Social Media - Twitter Tips for Newbies, Noobs and the More Experienced

I’m often asked how to use Twitter. Carol Vorderman recently tweeted a question about who can see the messages ("tweets") she sends to specific people. So here are a few tips on this and other subjects.

These tips apply whether you are tweeting in a business or personal capacity, and are for the more experienced as well as for newbies:

(1) How long should a tweet be?

You probably know that each Twitter message or "Tweet" is not more than 140 characters. This is deliberately 20 shorter than SMS text messages, to allow SMS to be used with space for usernames and acronyms that start tweets, e.g. DM (direct message) and RT (re-tweet).

Tweets can therefore be sent from mobile phones using SMS, as was common originally. Now the smartphones have their own Twitter “apps” to view and send tweets.

But if you keep your tweets to 70-120 characters (leaving 20-70 characters spare). your tweets can more easily be re-tweeted by other people. This is because "RT" and your username is added to the re-tweet (see below).

(2) Views of the TimeLine

Whichever app you use, the tweets you see are just a selection from the master list of tweets called the “timeline”.

Using Twitter is like looking at the master timeline through a grill. Change the grill slightly, by changing the people you follow or by doing a search, and you’ll see a different set of tweets.

(3) Direct Messages

If you start a tweet “DM @someone” then only the someone will see it. Unlike "replies", DMs do not show in the public list of tweets for your account, nor in searches.

“DM” can be typed manually, as long as it is at the very start, or by using a “Direct Message” facility. (In “New Twitter” it is just called “Message”.)

You can only DM to an account (person) which is following the account you are using at the time.

However when they reply to you, depending on the app they use, it may come back as a DM or a public reply. Indeed they can copy and paste it into a new tweet. So best to assume that anything tweeted, by any method, is in the “public domain”. (The same of course applies to emails – I’m amazed at what gets forwarded to me, further down the email, that the original author certainly didn’t expect to go beyond the original recipient !)

(4) Replies and public messages

If you start a tweet "@someone", as happens automatically with a "reply", then normally only that person will see it. However there are two exceptions to this:

• If someone is following both you and the recipient, then some apps will display such messages
• Anyone looking at your profile will see all your tweets except DMs

So again, assume all tweets are in the public domain.

Note that if you put one or more characters (such as a space) before the @username, then all your followers will see the tweet.

When replying, consider copying some or all the original tweet into your reply, so the reply makes sense to the original tweeter.

Some apps have a “See Conversation” button which links a tweet into an intelligible series of replies.

(5) Re-tweeting

If there’s a tweet you’d like to copy to your followers, (as it’s funny, informative or whatever), then you can “re-tweet” it. This adds “RT” and the original tweeter’s username at the start.

As mentioned above, it is therefore worth  keeping your own tweets to 70-120 characters (leaving 20-70 characters spare).so your tweets can more easily be re-tweeted by other people.

Some apps let you edit the re-tweet and add comments. Or you can copy and paste it into a new tweet, together with the author's username, and manually start it "RT".

(6) Usernames

The username you use to login is fundamental to your Twitter existence. As far as possible keep the username the same as you “real name” which is also part of the set up.

The username is your address, whereas your real name displays against each tweet. Tweets from you show your real name, tweets to you only show your username. So best to keep the two names similar or the same, otherwise you are expecting people to remember two names for you.


When setting up your username, it’s therefore worth keeping it short so that characters are not wasted for Retweets and any other tweets sent to you. So @carolvorders is better than @carolvorderman, but @carolv or @carolvord are shorter and would therefore have been better (if either had been available).

You can change your username and real name at any time. However changing the username is like changing your telephone number – it causes all sorts of issues. Best to get ithe username right first time, if you still have the chance.

In registering the username, it is case-specific. So register "CarolVorders" and it will always appear in tweets as @CarolVorders. However:

• Registering "CarolVorders" prevents anyone else registering any variations such as Carolvorders
• The login process to Twitter is not case sensitive, so Carol can log in as CAROLVORDERS

(7) Blocking and Unfollowing unwelcome people

If someone sends tweets to you that you find really annoying, perhaps because there are too many tweets, there is the option to “block” them.

Likewise if you follow someone that becomes boring or annoying, then simply unfollow them.

