Twitter, Twitter, Everywhere

Why is everyone on the right side of the blogosphere suddenly all a-Twitter?

Well my short answer to this question is that I don’t know. I don’t really think anyone can explain “why Twitter, why now?” But I do know we, as political conservatives and as the minority online, have desperately needed a place to find each other and network, and that Twitter seems to have filled that need, for now. It’s simple to learn and use, relatively safe, and very flexible in what you can do with it.

But I just don’t get it, you might be thinking. I know – You don’t have time for it. You don’t need any more friends, and you don’t want to know what people doing every minute of the day…yada yada…. Well, my friend, all of that doesn’t matter. Sometimes you just need to be where the action is, so you don’t miss out.

Yes, as with all things technology-related this, too, will pass, and we’ll all move on to something else down the road. But right now, there are around 1,000 Tweeters who have proudly identified themselves as politically-conservative. Why don’t you just go down there and see what all the fuss is about? Who knows, you might just have some fun while you’re there.

For those who are already on Twitter, and are ready to take it to the next level, here are some more great resources:

Customize your Twitter Background

Check out Twitbacks.com. This is a free service with several different templates you can use to customize your Twitter background, and display more info about what you’re doing in the sidebar of you Twitter Profile. It’s simple and easy to use. And, don’t forget, you can do a lot to your Twitter profile under the “settings” tab on Twitter – then go to “design.”

Find other Conservatives on Twitter

Here are three great places to locate conservatives on Twitter.

TCON – This group, started by @velvethammer, is a list of political conservatives on twitter, ranked in the order they joined the group.
Conservative GOP – Started by @SheridanFolger, is a list of Republicans on Twitter, ranked in the order they joined the group.
#TCOT – Top Conservatives On Twitter: This group, started by @michaelpleahy, is a list of conservatives on Twitter, ranked by the number of followers each member has. Note that this group is VERY competetive*.

Want to find Tweeters interested in other topics besides conservative politics? Check out Twitter Groups.

Bonus: See @GovTwit for a Directory of Govt. & Govt. Industry Twitter ID’s and other social media (or click here).

Cull your Twitter List

*Twitter can be used for a number of things. If you’re on Twitter simply for the sake of exchanging information with like-minded individuals, you might want to stop reading right here. This next section is for those interested in building a network.

On Twitter, you follow some people, and some people follow you. To build a network, you must watch the ratio between these two groups closely. If you’re following a lot more people than you have followers, you’ll be viewed as a “spammer.” If you’re not following many of your followers, they may eventually drop you to get their own ratio of followers to followees in line.

A quick way to find out who you’re following that is not following you back is to go to Dossy, and use the “whack” feature. This site will allow you to bulk-follow or bulk-unfollow unfollow anyone who is not really helping your Twitter “Karma.” As with most open-source software associated with Twitter, it is always a good idea to change the password on your Twitter after using any site that has required you to give your Twitter password for a temporary function. I have used this site, extensively, however, with no problems at all, and have been quite pleased with the results.

Also see: Cool Tools to Save Time in Social Networking