Back with another Bird House Rules (and well under that ten minute window), I’m here to talk a bit about the evolution of Follow Friday. what started out as tweets like this…

Follow @digitalsista, a Social Media mistress and resource located here in Washington D.C. #followfriday

…many Twitter feeds are getting hit at the end of the week by tweets that look like this…

@digitalsista @chrisbrogan @geechee_girl @ITStudios @chrisabraham @sigmastudios @dananner @fishdogs @LindaVandeVrede @riznphx #ff

Take a deep breath, relax, and follow me to your Zen of the Follow Friday.

Guest introduction by Michael Spence

Featured television clips:

• Firefly
  
• Black Adder
  

Featured Links:

• Episode #7 of Bird House Rules
  
• CREATE South 2010

REMEMBER: Saturday April 17th, 2010, starting at 9 AM, will be the day of CREATE South 2010, held at the Horry Georgetown Technical College, Grand Strand Campus in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. CREATE is a meeting for those interested in blogging, podcasting, video, social networking or any other form of creativity and self-expression. Serving the residents of the Grand Strand and beyond, it is a venue to bring together like minded people to network, to teach and to learn. Follow @createsouth on Twitter for more!

Album Artwork by Paul Fischer of Dancing Cat Studios

 

 Episode #11: The Zen of Follow Friday [8:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (726)

Feel free to syndicate this audio, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on Bird House Rules at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, Twitter, or here at the Bird House Rules Blog!

As mentioned in the previous  Bird House Rules postings, Que Publishing has once again featured All a Twitter in Barnes & Noble Bookstores everywhere, and in my response to Que’s “Whatever you can do to get the word out…”query, I feature Michele Price, the host of Breakthrough Business. On her BlogTalkRadio show we talk about Twitter, about my job at Intersections Inc (which you will find out more about later on Imagine That! Studios), and about approaches that go against the grain of the marketing books. We talk about how “old school marketing” just doesn’t work with Social Media, and how businesses need to understand that Twitter (and Social Media, on a whole) is about people.

We had a blast on this interview, and I hope you enjoy the listen. Feel free to comment, post, and share!

With the return of Bird House Rules, I am getting back into my groove on this blog. Que Publishing has been instrumental in bringing me back into this groove after contacting me concerning All a Twitter. As mentioned in the previous BHR,  the book is being featured once again in Barnes & Noble Bookstores everywhere, and asked me “Whatever you can do to get the word out…”  I sent out a query to my Twitter and Facebook networks, letting them know that I was available for interviews.

From Twitter I heard from long-time-friend of the Bird House @Odin1eye who featured me in a particularly fun interview on his blog View From Vahalla. This blog features podcast reviews, commentary and rants on Social Media and the world it impacts, and (now) interviews. Odin1eye and I talk about about how Twitter has changed, where it is headed, and what went into the writing of All a Twitter. Here’s a selection from the interview:

In the same vein as Elliot Ness suggested to “Follow the money…” in order to nab the bad guys, I was following the tweets this morning to find some rather disturbing news for the Bird House. With thanks to @leplan and Globalthoughtz.com, I received news that changing passwords may not be a good security measure for the time being. According to Twitter Status (covered both in All a Twitter and Sams Teach Yourself Twitter in Ten Minutes):

We’re currently researching reports from users who are locked out after trying to reset their passwords or change their email address or user names.  This seems to affect new users as well as long term users; we do not advise changing your user name, email address, or password at this time.  We will update Status with more news as it becomes available.

That was yesterday evening, and still no updates at the time of this posting.

As I will be talking about at Blogworld this week, we all have to be careful concerning Phishing scams, spammers, and password protection. This recent development has me curious as to what is happening back at the Mother Ship but also reinforces exactly how important it is to check and double-check the Twitter Status blog. It remains one of the best ways to keep track of how the Twitterverse is behaving.

I am also breathing a bit easier, knowing Twitter is on top of this serious issue. With their incredible popularity and for offering this service for free (and keeping it so), security is an issue that must be address. It is rarely talked about (until something goes wrong), and this report from Twitter.com assures me as a user that they are not taking this lightly.

Some quick tips until this matter is resolved:

• Do not click on links from people you do not recognize nor follow in your networks
• If you are using TweetDeck, use the URL preview function as a precaution to see where the link leads
• If a link asks for your password, don’t give it. (Common sense, you would think, but…)

We all must think smart and remain safe when tweeting. Sure, it’s only 140 characters; but a lot can happen within a tweet exchange. Hang on to the password for now; and make sure you keep hanging on to it, especially when someone is asking for it.

