1/ Meta thread about "Going Pro" on Twitter.

I've been a Twitter power user since 2008 or so. Long time.

I've watched it change from an impromptu conversation or watch party platform to a place for people to build their professional reputations and network.

2/ In many ways it's matured into a more effective professional platform than LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is (mostly) about collecting the professional contacts you've met.

Twitter is a place to meet new people.

That much hasn't changed.

https://t.co/3nemTwNAcX
3/ What also hasn't changed is its power for networking.

This is particularly useful if you break out of your echo chamber and talk, build relationships with people doing tangentially related things.

You're bricklaying and with patience it pays off.

https://t.co/nHZaE8vPpn
4/ What has changed is a growing population of people being *intentional* about the use of Twitter for their professional lives.

Observations on what's working for them:
5/ They "Build in public" - sharing behind the scenes perspectives on whatever it is you're doing professionally.

What do people not know about what you do?

Stick within your expertise, with focus, where people see you are an authority - that’s where you grow a following.
6/ They still syndicate the content that they create on other platforms (YouTube, websites, Stackshare, Gumroad) for Twitter, but it's no longer spray-and-pray or autoposting.

It's previews.
Snapshots.
Deeper Cuts.
Q&A.
Engaging with the audience that consumes your content.
7/ Their followers know their ask.

Principally they fall into one of 3 buckets

- Sales (informational products, subscriptions, books)
- Referrals (Business Development, LPs, acquisitions, employment)
- Email signups (from Substack to websites)
8/ They may not realize it, but they're engaged in content marketing.

All of the rules @randfish laid out in his excellent 2015 deck apply https://t.co/gCRv4b744p

- they inspire a community
- reinforce a belief
- refute an opposing argument
- start a passionate discussion
9/

- discuss what's in someone else's financial/ promotional interests
- leverage group inclusion dynamics
- make the sharer look smart/ important/ cool
10/ Informal conversation still happens, but it's mostly in replies.

Replies are still open season to be friendly, deepen relationships, and - the most important value prop of all to Twitter - a barrier-less way to ask questions of people that would otherwise be unreachable.
11/

No one cares about your personality (not enough for a follow).

They care about your expertise. And what they can learn.

That’s your highest point of authority, when you leverage what you know best.

(That's a big difference between 2008 and 2021 Twitter.)
12/ The key difference between being a "pro" on Twitter vs an amateur comes down to the audience you're writing for:

Pros are writing for a specific external audience.
Amateurs are writing for their friends or themselves.

Twitter is maturing, and it's fertile ground for pros.

More from Twitter

My 10 most popular tweets from 2020

Happy New Year everybody!

[THREAD] ⬇️

1/ Thread on how American Express


2/ Thread on how Coca-Cola makes


3/ Thread explaining popular software


4/ On consistency
A lot of people are trying to figure out what UCP means by putting this biblical quote out into the twitter verse at Christmas.

Many have piped up with commentary and criticized the mix of religion and politics. A convention long held in Canada.


The quote is often repeated at Christmas. “A child is born...” makes reference to the birth of Jesus. Makes sense.

But what does it mean?

Christians (and other religious observers with their religious texts) have made an art form out of interpreting what passages mean.

To those most radically devout (some might say zealously faithful), hidden divine meanings are gleaned from “correctly” reading the bible.

That’s what Dominionists believe. That god himself wrote the bible. Through inspiration of the actual authors, & only they can interpret.

And thus, the “inerrant“ bible serves as a strict road map to save ones soul.

Many devout Christians view the passage as a prophecy made centuries before the birth of Christ. A promise made by god through one of his prophets. Jews interpret the passage very differently.

The Anglican Priest is (obviously) correct about this being supersessionism, and a form of Anti-Semitism.

Troublesome as it is for a Canadian provincial govt to be tweeting out Anti-Semitic propaganda, that’s not the only meaning this passage has for Dominionist Christians.

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I think a plausible explanation is that whatever Corbyn says or does, his critics will denounce - no matter how much hypocrisy it necessitates.


Corbyn opposes the exploitation of foreign sweatshop-workers - Labour MPs complain he's like Nigel

He speaks up in defence of migrants - Labour MPs whinge that he's not listening to the public's very real concerns about immigration:

He's wrong to prioritise Labour Party members over the public:

He's wrong to prioritise the public over Labour Party