Going Cheep

Writers aren't always known for being gregarious.
So for many, being on Twitter can be quite a painful experience. And yet plenty of us have taken the plunge, more often than not out of necessity.
Funnily enough, I am quite gregarious, when the mood takes me. But Twitter? It's had me foxed until very, very recently. And I have to say that opinion is divided among my writer friends. Some are on it all the time, others find the sheer volume of tweets simply too much to bear, and prefer to stay away.
Why do writers use Twitter? To promote themselves, of course. To build a following, to support each other in their successes and failures, to spread the word about new projects, novels, poetry or workshops. They tweet to keep up with the literary world, and to network with important people.
Whether you love, hate or tolerate it, there's no getting away from the fact that as a networking tool it simply can't be beaten.
And with a few simple tricks, life riding the big bird could become altogether more bearable.
Seasoned tweeters of course have no need for such advice, though I do find myself wondering how many writers secretly hate Twitter, and see it as a daily chore. Are you getting the most out of it?
I only really started using Twitter in earnest a few weeks ago, though I've had an account for ages.
Should I be admitting to the fact that I used to hate it? Have I just broken some rule of twittiquette?What are the rules of twittiquette anyway? More on that later...
Anyway, I saw it as a terrible cacophony of pointless noise, reverberating around the internet like an underground explosion.
Then I decided it might be worth another go. I grabbed it by the scruff of its scrawny feathered neck and embarked on a concerted effort to get with the programme.
I followed everyone worth following. Of course, there are countless more people and organisations out there, but I figured 400-odd was a pretty good start.
I started tweeting. I quickly became overwhelmed by the volume of tweets coming at me on a daily basis. It seemed to me nothing more than clamour. Clearly, I still wasn't enjoying myself very much.
Then a few things happened that changed my mind.
Someone retweeted something I said. I cannot tell you how much better that made me feel about it all. Twitter is so abstract compared to Facebook, until you start to find your way around. And there isn't the instant visual reciprocity of a 'like' or a comment. It takes time to adjust to retweets and replies.
Then one day, a couple of weeks in, I noticed that people were direct messaging me. How nice!
And I found two Twitter functions that have sealed the deal. @connect allows me to see who has mentioned me, retweeted or followed me recently. This helps me nurture new connections.
I also discovered lists, and decided to make lots of them, to break my experience down into manageable chunks. I have a friends list, a literary list, a blogs and magazines list, a local orgs list...and so on. I check most of them each day, and none of them have more than 50 members. Some have a very manageable ten or so.
And now I have got my head around it all, I find I am starting to enjoy myself. Twittiquette is something I am learning as I go along. Here's what I have picked up so far (and feel free to illuminate me further in the comments):

• Don't be boring
• Use direct messages to say hi and thank you to people
• Retweet using @ to indicate the original author 
• Make your profile page visually appealing
• #FF is something nice, but use it sparingly, and meaningfully
• Favourite something you may want to retweet later
• Be funny
• If you can't be funny, retweet something funny
• Never repeat yourself
• Think of your audience before you think of yourself

Oh, and for daily laughs, follow Geoffrey Chaucer at @LeVostre GC. After you've followed @tweetybyrde of course...