Style for Twitter

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There are several contributors that can influence our idea of Style when it comes to Twitter:

Dom Sagolla
The father of Twitter
William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White & Joseph M. Williams
These 3 authors provide us with different methods of learning style.


Through it all Remember - The need for Twitter Style is up to the discretion of the individual user.
Anything found on this page should be considered Advice to do with as you please

Contents

Dom Sagolla

Dom Sagolla is at the forefront of Twitter Style development. Most notably with the publication of his book 140 Characters.


Part One: Lead

Twitter provides its users 140 characters of space with which to present their own voices. Sagolla tells tweeters to develop their own style, be original and authentic. Twitter is a medium being used for writing, public speaking, advertising, business deals, and social networking. It is not simply a space for the young to be bragging about their day. Professionals use Twitter, including potential hiring companies. Human resources and management often look at social media to see what potential employees are talking about. So be intelligent with your Tweets.

Sagolla explains that Twitter is an open forum to express one's ideas and opinions. He advises to lead by example, by presenting original and creative work that others will want to follow. The Tweet is a permanent "time stamped" entry that can't be taken back. Sagolla characterizes leading by example with three principles: describe, simplify, and avoid. Because Twitter only allows 140 characters per tweet, Sagolla urges the writer to make the most out of the space. Don't use it to complain about this person or the day you've had; save that for texting. Use your tweets to show your followers your intelligence.

Technology is constantly evolving. Today's new technology is obsolete tomorrow. Sagolla suggests to get on board with Twitter because it is going to continue to evolve with new followers and Tweeters. President Obama tweeted his thanks to all the voters. So who will be next?


Keeping up and taking lead in Twitter can come easier to you as a user, if you also try to go mobile or add other applications for your desktop.

Use an app. Twitter.com is just one way to access Twitter updates. Applications, like Twitterific and Tweetdeck give you a lot more control over what you see on the screen, and make it easier and faster to post your own items as @ replies, direct messages, or with Web links.
Go mobile: Twitter was designed for mobile users and it's still a great tool to keep up with your friends when you're not at your computer. You can access Twitter via text messaging, but if you have a smartphone like an iPhone or a Blackberry you're better off using a mobile application. For example Ubertwitter for a Blackberry user and Tweetdeck for Iphone, there are other moblile applications on the website you can find depending on the phone you have.

Part Two: Value

Sagolla offers suggestions and reasons as to why the value of the 140 characters you use can be timeless.


"There is another way to think about time and tweets. A truly great work of 140 characters will give the reader more than just a single moment of entertainment or wit. Great writing takes time, but also gives back."

Sagolla talks about how the value of what you say means more that what one could imagine. Each of us should bring value to the conversations in which we are engaged on Twitter. Sagolla suggests adding links and pictures to really involve your readers (followers) in what you are saying. Sharing is essential in this process; it is the main idea behind Twitter. Sharing your thoughts, ideas, and intelligence with others and expecting feedback is key. The purpose of your tweets must have some value to you, or you would not tweet them. The goal should be to make those tweets valuable to others. Twitter acts as a medium for our own realities. We allow others to be a part of this, so one should really let his/her readers feel as if they are there with them, living that moment with them. Once you have established taking the lead by avoiding putting in too much information and being descriptive as well as concise, you must add value to your voice and what you say.

The value of one's voice to his or her audience is proportional to the message and/or tweet. Sagolla talks about measuring this value of voice along the dimensions of range, frequency, and reach. When Sagolla refers to range he simply means repertoire. When referring to frequency he not only refers to how often you write, but also to how actively you engage in activity on Twitter or any other social media. Your reach is something that tends to be a bit more complex than frequency and range.

Your reach involves the extent to which your followers interact with your tweets and dialogue; this is the influence of your voice. For this to be successful you must understand your audience (AKA your followers in the Twitter world). In the world of Twitter, you can measure your influence by the amount of retweets (RT), mentions (@'s), and followers. These are just a few of the factors that can describe your social sphere. Sagolla mentions how you can measure your reader engagement, but he reminds us that the number of followers you have doesn't define you, because that is not the amount of readers you have at one specific time. He even goes as far as to give specifics and statistics about the amount of followers who actually read your tweet and the time of its post and the percentage who may actually retweet your tweet.

