Content Buzz Blog

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Where you can stimulate your creative thinking apart from the major search engines.
More info at http://www.contentideasfactory.com
http://www.videowildfire.com/lpindex.asp

This is the story of how our Twitter Intelli-Browser came into being and the steps that the Twitter Police are taking to stamp out Spammers on their site.

We developed the tool initially to help us develop our own Twitter accounts.

We worked from the traditional assumption that, for marketing purposes, by gaining a large number of followers, you could rapidly achieve “authority” status in your niche along with other “vanity” type issues.

The tool that we originally developed, enabled us to find and follow as many Twitterers as Twitter allowed, with a few clicks of the mouse. It worked like a dream. We used it cautiously, and were able to add followers at will.

However…

You’re probably aware that Twitter limits you, in theory, to 100 calls to their API per hour, and recently reduced the number of followers that you can add from 2000 to 1000 per day. However, our tests and research show that these figures are somewhat arbitrary. (For a more detailed opinion of the rules, have a look at http://shellicindberg.blogspot.com/ )

Their algorithm is definitely not as refined and developed as say Google’s, understandably. We could not find any rhyme or reason as to what they permitted vis-a-vis “following” and “unfollowing”, over several different accounts.

Different tactics were required below and above the 2000 followers level. However, the basic tactic was to “follow” as many people as Twitter allowed, and then wait and see how many followed you back. If they didn’t after say 48 hours, you simply “removed” them. This enabled you to follow more people…

Also, when you reached the 2000 following/follower mark, you are only allowed to follow 10% more followers than those you’re following.

Up to as recently as this week (end of June 09), these tactics worked well, but it appears the rules have changed. Twitter seems to have launched an attack on what they consider “spam” strategies, and have completely revised their policies.

Using our software, on one particular account, they suddenly blocked us from adding more than 30 followers at a time, then 20 and then nothing…

We waited 24 hours and tried again, but a Red Flag was being waved and it was obvious that “new” rules had come into play.

I did some research, and discovered that I wasn’t the only one having problems. I even found out that Twitter was aggressively trying to “shut down” one particular software developer.

When you think about it, it is understandable and probably inevitable. Imagine the strain on their API with thousands of marketers (spammers) following thousands of people every day! Not only that, but Twitter is all about communication. How can any individual follow the Tweets of thousands of people?

This is their opinion, and who are we to argue with them?

So, in my opinion, the clamp-down has begun, and as marketers we need to reconsider our own strategies, and develop methods that will work within the new boundaries that exist.

I have reproduced Twitter’s spam policy below, and my thoughts on how we need to be marketing on Twitter in the future.

“*Spam: You may not use the Twitter service for the purpose of spamming anyone. What constitutes “spamming” will evolve as we respond to new tricks and tactics by spammers. Some of the factors that we take into account when determining what conduct is considered to be spamming are:

• If you have followed a large amount of users in a short amount of time;
• If you have followed and unfollowed people in a short time period, particularly by automated means (aggressive follower churn);
• If you repeatedly follow and unfollow people, whether to build followers or to garner more attention for your profile;
• If you have a small number of followers compared to the amount of people you are following;
• If your updates consist mainly of links, and not personal updates;
• If a large number of people are blocking you;
• The number of spam complaints that have been filed against you;
• If you post duplicate content over multiple accounts ormultiple duplicate updates on one account
• If youpost multiple unrelated updates to a topic using #
• If you post multiple unrelated updates to a trending or popular topic
• If you repost other user’s content without attribution.
• If you have attempted to “sell” followers, particularly through tactics considered aggressive following or follower churn.”

In the light of this, what are Twitter prepared to let you do?

What constitutes their ‘algorithm’ for acceptable user behaviour?

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To promote your business you need to get into the routine of bookmarking any new content that you create and distribute.

For those who may find it useful we have added a transcription of the video…

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How to manage multiple Twitter accounts and schedule your Tweets.

http://www.twitter.com/signup

This video is a demonstration of the Content Buzz Twitter Manager which shows you how to maximize the power of Twitter for your online marketing campaigns.

Twitter has become an important Internet Marketing tool, and has become an integral part of many top marketers strategies.

The idea behind the Twitter manager is to make controlling your Twitter campaigns and “drip-feeding” your Tweets as quick and easy as possible.

The Twitter manager has all the features you need to control your flow of tweets to as many accounts as you want

• You can add multiple Twitter accounts
• You can send a Tweet to just one account or several or all of them
• You can add an unlimited number of Tweets to our scheduler
• You can choose to submit your Tweets every “x” number or minutes or hours
• You can check that the submissions were successful

The Twitter Manager is included in both Video Wildfire and Content Buzz.

You wake up, get out of bed!

What comes into your head?

What “action” are you magnetically drawn to?

Personally, even before I check my emails or put the coffee on, I open my word processor and find that paper-shaped image with the flashing cursor that stares at me as if to say “Get Started”.

The other day I came across the quote “Work is Love Made Visible…” I thought, not only is it a beautiful phrase, but it is a profound, possibly life-changing thought. Not in a particularly religious or irreligious sense, but as a code, a step-by-step guide for a happy and contented life!

“Work is love made visible” had obviously been churning away in my sub-conscience, and today was the day that it decided to burst out like a tiger jumping through a burning hoop!

Do you find yourself spending your days doing things you don’t like?

Do you have workdays that never end, which seem purposeless and uneventful?

I don’t like the phrase “mission in life”, as it implies a singular, one-dimensional view of one’s life or business. Obviously the big picture is more diverse than that.

I guess most people get the most pleasure out of life when they’re helping others, rather that living in a selfish, insular world. Link that thought to the fact that we all need to earn a living and it could be a recipe for a happy and successful life.

I decided to open my little helper (The Content Ideas Factory) that my son had developed for me, and have a quick look at what other people were saying and thinking about .

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How to generate an un-ending flow of ideas for your promotional videos and blogs

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Show Notes:

http://www.contentideasfactory.com – free download

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Show Notes:
Ways of overcoming “writer’s block”
How to use Google for generating inspiration
Refining and improving your searches
More info at http://www.contentideasfactory.com