Have you got a handle on it? Tweet!

55 Replies

 

tweet bird

Each week I read and comment on more than 50 blog posts. If I read a post I enjoy, and I rarely read one I don’t, I like to share it on Twitter. I usually share it immediately and then use Hootsuite to schedule future shares for hashtag days. It is quick, easy, and allows me to assist others to build a wider audience. I am happy to do it and have no expectation or need of “Thank you” tweets in return.

thank you - rose

Some blogs and posts are not easy to share as they have no sharing buttons, or their sharing buttons are difficult to find. While it is possible to copy the URL and paste it into Twitter or Hootsuite, it takes a little more effort to do so and is not something a reader should, in my opinion, be expected to do.

If bloggers wish others to share their posts on any of the Social Media Platforms, I believe they should make doing it as easy as possible.

I am familiar with WordPress only so am not sure how it works with others. However I do know that when I visit non-WordPress blogs, sharing doesn’t seem to be as straightforward.

This next section is for WordPress users only.

To add sharing buttons in WordPress, go to

Dashboard — Settings — Sharing — Publicize

WP -publicize

  1. Select in turn each of the social networking sites to which you belong and add your “address” to each. This is important. It means that people will be able to find you on those sites. It means that when your post is shared on Twitter you will know because the tweet will include your “handle”, your Twitter username.

For example, when my posts are shared the tweet includes my username @NorahColvin and I know it has been shared; like this:

tweet -me

If the username is not included the tweet will have @wordpressdotcom; like this:

tweet - WP

That’s not very exciting and you will never know that your post has been shared.

Sometimes, if I know the blogger’s Twitter handle I will change the tweet to include it, but as I said before

If bloggers wish others to share their posts on any of the Social Media Platforms, I believe they should make doing it as easy as possible.

More often, if the handle is not included, I am less inclined to share more than once.

2. Choose the buttons for each platform on which you wish to share your blog.

sharing buttons

I think it is a good idea to have the buttons appear on every post and page. Remember to save any changes you make!

sharing buttons on

I assume there are similar ways of adding sharing buttons on other sites. I know it is possible in Weebly as Anne Goodwin added her username after I alerted her to its absence. If there are ways, I recommend you use them. If you have chosen to not add your handle to your sharing buttons, I’d be interested to know your reasons.

Earlier I expressed that I have no requirement for “Thank you” tweets in return for my sharing of a post. I consider the best way of saying “Thank you” to be sharing a post of mine in return. If you have shared one of my posts in a tweet, it is extremely likely that very soon I will sharing one of yours. I’m not talking about retweeting someone else’s shares here. I treat those differently.

I mentioned scheduling tweets in advance. There are a number of hashtag days on Twitter. These are the ones I use most frequently. Not all posts are suitable for every hashtag. I generally share a post on each of the next 2-4 suitable days.

Hashtags

#SundayBlogShare

#Mondayblogs

#TuesdayShares

#TuesdayBookBlog

#wwwblogs (Wednesday – Women Writers)

#BeWOW (Wednesday – all)

#ThankfulThursdays

#TBT (Throwback Thursday)

#LinkYourLife (Friday)

#BluSkyFriday

#ArchiveDay (Saturday)

Nothing says that I am right of course. What I have shared here is what works for me, at the moment. I’d love to know what works for you. How do you share on Twitter? Do you think it’s important to include the username in tweets? How often to you share the posts of other bloggers?

Thank you

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.

55 thoughts on “Have you got a handle on it? Tweet!”

  1. Pingback: February 2018: #TwitterFlash « Carrot Ranch Literary Community

  2. Karen

    Oh my gosh, thank you for that hashtag list! And good thoughts on commenting and sharing too. I’m resolving to promote my blog more and your information helps so much. Have a good week!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      Thank you, Karen. I’m so pleased you found the post useful. 🙂
      I hope your week is going well and that your blog promotion is working for you.

