6 Tips to Improve Your Dog Twittering

Twitter has been a real treat to dog lovers around the world who use the micro-blogging site to connect with other dog devotees.

But using Twitter—whether personally or professionally—is like any other skill; it takes practice and a little training. To get the most out of your dog-related Twitter account, here are six tips to improve your Twitter skills—and fetch more followers while you’re at it:

1. Mark It As Your Own. Don’t let your Twitter home be like everyone else’s; mark it! First, upload your own Twitter avatar by clicking “Settings” then selecting “Picture.” Upload a photo of you, your dog business logo, or your dog. While you’re in Settings, complete your profile including your one-line bio which will show up on your profile page and will also pop up when potential followers mouse over your name. Next, get your own unique Twitter background. A quick search for “free twitter backgrounds” will take you to several companies that offer free, customizable Twitter backgrounds that allow you to personalize the backdrop with photos, logos, or more information.

2. Get the Right Tools. New Twitter tools are popping up every day to make it easier to post from mobile phones, to keep track of your replies, to upload tweets to be posted later, to post photos and more. Two resources we like are TwitterFeed and Power Twitter. TwitterFeed will automatically upload the headline and a shortened URL from your blog’s RSS feed to your Twitter account. Power Twitter, a Firefox add-on, impacts the way you use Twitter itself; it allows you to shorten URLs and upload photos and video right from your Twitter home page when using Firefox.

3. Bark Selectively. Just like the dog that barks occasionally versus the nonstop barker, Twitterers who tweet a maximum of six or seven times a day will get a lot more attention than those who document every move throughout their day.

4. Run with the Pack. Jump in there! Ask a question. Answer a question. Retweet a comment or link you really like. The more you interact with those you follow and those that follow you, the more you’ll get out of the entire Twitter experience. (If you don’t know this already, you can check for replies to your tweets and those that include your Twitter name by clicking on the @ link on the right side of your Twitter home page. Just below that link, the “Direct Messages” link will show you messages sent directly to you but not displayed in your public timeline.)

5. Positive Reinforcement Works. Positive interaction, just as with your dog interaction, gets the best results on Twitter, too. Good comments, helpful advice, and useful information are always welcomed by those who follow you. Negative comments—which might be typed on the spur of the moment—can be out there for a long time.

6. Don’t Let Sleeping Dogs Lie. A Twitter account—like any form of blogging or web site management—is at its best when it’s used regularly. Daily updates keep your Twitter page looking fresh. If you find yourself forgetting to tweet, you can go to your Setting page, click Notices, and set up a reminder to nudge you every 24 hours.

What tips do you have for other Twitter users? Do you have a favorite Twitter tool? Leave us a comment below or tweet us at http://www.twitter.com/DogTipper

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