DavidKamatoy.Guru

Top 5 Reasons why Twitter should keep the 280 limit and Trump is not one of them.

San Diego,CA-(blog) Twitter is experimenting with expanding the 140 character limit to 280. I am excited to say that I was lucky enough to be included in that beta group, and I dig it.

Back in the day when Twitter launched, I remember trying to explain what Twitter was. We used to say it’s mini blogging... which then led to the question...what is blogging? Well it's writing on a blog. OK what is a blog, etc. etc. etc. The explanation I like to give now is that it’s more like texting to the public. A normal tweet has 140 character limit, a text has 160 the new beta Twitter is 280.

TOP 5-10 Reasons why Twitter should keep the expanded 280 character limit.

1. Express Yourself : With the 280 character limit, I find it easier to craft a more natural complete thought. I also find myself actually being able to use adjectives rather than sacrificing them for brevity. This according to Twitter’s blog post is exactly the reason for the expansion, “9% of all Tweet in English hit the 140 character limit.”.

2. Quicker learning curve for beginners : For those new to Twitter or who never got quite started on Twitter, the 280 character limit will help attract a new or renewed audience.

3. Better Grammar: Speaking of using adjectives, you also get to write in multiple, more correct sentences. I find myself being able to express a complete thought and then add #hashtags. Yes, I am still including some of the text within a sentence structure #hashtagged, but it’s a lot more forgiving and interesting.

4. More characters means more #Hashtags: If your goal is to be read or seen and grow your Twitter following and increase your brand, then the consistent use of #hashtags helps.For example, #actorslife #setlife #entrepreneur these are hashtags I use often, and because of it I get new followers and traffic from those consistent and expanded hashtags.

"Twitter's new 280 limit means more characters which means more #hashtags which means more traffic." -DavidKamatoy.guru

5. Twitter is relevant again: Social media has a tendency to be quickly generational. (Those damn kids on MySpace. Back in my day we used Compuserve and we liked it.) This current generation has a tendency to move towards Instagram and Snapchat vs. Twitter and Facebook. I tell people of all generations that we must communicate with people on whatever platform that they are on. So while your friends are on Instagram, the people hiring you might be on LinkedIn and the people you need to impress may be on Facebook. That and posting a resume on Snapchat doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Twitter has a tendency to be more in the middle and have the best of both worlds. Which is why I focus my efforts here and I try get my clients both in entertainment and business to do the same. Even if you have a dominant presence on other platforms, I still have people focus on Twitter.

Many of the early adopters have a strong presence on Twitter: popular entertainers, business people, platforms, and yes even President Trump is part of the reason that Twitter is relevant. You can be as light or as heavy as you would like, but the fact that the platform allows that lean towards the intellectual makes a lot of sense. Also, Twitter algorithms are a lot less restrictive than Facebook. In Facebook your posts are extremely limited and you often need to pay to play for more exposure. In Twitter your tweets and interactions have a better chance of being seen, and vice versa. Especially now with the character expansion..

Also Twitter has been the most open towards API integration, it seems. The ability to use programs like Hootsuite, Socialoomph, Klout and Manageflitter to manage the data and build a following is exciting.

Random points: As a reference point you can read the blog post about their reasoning for expanding the character limit here.

https://blog.Twitter.com/official/en_us/topics/product/2017/Giving-you-more-characters-to-express-yourself.html

Not everyone has the 280 limit (including President Trump), and so popular programs that allow you to post from their sites are still using a 140 character default. So I am actually copying and pasting into Twitter natively so I can expand my message.

Financially: Let’s face it Twitter is still trying to figure that one out. But they continue to hold their insane evaluation. So hopefully this experiment will be fruitful to them. If Twitter ever wants to fly my team in to brainstorm on how this thing can make money, I would love to do that.

Conclusion: I hope it sticks. I think it helps the English language. I think it helps us express ourselves, and finally I think that we as users get more out of it with the ability to add #hashtags and be seen by more relevant viewers.

Written by: David Kamatoy Editor: Stephen Prendergast

David Kamatoy is a juggler literally and figuratively. A Nationally Syndicated TV/ Radio producer known for The Big Biz Show and Sully’s Biz Brew. He host’s his own show, “David Kamatoy Blog Show” a magazine style format show covering entertainment, entrepreneurship and e-marketing. He is co-founder of Kamatoy Media Group and Jugglemail.com a CRM email marketing company As an early adopter to social media he understands the long term benefits of self-branding and content creation. 

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Q: What the heck is Workflowy? A: Recommended

Workflowy is an online list-making / brainstorming tool. If you've brainstormed using bullet points on a Word doc, Google doc, Powerpoint, etc. Workflowy takes this idea to the next level in a surprisingly elegant way.