      Like

      Reply ↓
  5. Bec

    Hi Nor, it’s very interesting to see the planing and strategy for using Twitter! And some very helpful resources here for other bloggers. I am just learning how to use it to engage with academics, and already it has been really great for finding and sharing interesting research.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  6. lucciagray

    Great post, Norah 💟 I agree with everything you say and all the comments, too. You’re a great tweeter. Thanks for your support. I usually prefer to retweet others’ tweets than to thank people for retweeting. That’s a kind of TY, too! I also use the # you mention, but I’m not disciplined enough about it. I must improve. Thanks for your advice and summary📖📚

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      Thanks for reading, and for your supportive comment Luccia. I agree about RTing as the best form of thank you. The post wasn’t meant to make anyone think they had to do more. We all do what we can, and most of the time I feel my contribution is little and late. It surprises me when people tell me I do a lot because it doesn’t feel like that to me. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
  7. Pamela

    I still don’t really understand what I should post in Twitter. I also accidentally created two Twitter handles. How do I determine which Twitter handle I get rid of and which to keep?

    Like

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      Hi Pamela, Thanks for reading and commenting. It can take a while to get the hang of Twitter, or any social media platform for that matter. If you have a blog then you can share your posts on Twitter. If you don’t then you can join in or begin conversations with others, or you can tweet their posts by clicking the “tweet” button as described in this post.
      Deleting a second Twitter account should be relatively easy. You can follow the steps in this article: http://www.wikihow.com/Delete-a-Twitter-Account
      Happy tweeting. 🙂

      Like

      Reply ↓
  8. olganm

    Thanks Norah. I’m going to check I have the share buttons everywhere (I also get a bit puzzled when I visit blogs with no share buttons. I’m still trying to get my head around Hashtags, but try to add something relevant to the title of the post and if I’m referring to somebody else add their Twitter handle if I know it or can find it…Thanks for the list of hashtags too. Most useful!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  9. Hugh's Views and News

    Top information here, Norah. I’m always amazed by the number of blogs I visit which have little if any sharing buttons. I know some people can get protective about their work, but sharing posts on social media is one the best ways to get more traffic to your blog.

    I’ll stick my hand up now and say I do send ‘thank you’ tweets but, having read your post today, I can see we can say thank you simply by returning the favour. I’ll be going that route from now on.

    I enjoy promoting other bloggers post on social media. I think it goes a long way to showing how supportive we all are in helping each other get noticed. I know it can take up some time but it really does reap the benefits.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
  10. Terry Tyler

    I don’t have a blog share button, but I should look into it… I do find, though, that people share my posts a fair bit; I think we all have our own groups with whom sharing occurs! I find the danger with everyone sharing everyone else’s is that people RT the same posts over and over again; also, if you’ve RTd me, I want to RT YOU, not your repost of someone else’s blog post; it doesn’t seem fair. If you’ve RTd 3 of my posts, I want to help spread YOUR work around!

    I won’t pretend I read everything I repost; I don’t have time, I have novels to write, but I do read a fair few. However, I don’t just RT blindly, only those from bloggers I know post good stuff, or articles that look interesting. Anyway, thanks for being one of the most generous tweeters on the hashtag days – and don’t forget the new #TuesdayBookBlog – it was started last week by us at Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team, and is an alternative to #MondayBlogs for people who want to post book stuff, now that Rachel doesn’t want any book promo on MondayBlogs at all, not even 3rd party (I did tell her about it to make sure she was okay with it before we started it!)

