You Don't Need to be a Professional Geek or Social Media Diva to use Twitter

I started using Twitter in 2008. I know this because it says so on my Twitter profile. I don't actually remember starting Twitter, other than working out how to say everything in the space of 140 characters. Twitter is good for teaching writers to be less wordy, sometimes. Not every writer really learns this. I can't say I have been completely reformed.

People seem to care a lot about Twitter as a marketing campaign. They miss out on Twitter as a social media. Twitter as a way to follow not just other Twitter people but to get a general feed of all your personal interests as well. I use Twitter as a hobby. I don't make it a chore, or a work horse or a marketing tool. Twitter is still fun for me and I still like it, five years later.

Don't assume I am not also posting links to the content I create. I just do more than that. You can too!

The best way to be great on Twitter is: Don't think of Twitter as a Marketing Scheme

If you want Twitter followers just to get followers then spam away. But, you won't have people following you who actually read what you post. It will be bots, other spammers and people who signed up for Twitter and then abandoned their accounts. People - real people - don't want to read Twitter feeds which are full of links, regurgitated quotations, automated posts and other stuff and debris you wouldn't want to read yourself.

Of course you want to post your links to Twitter. Do that, but in moderation. Once is enough. Twice is still ok but if you post the same link a third time... it becomes a commercial and people are less likely to pay attention the next time you post a link. No one wants to watch the commercials. We want fresh, original and timely!

Also, keep your post short. Don't use all 140 characters. Leaving at least 40 or more will allow someone else to repost your link and add some comment of their own. The more space you can give them, the better. But, at the least, they need enough to repost the link without editing your original text or removing your Twitter @name.

Don't be a troll.

Join conversations, start conversations, ask questions, share information. This is how you show other human beings you really exist and are not just a marketing robot on autopilot.

Don't use a lot of scheduled posts. Be available when you post so you can catch feedback in the moment and interact with people rather than just adding to the clutter of posts.

On the other hand, don't get obsessed with it. You can't chain yourself to the computer and hope to stay awake and read everything from everyone. You're going to miss stuff. That's ok. Twitter is like a bird, it takes flight - here one minute and gone the next. Respond to tweets while you are there, don't drive yourself nuts trying to keep up with everything. That way is madness!

Don't send private messages.

It is extremely rare that anything sent as a private message (DM) on Twitter isn't just spam or an automatic message of some kind, which is just another form of spam. Most people no longer read anything not in the main Twitter feed.

Don't follow people just for the sake of Twitter stats.

This is really important and not everyone will understand. The best way to get followers on Twitter is to pick and choose who you follow. Do not follow everyone who follows you.

When someone follows you see who they are. Do they interest you? Would you like to read their next Twitter post? Are they active? Or, too active? Do they have conversation or just post links? Do they retweet (repost or pass on) links from other people on Twitter?

When you do choose to follow someone don't just click Follow and go on your way. Be smarter! Send them a note. Tell them who you are, how you found them, why you followed them, etc. Introduce yourself. This is how you get Twitter followers. People want interesting people to follow them but the way to get people interested is to be interesting and... interested in them.

Help for Twitter Beginners

It seems impossible to find anything about using Twitter for something other than marketing. However, the secret to using Twitter to get attention, promote and market yourself - is to stop being a marketer and start being a human being. Use Twitter like social media - be social!

Add Life to your Twitter Profile with Images - You can add a Twitter avatar, background and header image with the newest updates on Twitter.

Do Not Use TrueTwit Validation or Other Automatic Services for Followers

TrueTwit is a service which will verify that someone who has followed you on Twitter is able to respond to an automated verification on the TrueTwit site. It's a form of spam. TrueTwit just wants to bring people to their site to view their ads, they make money that way. So, that's why the service exists.

Why have a bot check to see if someone who follows you is a bot? To me it just means you don't want to bother looking at my Twitter account to see if I'm someone you want to follow. So, why would I follow you? I ignore all posts from anything automated AND I often unfollow whoever sent anything automated.

When I find someone interesting enough that I choose to follow them on Twitter - I feel it is very arrogant for them to put me through an automated validation process OR to send me automated messages thanking me for following them and offering me their latest ebook, etc. Automated spam is never a good thing.

Why does it matter if the person following you is a bot? You can't remove them from your followers. Your option is to follow them back, or not. So, actually look at their account and decide if you want to, or not. Don't let a bot send them an automated message which will give most Twitter users the wrong kind of message about you.

It is social media, remember? Not hermit media, not robot media, not I-don't-care-who-you-are media. If you use TrueTwit you are causing people to unfollow you or ignore you, which is pretty much the same thing.

Unwritten Rule of Twitter Following - Someone decided that you should have more followers than people you are following. The Writer's Guide to Twitter by @inkyelbows - Just add the right #hashtag and join in on the scheduled day and time. Twitter Chats For Writers Directory - via @inkyelbows Writers' Guide To Twitter Chats. Tips, schedule, and resources for writers on Twitter.

Writers Like Twitter

I've seen so many people use Twitter as a writing exercise. What story can you tell (start, middle and ending) with just 140 characters (spaces count)?

The Roku 3 comes in a red box with all the instructions and extras which I needed. Set up was quick and easy. Signing up for NetFlix took more time than setting up the Roku hardware.