Check out Workflowy by clicking here.

Writers, creatives, brainstormers, entrepreneurs, jugglers (both literal and metaphorical), I highly recommend Workflowy.

Workflowy is like an online Google doc that is stuck in bullet mode. It forces a list making linear perspective for brainstorming allowing for both linear and non-linear thought.

It does this with the ability to easily shift away from stepped bullet points, which is always annoying on every other program. Any one bullet point can be clicked on and ZOOMED, essentially creating a new document that is connected to the master list or document or workflowy, whatever you want to call it.

Additionally, you can organize via #HASHTAGS and those tags become clickable.

If the process works for you, it becomes a great tool for organizing and brainstorming. I use it in tandem with my other physical and virtual tools.

This is how I am using it...

I am using it as a daily success journal. I have created a #SuccessJournal hashtag.

• #SuccessJournal INSERT DATE
• I will then create thoughts and ideas as I normally would create lists.
• 7:00 a.m. Wake up, shower, caffeine
• I add bullet points that are assigned times. This helps me track what I am doing. I use a 20 min. timer to help me stay on task, but if I lose a block of time it’s usually because I have gone off on a tangent or taken a nap.

Additionally - I use workflowy to work on projects. For instance my book,

• #MYBOOK - I create a hashtag and then I can tangent off into working on the book idea for a time.
• #Hashtag - Write a chapter or a blog post or a book (that would be annoying) on #Hashtags.
  

The system uses the comfortable bullet point brainstorming format that many of us use in Word documents, Google documents, Powerpoint and hand written or printed lists. The real value comes from the ability to zoom into any bullet point and brainstorm out. Also great is the ability to hashtag categories.

Workflowy is a linear and non-linear creative system. An online bullet point based brainstorm tool similar to that of Google Docs, Word 365 or Google Keep.

Back in the day, client and Maverick Publisher John Perkins taught me that he did a lot of work using index cards. He would carry them around and write down ideas and organize his thoughts for his next books, using them for notes, contacts, etc. The tool was visual and tactile; also from an organizational perspective you can easily rearrange and move an idea around. So if you were working on a book or a paper, you can take a quote or idea and move it around in front of you. Workflowy is a similar tool.

I actively use index cards in addition to tools like Google docs,  Jugglemail.com, my phone, a physical notebook and now Workflowy.

I am using it right now. As an example, I am on my laptop connected to my OnePlus 2 hotspot. My open tabs include, Google drive / docs, Workflowy, Google Hangouts, Twitter and of course our own Jugglemail.com. I also have an index card in my pocket with a list of stuff to buy at the store when I’m done.

PROS / CONS / BOTTOM LINE

• PROs
• Constant brainstorming mode.
• Ability to create beat after beat, idea after idea.
• Mostly linear but is also non-linear. By simply copy and pasting elements around it's quite useful.
• #Hashtag becomes very practical once you learn how to use it.
• Non-linear perspective. Since it’s relatively one really long list, you end up with the ability to create a " Brainstorming Journal".
• CONs
• Free but not free. 250 bullet items which I have gone through pretty quickly and you can buy or earn more bulleted items by sharing and referrals. Or you can just subscribe for  .
• Not as common as Google Docs. Copy and pasting into another application works.
• Also there is a collaborative mode. I just have not used it yet.
• Cloud based - You can work offline with a Google doc and then sync. Not so with Workflowy
• Bottom Line: Recommended for writers, brainstormers and creatives. Try it and you may like it. I am now using workflowy as my online journal and list maker/brainstormer. I am still using Google docs in tandem with this tool and of course Jugglemail.com.

Cost: Free or Pay

Free Option - You get 250-500 bullet points a month. If you people you recommend sign up you earn an additional 250 bullet points a month. 

Pay Option: $4.99 a year or $49 per year they also have a Workflowy for teams option. Workflowy for teams is a better deal but you have to sign up for 2 accounts at the same time.

Additional Notes: A couple of weird things, There is no homepage. The homepage is the application, so try it by clicking here. However, there is a Workflowy blog and you can read it by clicking here. And finally  you can check out their youtube video here. 

Kudos to the Workflowy marketing strategy as well. It is as elegant as the application itself. You get more bullet points by sharing the application. The application is the homepage as you may have already seen. You can either recommend it or buy it. In a new media world where we are constantly creating visuals it's nice to see a copy based marketing strategy that's working. I wish some of our own products had such a simple sales funnel. 

Please use this link to sign up as I actually get more bullets.. WHOO HOO!!! Check out Workflowy by clicking here.