The consistency of your use of Twitter will also have an impact on your influence on Twitter and your followers. The more consistent you are in tweeting and updating your followers, the more consistent they will be in reading your tweets, passing them on to their followers, and so forth. What you tweet has to have value in its self; your tweet is your voice, and you have to be firm and influential in what you say to receive the consistency of readers.

Sagolla says your voice must remain genuine. In this part of his book he focuses on 3 things: extending your range, building your repertoire, and strengthening and amplifying. All three of these aspects add to your voice and directly impact your influence. Sagolla tells the reader to use irony, assonance, and alliteration to help create a visual texture for his or her audience. It helps them really visualize what you are saying. For Twitter, it is all about the descriptors, especially if you do not use pictures and links to assist your readers. As a Twitter user, Sagolla encourages finding your own rhythm. He says specifically to "inherit a literary accent"- the more descriptors, the better the tweet. He also suggests the use of onomatopoeia as great for visual references. Every single sound, adjective, and descriptor you use becomes a part of not only your repertoire, but also your rhythm. Use similar words often so your readers/followers can identify those things only with you. Be yourself and original; this is the value of your voice and your influence.

William Strunk Jr. & Joseph M. Williams

While not specifically written for Twitter William Strunk Jr's book The Elements of Style and Joseph M. Williams book Style Toward Clarity and Grace both offer good advice that users can apply to their use on the platform.

Rather than compare Williams to Strunk and White, the writer who desires to truly hone their writing skills ought to consider both texts as essential to their skill-building. These two books, along with a well-written dictionary and thesaurus, are worth adding to any writer's toolbox.

Strunk & White - The Elements of Style

Within Strunk & White's 50 year old handbook, one can find many helpful rules to assist them on their journey toward not only writing a successful tweet but creating a good atmosphere for Twitter popularity:

Omit Needless Words:
Do not add fluff to your tweets. Be as specific as you can - you only have 140 characters, after all.
Instead of stating Would you like to have luch at 12:30? Try saying Lunch 12:30?
Do not overuse hashtags (#), please use them sparingly.
Hashtags make it easy to search for topics, but they're most valuable when you want to join a conversation. Multiple hashtags in one tweet causes for clutter too.
Revise and Rewrite:
Be sure to go back through what you have written to make sure that you are stating it with as few words as possible while :maintaining the overall meaning - EDIT, EDIT, EDIT.
Do Not Overwrite & Do Not Overstate:
Use your words wisely - avoid a twoosh. You only have 140 characters - really 120 if you want to be re-tweeted
Avoid Fancy Words:
Remember that your tweet is going out to the regular world. No need for a thesaurus here. Using common language helps ensure your :tweets are heard loud and clear.
Be Clear:
This is of the utmost importance - If you are confused by what you have written -> Do Not Hit SEND. Chances are others won't :understand it either.
If you find yourself here, you should work your way back through these helpful hints and see where your tweet went awry.
When adding links and/or pictures to your tweet, remember to briefly state why you decided to use that picture and/or link. A simple, yet creative description of what is going to be seen would suffice.

Williams - Style Toward Clarity and Grace

Joseph M. Williams, in his book Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, addresses writing styles and various elements that must be considered and improved if one is to write well. Since his book was first published in 1981, he could not have dreamed that his work would one day be considered as a guidebook for those using Twitter or Wiki now; we can also safely say he could not even have envisioned such inventions at that time. He writes in his book that his motivation was previously written books on style, such as Strunk and White, that offered rules and examples, but no actual guidance on HOW to change and improve one's writing habits.

He therefore wrote his book with the struggling readers and writers thoroughly in mind, and exhaustively breaks down the steps toward changing one's writing habits. The book can be dense, and slow-going, but offers many improvements on the Strunk and White text. This is by no means an indictment on the Strunk and White text as it was an innovative and ground-breaking offering in its day, published as it was in 1938.

In Style: Williams covers topics such as: Causes (of poor writing), Clarity, Cohesion, Emphasis, Coherence, Concision, Length, Elegance, and Usage.


References

Sagolla Yahoo Blog[1]

140Characters.com[2]

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