(8) Celebrities

Remember celebrities are actually real, if not ordinary people. Some have a big ego, some don’t. If you send tweets to them, they will usually respond much like you would:

• They will re-tweet the funny, the oddball, or the worthy
• They will especially re-tweet if you offer praise for a book, show or whatever else they have done (but don’t over-do these re-tweets celebs!)
• They will reply to your sensible questions, at least when they have the time and inclination

However over-do the tweets you send to them, in number or content, and they will simply ignore you. They may even block you. You wouldn’t want to be “stalked” any more than they do!

(9) Tweeting Frequency

Tweets have a natural life of no more than around an hour. After that tweets tend to pass beyond the view of anyone looking at their Twitter feed occasionally. So this means re-tweet rates plummet after about an hour.

So if you’re trying to get a message across to your followers, and the world in general, then tweet fairly frequently during the day. However simply repeating the same message, even with different words, will infuriate your followers who are reviewing their tweets regularly. They may then unfollow you. Find different ways of saying it, and only tweet as often as you would tolerate if you were following yourself all day.

The other issue is to avoid tweeting in blocks. If you retweet, send a public tweet or even reply to people so that you are sending tweets in quick succession in blocks of more than 2 or 3, then you will saturate the screens of some of your followers. This can be very annoying for them if it happens too often. I find I simply don’t read blocks of tweets from the same person, and will then unfollow persistent offenders.

This issue. is especially relevant to sending automated tweets. Space the tweets out a bit in time so other people's  tweets are likely to appear between them.

If you are tweeting for an audience in a different time zone, then spacing tweets may still come through as a block to your followers, given the absence of tweets from other people they follow. Worth considering:

• Separate Twitter accounts for the domestic and overseas audiences, and/or
• Automating tweets, perhaps to repeat tweets but at a different time of day to suit each audience

(10) Differing Twitter Apps

If you look at tweets through Twitter’s own apps (either the old, new or mobile versions), then you can see what app and possibly device is being used.

For example you can see Philip Schofield uses Twitter’s own app on his iPhone and iPad. Carol Vorderman has an iPhone but also uses Twitter “via web”, probably on her PC. Dave Gorman tends to use Tweetdeck,.plus Twidroid  from some type of android mobile phone.

Tweetdeck is very common, and it’s worth knowing it has three columns for “Direct Messages”, “Mentions” (where their username is somewhere in the tweet) and their main “Timeline” for people they follow. TweetDeck also lets you add customised columns for searches etc. As “Direct Messages”, “Mentions” are more obvious to Tweetdeck users, they tend to see and respond to Mentions more than people using other apps. Other people typically have to click a button periodically to see their mentions.

Hootsuite is another common tool, which also allows you to handle Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media within the one app.

There are many other options. The apps are usually free, sometimes sponsored by adverts. So see what other people are using (as above), find out a bit about the apps from the websites, and try them out.

One word of warning  though. Watch put for any app that you can set to automatically download tweets every few minutes. It can be downloading thousands of tweets a day, each of which has an “avatar” (photos etc) of the tweeter. Depending on the app's design, it can download the same avatars repeatedly. This can consume vast amounts of your precious megabytes if you are using a phone, 3G dongle or otherwise have a limited monthly data allowance. It can get very expensive left on overnight!

(11) Multiple accounts

It is possible to have multiple accounts, such as for yourself and your business. But Twitter doesn’t encourage multiple accounts, and their own apps don’t cater for them. You’ll need to use another app, most of which do handle multiple accounts. Just try a few, as above.

(12) Lots more to say, but one last thing for now – Apps for Photos, Videos , Soundbites and longer tweets

If you want to write more than 140 characters, or add a photo, soundbite or video, then there are a number of apps like @twitlonger and @twitpic.. Again look at what other people are using, and see whether you like how they look to your readers, and the way they work

You typically use these apps by logging in whilst already logged into a Twitter account, and the app automatically connects to Twitter, If you have multiple accounts, then it is the account you are logged into at the time. Just check you are posting to the right account each posting!

Management Reporting – “SparkLines” and “Tweets” to Deliver Concise Information (in one cell & in one hundred and forty characters or less).

Senior management want relevant information quickly, clearly and concisely. Graphics are a great way. A picture can paint a thousand words.

A dashboard with graphs can convey so much. But a single screen view? Aren’t a few words needed to explain the “why” to go with the “what”?

“SparkLines” are a great way to get certain information across. These are tiny graphs that sit in a single cell. There’s a range of styles.

There are basic Sparklines in Office 2007, with a better set in 2010. You can also get Excel add-ins that work in 2003, if you use that.

This comparison between standard Excel and add-ins gives a good idea of what can be achieved. The danger then is using too many of them!