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      Hi Terry, Thanks so much for your comment and sharing how you use Twitter. I think I learned a lot from you about tweeting when I first came online. You seem to have a pretty good handle on it. I agree with you about tweeting posts rather than RTs of others posts.That’s what I look for in my notifications – top level tweets. And like you, I don’t read everything but also don’t RT blind. I think I mentioned this in a response to Geoff. It was suggested to him to only RT what had been read. Not much tweeting or RT would happen that way I suspect.
      Thank you for reminding me about the #TuesdayBookBlogs. That’s what I was thinking of when I added #TuesdayShares. I was surprised that I already had it on my list since it was so new. Thought I was super-organised. Oh well. Another disappointment. 🙂 I have now updated the post to include it.
      I hadn’t realised that Rachel doesn’t want any 3rd party book promos either. I think you and I have discussed this before and decided it was okay to tweet someone’s book review. I take it that even reviews are off-limits now? Obviously #TuesdayBookBlogs are going to become very important if that is the case. Since a lot of people review books it will cut out a lot from Mondayblogs. I guess if people have been taking advantage I can understand the insistence.
      Best wishes for all your work, and thanks for your ongoing encouragement and support.

      Like

      Reply ↓
      1. Terry Tyler

        Thanks for Including Tuesday Book Blog in your list! Yes – I think Rachel was fed up with the way the third party book posts could be abused so now just says NO BOOK PROMO – don’t blame her. There’s enough book stuff on Twitter. We were going to do the book blog one on Mondays too, but she said (and I agree) that it would be WAY too confusing for some…. 😉

        Re RTing, I was wondering why one blogger never RTd me back when I RT her (especially as I have over 60K followers – surely it’s worth making sure I keep RTing her!!!!), so I felt it out… she said she only RTs posts that interest her. I suggested that just because a post doesn’t interest her, it doesn’t mean it won’t interest her followers… Twitter is not about the self, that’s Facebook ~ it’s about the world!!!! I mean, I have zero interest in children and pets, but these are subjects that interest many – so I RT them 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply ↓
        1. Norah Post author

          Thanks for that Terry. I have been a bit confused this evening with some posts. Are book reviews and author interviews which promote books, such as Elizabeth’s chat with you, no longer acceptable on Mondayblogs? If so, it’s going to take me a while to get used to that. I’m definitely an offender in that area.
          I agree with you about tweets. You just never know who may see something that makes the world of difference to them.
          I am astonished by both your numbers of followers and following -not that you don’t deserve them, but how you manage them. It makes your tweets, conversations and blog comments all the more special. Thank you. I do appreciate it.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply ↓
      1. Norah Post author

        I think TuesdayBookBlog is a great idea, particularly if books cannot be promoted on Mondayblogs. RTing always improves the chances of someone new joining the group. It’s wonderful how frequently it happens. 🙂

        Like

        Reply ↓
  12. Gulara

    This is such a great post, Norah. I couldn’t agree more. When I read a post I like, I normally tweet it. Nothing is as frustrating as not finding the relevant button, and even worse when people don’t connect their twitter account. I still tweet it, but may not bother in the future, which is a shame, because it takes me only a few extra seconds to share with others.
    And this is a special thank you for all your tweets! I feel very supported by you. I also appreciated you sharing all the hashtags you use. Very helpful.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      Thank you Gulara. It seems most of us are agreed on the importance of a visible sharing button and inclusion of the handle in the tweet.
      Thank you for your support as well. As I said in the post, I am only too happy to share what I like when I can. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      Not bad. I don’t think any choices are bad. As I said in the post, I believe it is the responsibility of the blogger to have their handle embedded in their tweets. The reader is generous enough in sharing the post. It is up to the blogger to make it as easy as possible. We are all strapped for time.
      Thank you for sharing so generously. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
  14. Sacha Black

    I agree with Anne you ARE the most generous tweeter I know. Actually it’s because of you that I now schedule tweets in for people. See I got so behind and stressed trying to read everyone’s posts I love that I had to change tack. So now I have them all scheduled as weekly summaries which I get on a Monday. It takes me all week to read the previous weeks posts but I get there eventually. Like you I tweet at the time and now because of you! I schedule a Monday tweet in too if I haven’t read it on the Monday I recieved it. I’m constantly behind, but I’m ok with that, because I have about 20 bloggers who I read consistently and although I’m always late I do always tweet. I also for me find that doing a mondayblogs hashtag is sufficient, time is not a luxury I have much of at the minute but I’m doing my best.

