser extent - Farcebook and GoogleDoublePlusGood, the constantly updating timeline that means your pearls of wisdom, or - more importantly - you photo of a cute cat doing a cute thing with a cute caption, is there... then it is gone.

That is why forums like this and RSS feeds, and even the old-fashioned newsgroups, are much better, because everything stays around until you read it and mark it as read.

I love to use JustUnfollow. I found there are many who follow you and once you follow them, they unfollow you so they look like they have tons of followers. I use it mostly for that.

D.M. wrote: "I love to use JustUnfollow. I found there are many who follow you and once you follow them, they unfollow you so they look like they have tons of followers. I use it mostly for that."

Good idea, perhaps I'll keep it then.

I was following somebody who jumped up and down and gave a 'prize' to their thousandth follower. I promptly 'unfollowed' so said follower was only the 999th.

Sad, I know. But oh how I laughed.

Yes, it's the simple things.

Bob wrote: "I was following somebody who jumped up and down and gave a 'prize' to their thousandth follower. I promptly 'unfollowed' so said follower was only the 999th.

Sad, I know. But oh how I laughed.

Y..."
lol Bob, I would have done the same. I don't thank people for 'following' I thank them for the new friendship.

I suspect my total lack of connection with Twitter is that I only connect to it with a desk-top machine. And when I'm on this machine I've got so many other things to do.
Not only that but looking at Twitter means looking at however many hundred of messages that might have relevant when they were posted, but three days later it takes too much time to untangle the threads

Jim wrote: "I suspect my total lack of connection with Twitter is that I only connect to it with a desk-top machine. And when I'm on this machine I've got so many other things to do.
Not only that but looking..."

Hmm. Yes.

Back in the very early days of Twitter, it was possible to get a desktop client - like Twirl or Seesmic desktop - that could fit into the corner of your screen, so you could leave it there next to whatever main windows you were using and keep half an eye on it as it scrolled past for anything useful, interesting or funny.
But now all the 'apps' as they now call them take up most of the screen, or a browser tab, so you have to keep switching backwards and forwards as with the mobile apps which too take up all the screen. So it ends up with you spending less time on it.
These days it is looking more like a broadcast medium only with not many actually following their streams, unless they work in PR or journalism of course, just posting to them in the hope someone notices.

I agree David. The streams have gotten so long and so full of ads. I know I no longer have the time to search through them but I do know people will still check out my blog depending on the content.

I seem to remember Alex Roddie saying he had a lot of success selling books through Twitter.

I think that if you spend time on it, chat and join in various # discussions (Gods alone knows how) then it might work.
Middle daughter has 700+ twitter followers, posts random stuff as it occurs to her.
But as she said, the minute she tried selling stuff, they'd all unfollow and go elsewhere

I have over 1,000 followers, and you're right. It's more about posting random things. Maybe once a week or so I'll blurb something about one of my books. I'll also reply to a tweet about something interesting to show that I do care and do pay attention. Twitter has gotten so big. It would be better if you could pick a wide variety of interests and see those tweets more often than generalized tweeting.

Sorta like the randomness that happens in our group, doyathink?

Pretty much Patti.

lol, and Patti I'm pretty much guilty of randomness.