There’s also “Gauges”. These are ideal for a clear idea of a specific KPI target, such as sales conversion rate, versus a target or range.

But no matter how many graphs and graphics you use, sometimes a few words of explanation are needed. Hence maximum 140 character “Tweets”.

The idea here is to express the commentary so concisely, each point fits into a single cell. That is quite an art. Practice makes perfect.

If you’re wondering what that looks like, count the characters in the headline and paragraphs above (or copy into Word and use “Word Count”!)

Business Performance Management - Forecasting and Reporting with SaaS

Recently I attended a seminar about a cloud SaaS-based planning, budgeting and forecasting system.This has been built by people from a background with leading systems such as Hyperion and Cognos Planning. Potentially very valuable, for businesses that can't afford such tools, or want something more flexible.

There were a number of general points made at the seminar:

1. For a start-up business, flexibility in design of the financial model is key. But as the business becomes established and grows, very soon having a rigid structure becomes more important (subject to the next point). 
2. However forecasting needs and business structures tend to change, such as with re-organisations. The modeling system must be able to cope
3. Whilst Excel provides ultimate flexibility, its drawbacks are significant - difficult to use in a multi-user situation, easy to get formulae wrong, difficult to roll up a consolidation, and needing constant checking (to name a few)
4. Would you use Excel for an HR or CRM system? So why for one of the most important functions of a business, its financial planning?

Well until recently planning systems of any note were the preserve of the richer businesses. These systems typically require involvement of IT personnel to make changes. This means planning users are then not able to control the model themselves, and more importantly when. No wonder many prefer Excel, where the model is all under their control.

Whilst there have been a whole string of systems that leave control in the hands of the users, these have tended to come and go as technology has changed. The power of Excel has killed off many of them, despite Excel's shortfalls. Just one or two of the other systems of note remain.

A good planning system will provide, especially by comparison to Excel:

1. Automatic consolidation roll-up (of regions, departments, business units etc)
2. Multiple dimensions (customer, territory, etc) that is just impractical in spreadsheets
3. Formulae applied consistently, such as working out employee on-costs
4. Clear data input sheets that won't break Excel
5. Easier version control
6. What-if on multiple scenarios, far quicker than using Excel
7. Overall a substantial reduction in cycle time and cost, where the analysts spend less of their time on administering the system and more on planning and review

The cloud opens up additional possibilities.:

• One system that can be accessed for input and review worldwide, wherever there is an internet connection
• Encryption of the data and/or definitions, so that the "picture" can be kept confidential (no need to email Excel around for review on unsecure email)
• Strong backup and recovery potential - often lacking when using Excel

This particular cloud SaaS software can be run in the cloud on a shared database, or on a dedicated database. The latter allows the user to decide when the version upgrades take place - something to avoid in the middle of an intense planning process. The software can also be installed on the user's own internet server if required.

With a 3-user system around £2500pa (or £1500 for 1 user) for the basic version, this entry point means the power of a full corporate-grade planning system is now available to even a reasonably small business. It can also cope with many more users than that, and payment only follows need.

Whilst it is not sold principally as a reporting tool, it does include actual vs budget reporting, including dashboards. With the correctly-structured database behind it, you can drill down not only into budget detail but also the transactions behind the actual numbers.

If you would like to talk about this and other planning / forecasting system solutions, do contact me by email at challisc @ camwells.co.uk or by phone on +44(0)1628 632914

SaaS Cloud Computing - The Hype, The Truth and The Wardrobe

Last evening I had a long chat with the MD of a SaaS (Software as a Service) business. His company specialises in Service Management for larger businesses with 20-500 engineers out in the field. If his SaaS system goes down, thousands of engineers would be left twiddling their thumbs. His customers' businesses would literally grind to a halt. That's "business critical"!

He had taken his company's on-premise solution and converted it to run in the cloud. His customers have the luxury of sitting down with their SaaS provider to cover the service in minute detail. With customers that demanding, he knows absolutely what is needed for "business critical". He talked about "4 9s" and "5 9s" uptime, where unplanned downtime is essentially non-existent. We talked about what else is involved in running a business critical system.

We also talked about a number of other SaaS solutions he's involved with. At the other end of the scale is a system that typically cuts 30-40% off the freight costs of a distributor reliant on parcel courier firms. Whilst this can mean millions of pounds of savings to the distributor, a delay in processing isn't a big issue.