    I also don’t expect thank you tweets. I prefer someone to share my post. I always wondered whether I should stop doing thank you ones. I’m very fortunate to be in a position that I get a number of people tweet my posts. Sometimes there are so many I just can’t read all of their stuff. I feel bad but at the end of the day I can only do so much.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      I agree with you. We must make our own choices about how we use our time. We are all busy on our own projects and don’t need to put any extra pressures on ourselves. From reading the posts of others about Twitter and hashtag days #Mondayblogs seems to be the biggie. The rest are luxuries. At the moment Mondays are probably the only ones I check out specifically to RT. The others I rarely have time for but must try to at times.
      So no more ‘thank you’ tweets to me – just tweets, as I do for you. Deal?
      Enjoy the weekend! 🙂

      Like

      Reply ↓
  15. macjam47

    I always read a post, and when I have the time, I will comment on it. I will “like” to show that I did read it and enjoyed it. If I liked what I read I will tweet. I like to promote other bloggers and the content they work hard to create. I too, have had difficulty with other sites beyond WP.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  16. TanGental

    Oops, knocked by dog and posted early! Hands up I’m a Twitter cretin. I do try and tweet posts I like but rarely check the handle and have never changed one. I’d love to have Sarah’s attention to politeness but hey only so many hours… I’d heard of hoot suite but not what it was and it explains some. And somome, I think Suzie Speaks wrote about just RT a tweet and not reading the copied blog first is a no no and I kind of see that. Guilty I’m afraid. So lots of things to go away and improve. Thanks Miss good lesson!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      Thank you Geoff. I wouldn’t consider you a cretin in anything, and certainly not Twitter. You seem to do a great job. We all have to make our own choices about how we use our time, and that includes in reading, commenting and tweeting also. Sarah is amazing to always personalise. I do sometimes but not all the time. My tweets are all of material I have read. But I will RT tweets on hashtag days as that seems to be the intention as I understand it: RT others tweets. If I only RTed what I had also read, then I wouldn’t be nearly as involved in the other hashtag days.I am happy to RT posts from bloggers I know even if I haven’t read the particular post because I am confident in what they will have posted. Sometimes if I am unsure I will have a peek and the post and RT it, and will also RT tweets of others I am confident with. I don’t like to RT blindly though.If that sort of makes sense. I think we must each do what works for us and as long as we are not rude or aggressive we probably (hopefully) do okay. I’m always pleased when we catch up on Twitter as well as on our blogs. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply ↓
  18. Sherri

    Dear Norah, this post is a godsend to me, thank you so, so much! As a result of this, I have now linked my blog to Twitter (as well as Google plus and LinkedIn)! I had linked my Facebook Page when I first started it up, but that’s it. Geeze…it’s so easy when you know how!! I had no idea! I see what you mean now about needing my ‘handle’ as in the example you shared in wanting to tweet my werewolf post. And you are so very generous in sharing, I thank you so much for that, I feel bad for not sharing back, I’m not too sure how to but I think I’m getting the idea. My timing is bad, I do feel like a right twit because I set up my Twitter profile thinking I would go back to figure it all out, but I’m spending so much time on my memoir revisions and trying to hang on to blogging (by the skin of my teeth), not to mention other things going on at the moment, that I haven’t been able to do that yet. Bit by bit, step by step. You’re my hero Norah, thank you again for this great advice!! ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      Yay! I’m so pleased you found the post useful and have already acted on it, adding the handle to your posts. While I have been mulling over this issue for a while, it was really your entrance to Twitter that pushed me to write the post. When you tweeted that you didn’t know what I meant by handle, I thought “now is the time”. I hope you didn’t mind my using your post as an example but I knew it would show exactly what I meant! 🙂
      Don’t worry about sharing yet. Take your time to figure it out. It took me a while, and I’m sure I’ve still got much to learn. We are all busy with our projects and certainly don’t need to add to our “shoulds” or pressures.
      I’m pleased you are working on your memoir. I think that is your priority. And I am miles behind in my reading this week (and therefore commenting and tweeting). Well I do my best. I have to accept that. And so does everyone else. Can’t do everything. Sadly.
      Thanks for your kind words, Sherri. S.M.A.G. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
  19. Annecdotist

