I was about to chomp my stapler down on the paperwork for a job I just finished… and BAM! No staples. My immediate response was “damn it!”.

Why do we get so mad when the stapler is out of staples? I have a whole box of 5000 more in my desk drawer. Its not like I wont get those sheets to be bound by metal in the next 40 seconds.

Perhaps, it’s the fact that at the very moment I wanted to hit that paper with something that could be felt, something that could make an impact.  I wanted to feel that I had the power to make something to stick….. then nothing. No loud click. No satisfying resistance of the stapler following through on my simple request.

This same unsatisfying sensation is one I have felt and witnessed recently with Twitter.

Twitter gives us the ability to click and make an impact. It allows us to see an immediate result of our actions. When we send out a “tweet” we expect someone to say something, and to say it NOW.  Long gone are the days of sending out a message and patiently awaiting a response. Now, like the stapler, when that click does not work, we say “awww” and do it again.

Are all of these non-responded or non-ReTweeted updates worthless? Are we shooting blanks? Should we keep shooting until we get a response?

When I first used Twitter I was anxious to keep updating and chatting because I was getting such a great and immediate response from my followers. Now I (and others from what I have read) are sending messages that give no immediate satisfaction or seemingly make no impact in that very instant. Maybe they are not read? Maybe people would rather update than read the updates of others? OR Maybe we have been befuddled by the incredibly fast evolution of social media.

I think the rush to use Twitter and other forms of social media have put us in a daze of “me and now”.  We feel the need to share so bad, it does not matter what we share.

Perhaps its time we load our staplers with fresh metal, hit the paper, and make something stick.

Thanks for the follow! If you found me on twitter I will be sure to check out your profile and link personally.

What is PrintedProof?

Its my blog where I promote/test/review/share/etc all about printing + design + marketing. I find what works (and what does not work). I share how to use printing, I share where to use printing. I promote great products and services. If you need printing, direct mail, or photo services, please see my resources page where I keep an updated list of the best on the web.

Want to be Featured on PrintedProof?

I am always looking for new print design, designers, products, services, and campaigns to feature and share with my viewers. If you have something please contact me and let me know!

On Flickr? Join my group and add your work… http://flickr.com/groups/printedproof

About me

I am an almost-thirty year old married father of three living in beautiful New England. I am a creative person. I am a people person. I publish this website as an outlet for the information I collect on a daily basis. I am also a Printing and Direct Marketing Consultant and encourage you to contact me if you are thinking of doing any direct marketing in the future. Read more below…

Try Direct Mail

Ever tried it? You should. I specialize in direct mail. I am always looking for new campaigns to feature on my website. If you are thinking of doing direct mail, contact me. I will help you put together a killer campaign or just get it in the mail and track your results. I wont charge you a dime, just hook you up with a great mailer and then feature your campaign on PrintedProof.com.

Best Wishes!

Christian Collard, publisher – PrintedProof.com

Connect with me…

Twitter… people either love it or don’t get it it. I use it and I love it. One tweet at a time, I can reach people interested in what I have to say. For those that don’t get it – its not about how many followers you have, its about who is in that list of followers and networking with each follower, one tweet at a time.

Twitter is as good as Cheesecake

Twitter has become one of the most popular and talked about social networking sites on the web in 2009.  I have used twitter since March (actively anyway) and have found this micro-blogging service as a great tool in networking with like-individuals as well as driving targeted traffic to my website. It is by far the fastest way I have found to spread the word quick about a new product, technology, or for some…. the craving for a piece of cheesecake.

If you follow me you will find I don’t often tweet about what I am eating or doing at a particular moment. However, if I post a seemingly random update, its always geared to spark a conversation, feedback, or thoughts from my list of followers.  That being said, I tend not to follow those that exclusively post the stupid updates since I probably care less about what you are wearing (or not wearing).

Twitter Followers*

Twitter is such a great tool. Some have managed to use Twitter as a way to grow their business and relationships with like-interests, others I think have taken Twitter away from its true intention – having and building relationships with people you care to know more about.

If you are a twitter-addict like me, you have surly seen or even tried one of those “16 million followers in 30 minute” deals. I don’t like them at all. I will agree that it is impressive to see someone with a huge following. However, for some of those people its all about the numbers and I place them in same category as Barry Bonds. Some of those large twitter accounts should carry an asterisk with them – they unnaturally juiced their followers list to simply build follower-muscle. These arguably unfair methods of attracting followers go against the original intention of twitter – to connect with like people. If the intention was for everyone to follow everyone else, there would have been a check box upon registering with twitter, “send me updates from everyone”.

At the time of this posting, I have just over 1000 followers and a fairly equal amount of those I am following. Let me just mention that each of those I am following have been personally sough individuals or follow backs to twitters that share a common interest OR have something to offer that I feel is of value.

That’s a lot of Tweeple

Many make the argument “how can you follow that many people?” With some of the great tools available for twitter, its not as difficult as you may think. I think it would be great to have the problem, trying to keep up with 20,000 people. If they are of like-interest, sure I will miss some valuable links, tips, or updates… but it also puts that many more resources at my finger-tips. Its no different in my mind than a search in Google hitting sites that are unknown. A twitter search amongst your own followers is picking from a group of pre-qualified individuals that can not only provide you with help, but interact with as well.

How do I choose whom I follow back and those I do not?

With every new follower, I personally check out their twitter page, and many times even the website or link provided. If I can say yes to one of these questions, I follow will back.

1. Does this person share a common interest?

2. Is this a real person rather than just a tool to sell me something?

3. Does this follower interact and provide valuable updates rather than just tell me what is for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

If I am following you, congratulations… I have seen your page and I find your tweets to be of value.

Thanks for Following me whoever you are

Auto-DM’s. I neither agree or strongly disagree with those who send them. Unless of course your first DM to me tries to get me to sign up for your MLM program – that is a great way to get me to hit the unfollow button.  My DM’s always are tailored to their single person getting the message. It’s a “direct” message between sender and recipient, right? If it was meant to be the same for everyone, it could be a tweet. Not to say that auto-anything does not have its place. I don’t mind seeing a simple auto DM that says something like “thanks for following me, shoot me a message about yourself and let’s connect”. The ones I don’t like are “thanks for following me. Now click on this link so I can make some money”

What you twink?

I would love to hear the opinions on your take of Twitter. I think this micro-blogging platform can be a huge success for those whom use it effectively. I just hope Twitter does not get tainted by the “popular” (large follower) crowd and loose its ability to communicate quickly and effectively.