Two key conclusions from this:

1. There are a vast array of SaaS applications out there, and plenty new ideas on their way. It is like opening a wardrobe full of great clothes - but you still need to choose the right app for the job..
2. What each SaaS application  needs to provide can be quite different. For example if you are looking at CRM (customer relationship management), accounting and a front-end business process like service management, different issues will be important. Comparison to the quality of any existing on-premise system is a key factor. It's a matter of "horses for courses" and "choosing the right cloud"

The Hype and The Truth

When choosing a SaaS app, the vendors will do their best to persuade you that what they are offering is "safe". "You won't need to worry about that", "We've covered that", etc, etc.

But how? In many cases you are well advised to delve that little bit deeper on certain issues, depending on the specific app and its business criticality.

Here are a few of the statements I've heard from SaaS vendors and cloud advocates that are worth a little further thought:

(1) “Security is not an issue” / “Security should not be an issue”

“Security” means different things to different people. I tend to regard it in two distinct parts:

• Access security, to stop unauthorised access either to view, take or damage data
• Backup and disaster recovery  

Security is an issue for most new users, before they understand what goes on. Whilst it should not be an issue, the security standards in different parts of the SaaS cloud industry vary widely. If you are thinking of putting an app into the cloud, where the data and/or the processing is business critical, be sure to review providers carefully.

(2) “There has NEVER been a documented case of catastrophic data loss with a cloud service”

Keeping to the security theme, this phrase could relate to failure in access security or data recovery.

For data recovery, yes there has been at least one documented case sadly. About a year ago US telecoms carrier T-Mobile halted sales of the Sidekick cellphone after a server caused millions of customers to lose personal data

I also know of another unpublicized incident where the hosting provider hadn’t spotted that the backup had stopped working due to data volumes breaching a limit, so no backups were available when a recovery was required. There are undoubtedly more cases that have not been publicised.

Nonetheless cloud providers, through economies of scale, can usually provide a more robust computing environment than businesses can do for themselves on-premise, at least for smaller businesses. Many businesses do not have a disaster recovery plan, and if they do, how often is it tested? But equally what are the SaaS provider’s arrangements and testing frequency?

For loss of data from the database, it is not usually known for organizations to publicise such losses – indeed they probably don't know it has happened. However it’s also true that on-premise systems are often leaky. Customer databases are notorious, so moving to the cloud may even be an improvement in this respect. But you need to consider the specific app, and how SaaS compares to existing or potential on-premise systems.

(3) “We’ve had online banking for years, so SaaS security is OK”

Thinking of access security, the banks all have a different approach. Some use physical devices to generate codes and/or random letters, others random letters from passwords. In all cases the access mechanism is more sophisticated than just username and password.

Username and password is the typical level of security for remote access to on-premise systems. But there’s often a second stage to access each specific application. Depending on the app you are considering, is one level of username and password in a SaaS system sufficient?

(4) “Encryption for privacy of data will slow the system down too much”

Would you want someone working at the cloud provider seeing your data and taking a shine to it? Maybe sell the data to a competitor? There are at least two ways to adequately encrypt a database so that unauthorised access “through the back door” won’t work:

• Encrypt the whole dataset
• Encrypt just the definitions, and leave the incomprehensible data un-encrypted

Both methods are in active use, without significant performance issues. The performance impact depends on the technology the SaaS provider uses. You need to decide whether your data needs to be encrypted, and where necessary choose a supplier who can provide it.

Encryption is also more commonly applied to the data being transmitted to and from the server. Do you require this?

(5) “SaaS relies on multi-tenanted databases” / “There’s no security risk with multi-tenanted systems”

Many SaaS offerings are only available where some or all customers (“tenants”) share the one database. This makes it easier to manage, and therefore cheaper to provide.

But Sod’s Law says if it can go wrong it will go wrong. How long will it be before a report is produced with a mix of everyone’s data?

What techniques are the SaaS provider using to ensure this doesn't happen. Do they offer physical segregation on a separate server ? Some systems are available as single tenancy (at a price), or indeed to run on an internet server in-house.

(6) "Providers make sure they get things right, as their business depends on it"

So they should. However examples like those above and situations like BP in the Gulf of Mexico, show there can be incompetence or cost-cutting that jeopardises best intentions.At the very least you need to establish what the SaaS provider is officially doing, and not just take their word for it.

(7)  “No consultancy is required for configuration, implementation or training” / “SaaS has a more modest implementation cost”

It’s certainly true that many, but not all, cloud systems are trying to make configuration as easy as possible. They are also trying to make the user screens intuitive. But so are the better on-premise systems. For a system of equivalent complexity, the experience of what set-up works best is equally relevant to cloud as to on-premise. The time and expertise needed is comparable.