Written by: David Kamatoy Editor: Stephen Prendergast

David Kamatoy is a juggler literally and figuratively. A Nationally Syndicated TV/ Radio producer known for The Big Biz Show and Sully’s Biz Brew. He host’s his own show, “David Kamatoy Blog Show” a magazine style format show covering entertainment, entrepreneurship and e-marketing. He is co-founder of Kamatoy Media Group and Jugglemail.com a CRM email marketing company As an early adopter to social media he understands the long term benefits of self-branding and content creation.

 

 

Tri-Tip Tuesday 1.24.2017 - Biz com on Social Media, Business Cards, Proper Apostrophes

Welcome to Tri-Tip Tuesday (#TriTipTues) where we share important thoughts about social media, marketing, and anything else that comes to mind. We are always looking for good ideas that we can develop for future TTT posts.

Social Media and Messages - Just Say No

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. have become more popular as methods of communication. However, these are not the best formats if you have important business to conduct. We have had the problem of a contact sending a message via one of these platforms, and then wondering why they never heard back from us. Here is the problem - volume.

If you have a large number of contacts, it is not unusual for several of them to send you messages on social media platforms. This will cause earlier messages to be pushed down, sometimes to the point that the disappear from the short list that you see when you open the message list. Then as new messages come in, you lose track of how many you still need to look for. Eventually your contact becomes upset, even though it was their mistake that led to the situation. And yes, it is a mistake.

How do you avoid this situation? Simple - use email. Even though some people think email is out of date, it is still the best electronic method for contacting people with important messages - especially business messages. Email has many advantages over social media messaging. First, and possibly most important, it is easily searchable. If your contact sends you some important information on a social media platform, you may have to scroll back through possibly dozens of unimportant conversations before you find what you are looking for. With email you can simply put the topic into the search and pull up a limited number of choices to check. Email also is superior for including files that your contact may need. Finally, it is simply more professional than social media.

Our new internal policy at KMG is email, text, phone call as a priority for business communications. Additionally, we now ask recipients for confirmation of receipt as opposed to a passive-aggressive, “Hey, I sent you a message.”

All-in-all, email should be your go-to method for all business and other important electronic communication. Social media can be the start of the conversation, but once it gets serious then move to email and save social media for your cat pictures and sarcastic memes.

Business Card Tip

Have you ever found a business card in your wallet or on your desk and wondered, “What was this all about?” Admit it, you have. Probably multiple times. If you are in business, you meet people nearly every day, and you likely receive dozens of business cards each week. So how can you prevent that hot prospect you met from having one of those “Who was this?” moments when they look at your card? Simple - write a note.

This sounds so simple, but it does take some planning. First, you need to make sure that your business card has space, either on the front or the back, where you can write a short, targeted note. You also need to have a card that can be written on. Many people carry fancy slick-paper cards that won’t take any kind of pen, defeating this handy tip. By using  a simple card stock, you give yourself the opportunity to be different in a way that your contacts will remember.

This is one of the reasons why you can actually order cards with a coating on one side and not on the other or none at all. We are leaving space on our current card design specifically for this reason.

The message doesn’t have to be long - in fact think of it as your handwritten Tweet. It can be something to the effect of, “Great talking about marketing your product. Call me,” or “Would like to discuss how our projects might fit together.” The idea here is to leave them with just enough information that they remember why they got your card in the first place, but not so much that they don’t feel the need to contact you. Also, remember to sign your name, even just your first name, to make it more personal.

The Writer’s Corner - Proper Apostrophes

Remember to use an apostrophe only for a possessive (John’s car) or for a contraction (don’t). Using an apostrophe in a plural is confusing and shows that you might not understand basic grammar.

For example:

“I took my dog’s for a walk” would lead a grammar-knowledgeable person to ask, “Your dog’s what?” You might say, “I took my dog’s puppies for a walk,” or “I took my dogs (multiple) for a walk.”

What if you have multiple dogs that have a single house, for example? Then you put the apostrophe after the plural as in “I cleaned out the dogs’ house.”

One of the more confusing uses or non-uses of the apostrophe is “its/it’s.” Remember that “it’s” is a contraction of “it is” and so it requires the apostrophe. On the other hand “its” is a possessive pronoun similar to “hers” and “his” and does not require an apostrophe (yes, a possessive does not always need the apostrophe).

Good writing takes concentration, commitment and attention to detail.

Authors: David Kamatoy & Stephen Prendergast

TRI-TIP TUES returns from Kamatoy Media Group and Jugglemail.com. Kamatoy Media Group is a business and media development company. Jugglemail.com, Juggle your business with jugglemail is the go to CRM to juggle and manage multiple businesses with email, events, shopping cart, website, member solution.

For more information or to submit press releases please email us by clicking here . You can join our email list at Jugglemail.com or KamatoyMediaGroup.com.