    Norah, you are one of the most generous tweeters I know. It’s much appreciated and I do try to keep up, but often don’t.
    Thanks for linking to me. It is slightly more tricky to add the handle on Weebly, as you have to do it manually, but not a problem once you get used to it (and it’s only been possible in the last year or so), and then I have to check it fits within the hundred and forty characters (and again annoying and for others if I forget).
    I generally tweets when I’ve read a post and especially if I’ve commented, but again, if you’re reading lots of blogs it adds up to quite a chunk out of your day. I do appreciate that people whose tweets read @WordPress perhaps haven’t yet figured out the technology, but I do find it irritating and can be hard to keep in mind the exact mechanics of their handles if I want to change it. So I do hope this post encourages people to change.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      Thanks Anne. I hope some people do find the suggestions helpful. As you say it is difficult to keep everyone’s handle in mind and it takes extra time to check them with Twitter.
      I have noticed that the tweets of your posts are quite lengthy. They don’t seem to shorten the URL, which I sometimes do when I’m tweeting them, so that I can add a little more. Sometimes, though, even when I do that, the character count doesn’t change, which I find a bit strange.
      Do you mean that you have to manually add your handle each time you publish a post? If so, I really appreciate the effort you go to to do so. How bothersome that would be. Even though you might get used to it, it is another way that bloggers could be better looked after. All those seconds add up!
      Thanks for your comment and sharing your thoughts on this issue.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply ↓
      1. Annecdotist

        Yes, it is a nuisance adding it manually, especially as they automatically add the website title which I don’t necessarily want, but I have got used to it. I think my post titles are often quite lengthy in themselves so I have to check it all fits in the character allowance, but will bear in mind people might want to give it a different name.
        But shortening the URL is a whole new area for me, although I don’t think every letter counts.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply ↓
        1. Norah Post author

          Sometimes Twitter even tells me that your tweet (as it is) is too long. I think – well you (Twitter) made it that way, just send it! I sometimes take out the name of your blog or alter the post title to make it fit if necessary. I don’t think doing so would affect traffic. It’s always fun learning. Isn’t it?

          Like

          Reply ↓
  20. Charli Mills

    Great post, Norah! I’m sure this will be helpful for those on WP. You also alerted me at one point that my Twitter handle was not visible at Carrot Ranch. It isn’t on Elmira Pond either, but I can;t find how to do that with Blogger. Mostly I focus on #MondayBlogs and Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction. I do participate in #wwwblogs and #linkyourlife when I can, but I really like your strategy of using Hootesuite to set up those hashtags. I do lots of RTs and some original shares, but it can get time consuming and try to balance out what I can manage.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      I hope it is useful to some, Charli. I had noticed that you still hadn’t added your handle to Elmira Pond. I was wondering if there was a reason for that. Disappointing to hear that it’s just difficult. It doesn’t really support their bloggers, does it? Fortunately I know your handle so it is easy for me to add. Once I’ve changed the original tweet I just copy and paste that into Hootsuite before hitting the tweet button. You do a fabulous job of tweeting and RTing. I’m always impressed at how often you are on Twitter. Sadly it seems there’s more tweeting than conversations at the moment, but I guess that’s okay, we all seem to be busy with our own projects as well as engaged in discussions on various blogs. Can’t be everywhere all the time! I’ve only ever heard it suggested that one other had that ability, and that’s definitely not me! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
        1. Norah Post author

          Thanks for that link, Charli. I’m sure those using Blogger will find it very useful. However, if it looks like squiggly worms, I’m not surprised people put it into the too hard basket!