Then there are all the implementation issues around change management, and specifics like data conversion. It is easy to get this all wrong. Once the system has been selected and configured, there is little if any difference between SaaS and on-premise for implementation.

Whilst many providers are encouraging you to do a DiY job, it’s best to assume an equivalent amount of professional help for SaaS at each stage as with on-premise. This is subject to the differences highlighted in these two articles on selection , where a quicker project can mean lower professional fees for SaaS, and implementation where similarities mean very similar professional involvement for SaaS and on-premise.

(8) “How many examples would you like for on-premise failures? SAP just settled with Waste Management on a $100 million failed project WM claimed cost them $350 mill on revenue etc.”

There’s no question that there are substantial failures with on-premise projects. This is typically because short-cuts are taken, and/or the people involved are inexperienced.

The same will undoubtedly be true with cloud computing, not least because the providers are telling buyers they can cut costs by cutting corners.

We’re already seeing specialist re-implementation consultancies for SaaS products used by larger businesses.. Unlike most computing, SaaS is working up into corporates from smaller businesses. As the projects get bigger, the cloud project disasters will start to happen. Not because it is cloud, but because of poor implementation technique.

(9) “Upgrades are smaller and easier to test. Nothing will go wrong”

This is often true, up to a point. But like on-premise software, there have been major problems where an upgrade has not been handled sensibly. Also the changes can be quite significant if the functionality of a relatively lite launch version is being expanded rapidly into a fully-fledged application.

In particular, any packaged software needs beta testing by members of the user community. Does this happen for the specific SaaS app? Can you take part in end-user "beta testing", to check the new app still works in a way appropriate for your business? Sadly critical problems have been known to slip through when there's been inadequate testing by end-users.

It also helps if the company has senior management experience of application development, rather than a hosting company getting into apps.

(10)  “Cloud is Pay-as-you-go monthly billing”

As discussed in the earlier article, monthly billing is common, but is not always the case. It also varies whether you have to make a minimum commitment, such as a year, or can stop at any point.

Pay as you go billing can be a major issue for the IT providers, which in turn can become a major issue for you. Lump-sum payments for 1, 2 or 3 years may become more commonplace.

Depending on  the app, there can also be scope for  "gain share" agreements, where the SaaS provider earns according to savings provided, with or without a monthly fee.

(11)  “SaaS offers a richer user experience and productivity”

This area is very much a matter of comparing one software product against another. There is no inherent advantage of cloud SaaS systems, except that they tend to be newer systems that may better use more modern technology, However that means they are less well proven than established offerings. You take your pick.

(12)  “Utility computing models inherent in SaaS leads to more innovation”

Why? How? The innovation may come from the fact that new entrants tend to have less functionality than established offerings, and need to be developed to catch up. New entrants can also select new technology, rather than being constrained to decisions made some years ago. But as above, new means unproven. You have the option.

(13) “Data centre location is NOT an issue”

This is an issue in at least two respects, and if in any doubt seek legal advice: 

1. Data held outside of the European area is a Data Protection issue unless there is a special arrangement such as the US “Safe Harbor” scheme  
2. Any data held in the US is subject to the Patriot Act, amongst others. This give the US government powers of access to data that means the UK government, for example, is not prepared to hold UK citizens’ data in the US.

(14) “User numbers and computing power can be scaled up and back down easily.“

You can certainly scale up easily. Some systems let you adjust back down monthly. But many systems require a 12-month commitment to any increase, which makes scaling back down more difficult.

 
IN CONCLUSION

There’s no doubt that SaaS cloud computing can provide significant benefits. It’s just a pity that some of the SaaS advocates are trying to hoodwink you into using the cloud by using misleading statements.

Nonetheless, by working with the right SaaS providers, in the right way, these and other risks can be tackled and the benefits realised consistently.

So what’s next for your systems?

.

News Update - Monday 11/10/10

Here's the pick of the last week's news stories that are likely to impact your business:

Libya Closes .ly Domain: Do you use bit.ly or another .ly domain? Beware. And where else does such power lie in the internet?

Facebook Groups and other changes. Time to check your personal and business settings on Facebook

Why drop GoogleApps? So why start?

Internet Access Continuity: As BT's network gets opened up to TalkTalk and now Virgin, sharing infrastructure can't help businesses and households and who need resilience in internet access

Business lessons: Latest case studies on why start-ups fail. Issues relevant for FTSE 100 down to mom'n'pop