Are you using Power Twitter? I am continuously surprised how many of my friends from the Bird House are not taking advantage of this fantastic add-on for Twitter. Power Twitter takes Twitter to the next level, and keeps your eye on the Twitter.com homepage.

What exactly does Power Twitter do to your browser? Click on the image below for a Before-After shot of a browser armed with Power Twitter:

Quick reminder: Next week, I’m at Blogworld, so please come on out and say “Hi!” I also encourage tweeting from my speaking events.

Other articles and cool links cited in this episode:

• 83 Degrees, the developers of Power Twitter
• TechCrunch reports on Bit.ly cracking down on malicious links

Guest introduction by Shannon or akaMonty out in Cyberspace…

Drop-in from this episode are from:

• Star Wars
  
• Iron Man

Album Artwork by Paul Fischer of Dancing Cat Studios

 

 Episode #5: We're Gonna Give It the Power Twitter! [8:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (644)

Feel free to syndicate this audio, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on Bird House Rules at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, Twitter, or here at the Bird House Rules Blog!

So, I turned my back for a moment, and Twitter went on and changed their interface on me. Hello! Well, maybe it’s not that dramatic, but it did need to be addressed, especially if you are using All a Twitter as your guide though beginning steps.  It may not seem like a big deal, but here’s a quick glimpse of what someone’s page on Twitter.com looks like now…

Thank you, Dan Sawyer, for loaning me your Twitter.com page as a show-and-tell!

Let’s take ten for this Bird House Rules to talk about some of the tweaks that have taken place on your Twitter homepage.

Quick reminder: I’m going to be speaking at Blogworld this year, so please come on out and say “Hi!” I also encourage tweeting from my speaking events. Keeps things lively!

Guest introduction by Katherina

Drop-in from this episode are from:

• Stargate SG-1
• Black Adder
• Iron Man
• Army of Darkness
  

Album Artwork by Paul Fischer of Dancing Cat Studios

 

 Episode #4: Twitter Tweaks [8:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (913)

Feel free to syndicate this audio, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on Bird House Rules at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, Twitter, or here at the Bird House Rules Blog!

What’s the topic of the day at the Bird House? Inspired by an August 20, 2009 article entitled What People Are Tweeting About, the marketing magazine eMarketer and Pear Analytics took a closer look at the traffic on Twitter in order to answer the question “What is the purpose of Twitter?”

I ask the question “Does Twitter — or Social Media on a whole — need a purpose?”

Other articles cited in this episode:

“One Blog Created Every Second” (Aug 2, 2009), BBC News

Chris Brogan’s “Birds on a Wire”

Chris Abraham’s “All a Twitter is Twitter for Smarties”

Linda Vandevrede’s “Finally a Very Readable Book about Twitter” (for Valley PR Blog)

Guest introduction by Chris Lester

“That’s a fact, Jack!” from Stripes

Album Artwork by Paul Fischer of Dancing Cat Studios

 

 Episode #3: Get to the Pointless! [9:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (648)

Feel free to syndicate this audio, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on Bird House Rules at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, Twitter, or here at the Bird House Rules Blog!

We’ve passed the month mark and a lot is happening, both in the blogosphere and the podosphere. People are really becoming All a Twitter!

Chiming in from out west is a review from Linda VandeVrede of Valley PR Blog who said:

What I like best about “All a Twitter” by Tee Morris is his conversational style. He’s not trying to be a lofty author, speaking from on high.   He’s just sharing what he has learned since he first started tweeting in spring 2007.  He covers a lot of ground, and in fact the book is 280 pages long, and includes a section that explains tools for twitter as well as twitter speak.

SocialMedia.biz’s Chris Abraham gives a delightfully eclectic review of All a Twitter. While he calls the opening (What is Social Media, how do you set up a Twitter profile, how do you tweet, etc.) boring, he turns on a dime and raves:

What started off as just a little pick-me-up has now turned into quite the trend on Twitter. People are now swapping out their avatars for candid shots of them with All a Twitter!

Katharina in Austria started the movement with this fun little “thank you” for my advice in the book…

And Gary in Texas took a page (pardon the pun) from the Grammar Gal herself, Mignon Fogarty, with his tribute picture…

If you are by your computer or thereabouts, make sure to swing by BlogTalkRadio as I make the return visit TONIGHT, August 5, starting at 9pm EST. With Phil Rossi and Philippa Ballantine rounding out the PodioRacket pandemonium, it’s going to be a very exciting night of audio delight for your ears on PodioRacket.com! See you there!