          Like

          Reply ↓
  21. Allison Maruska

    It’s great you share other bloggers’ posts with the hashtags. I know I appreciate it! 🙂
    tbh, I don’t share posts if there aren’t sharing buttons. They are crucial! I’m sharing your post to relay their importance.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  22. Sarah Brentyn

    I was JUST talking to my husband about this and wrote a Thought Bubble. Anyway, I’d like to add the very first “YES!” Please, people, add your handle. If people don’t, I always change it (even if I have to hunt them down on Twitter to find out what it is–seriously) but I won’t tweet a “via sharethis” or “via wordpress”. As a matter of fact, as I wrote in my Thought Bubble, I rarely “via” anyone. I usually personalize it with a quote or an unoriginal “Love this!” or something then change “via” to “by”. Takes more time but I like it. Of course that means I tweet fewer people each day but it’s more personal. And I break it up by tweeting a group of bloggers on Monday then another (different) group of bloggers on Wedneday or whatever. I don’t use all the hashtags that you listed but I should try some. There are so many now. I usually reserve Tues. and Thurs. as non-Twitter days or RTing the poets on there. Also, Fridays I’m all about #FP. 🙂 (Also, completely agree that it’s very time-consuming to tweet a non-wordpress blog but there are some great bloggers who don’t use it so I take the time…) And this comment is officially longer than my Thought Bubble. (Maybe not officially but pretty close. Apologies.) Great post and info.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
    1. Norah Post author

      Thank you so much for your endorsement, Sarah. I look forward to reading your thought bubble. I would have to say that you are the best tweeter I know. I have noticed the lovely way you personalise tweets. I think I have previously commented on that to you. It makes your tweets very special. I do it sometimes but could probably try to do it a little more often.
      I agree with you about fabulous non-WP bloggers. There are a few of those in our S.M.A.G. group. It depends on my time whether I will change the tweet to include their handle or not, but I figure I don’t want to waste too much of my reading and writing time trying to fix something they should have seen to anyway. I guess I can be a bit ruthless at times. I don’t do that for any of my special friends though. I always treat/tweet them kindly. 🙂
      What does #FP mean? Is it similar to #FF?

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply ↓
      1. Sarah Brentyn

        Aw, geez. Thanks, Norah. I do take time on there but, like I said, that means WAY less shout-outs and RTs than you all. AND I read everything I RT. Everything. I should start skimming. *shhh* But I do try to tweet or RT everyone’s post at least once during the week. By the way, I noticed your tweets are personalized this week. 🙂 I’ve heard of Hootesuite but never even attempted it. Maybe I should look at that. In all my spare time.
        You’re right. I completely agree (even though I do put handles in) that, really, it’s the blogger’s job, not the person who wants to share it. Not ruthless. Practical. You’re a kindly tweeter for sure. ❤
        Oh, and #FP is Friday Phrases. A fun, little micro fiction community on Twitter that writes on, you guessed it, Fridays. They have an optional theme each week. You write a story in 140 characters and RT and favorite (or heart / like I guess now) others. They just interviewed me here in a spotlight author post and it was wicked fun.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply ↓
          1. Norah Post author

            I’m not sure which link you mean, but this one worked. Thanks so much for putting it in. I enjoyed reading your answers and your stories. Some of the stories I had read before, but it was good to read them again. Is “Hunger” a longer version of one you did for Charli’s prompt?
            I wondered what #FP was. I had seen it in a few different places (can’t think where now). So now I know! Thanks. 🙂
            I agree. Typos are very frustrating. I shall fix it for you now. 🙂

            Like

            Reply ↓
        2. Norah Post author

          Thank you, Sarah. You were the great model for personalising tweets. I have tried to follow your example this week. I won’t promise to always do it, but I promise to do so more often. I always try to get to my “favourites” at least once a week. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day, or days in the week. So I do what I can, and that’s that. I expect no more of anyone else. 🙂

          Like

          Reply ↓

I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.