I love the Roku Internet streaming media player which I bought last year from Amazon. It was delivered quickly, packaged up nice and I got it working right away. Within an hour of unpacking it I was signed and up and using Netflix.

Although there are other options (more than Netflix) I haven't been using many of them. At first I did explore other channels, new channels and niche channels but even in Canada (there are more channels available in the US) I get all the television I want through Roku and Netflix.

Roku Beyond Netflix

There are loads of channels for movies, TV shows, games and music.

My favourite channel other than Netflix is Crackle. If you don't want to spend money on anything beyond the Roku box then start with Crackle because you can watch for free. Plus, I have found it to be the most dependable channel with the most variety of all the free channels. You can't say you get what you pay for with Crackle because it is exceptional and costs nothing.

Acorn TV looks great. I didn't sign up yet but I have it on my list. This channel is not free but it is low cost per month, like Netflix. If you love TV shows and movies from the UK this may become your favourite channel.

Below I will give links for finding more channels available with Roku. Getting channels does depend on your location. I hope we get more channels in Canada soon. I'd like to see more of our Canadian TV channels become part of the Internet TV forum. As the cost of cable TV continues to rise I think more people will decide it is not worth keeping both the Internet service and the cable TV too. With the Roku box you can eliminate approximately $100 from your monthly bill (here in Ontario). Instead I paid a one time amount of $100 for the box and then I pay $8 per month for Netflix. That is a huge difference in cost and very hard to ignore a savings that big.

Think about the last time you watched cable television. What did you actually watch?

I don't mean all the time you leave it on in the background or just leave it on because you wanted to watch something and finally settled on some show or other but didn't really care about it. Test yourself during commercials. Can you always remember what you are currently watching before the commercials end? If not, why are you sitting there giving your time away?

The biggest difference I noticed with using Roku is that I actually am watching TV again.

I'm not putting it on as background noise. I'm not watching some show I don't really care about. I'm not channel flipping and settling for something mediocre. When I watch TV now I pick something I really do want to see. Often it is a TV series I wanted to watch but didn't catch all the episodes or lost track of and then it was cancelled and unavailable to see. I find movies I would have loved to see but did not have time (or want to spend all that money for admission and junk food) at the time. It's great.

Plus, there are no commercials. I have lost weight!

I have lost 15 pounds since getting the Roku box. I still have more to lose and I'm working on living healthier and exercising but... without all those commercials advertising food I have not been tempted to snack and buy junk food. I don't get up during commercials to check the fridge. I don't see juicy burgers and chips with dip and all the rest of that stuff - unless I made them for myself. It is SO nice not to have the temptation of food from TV ads. I never would have thought of this as a side effect of dumping cable TV.

The Roku Stick plugs right into the USB port on your computer. The only thing you need to keep track of is the remote controller itself.

An older or refurbished Roku player is about half the cost of the new Roku 3 model. This is a good option if you want to try it out, see how easy it is for you to set up and use.

Roku is a growing company - developing new technology world wide (not just US focused) for people who are not satisfied with cable television.

You can get more versions and gadgets for Roku Players. The new stick player is out now. Older or refurbished Roku players will be cheaper for those who want to test drive it for awhile before spending more.

Waterproof, Washable and Antimicrobial Mice? I really don’t know why a computer mouse cover or protector is so hard to find. I don’t want to protect my mouse from harm – I want to protect myself from harm FROM the mouse. I don’t understand people who claim to be so germ conscious/ obsessed and yet they ignore simple and basic things like washing hands and cleaning up the things we handle often, like the computer mouse.

If you could see the gunk which gets under the parts of your mouse you would be far more horrified than any movie could make you. Your computer mouse can (and possible already has) make you sick.

It isn’t hard to find a keyboard cover. People think those are the bigger issue because when you eat food over them, type with messy hands and all of that, you can see the junk that falls between the keys, gets stuck to the keys and all the day to day dust.

We seem to ignore all the dirt, germs and grime which we bring to the mouse, but it gets handled as much (if not more) than the keyboard.

Be honest – do you really wash your hands before you begin using the computer mouse, every time? Of course not. I wouldn’t even believe anyone who claims otherwise.

When did you last give your computer mouse a really good cleaning?

• I'm not sure. I don't really think about it.
• Fairly recently. I clean it when I think about it.
• Fairly recently. I clean it when I notice it looks a bit dirty.
• This week sometime. I have a routine for cleaning my computer hardware.
• Today. I give it a good clean up every day or close to it.

When did you last clean your mouse? I don’t mean a quick wipe. A spray of something isn’t enough either. It needs to be cleaned, as if it were a medical instrument, because it picks up and keeps, a lot of grime, bacteria and germs of all sorts. Everything you have touched during your day you bring back on your hands and transfer to that computer mouse.

If you can’t find mouse covers (I found them difficult to locate online and did not find any in my local area stores) then regularly sanitize your mouse and keyboard. You can use a round of kitchen type cleaner and then a second round with hand sanitizer to give it a better chance at decontamination.

I've decided to go a step farther and will see if I can find something to use as a sanitary mouse cover. Possibly a surgical mask which would fit over the roundness of the mouse and leave the underside still open.

I would have liked to buy a washable mouse but they are not so available and the one I did finally find will cost as much as my current mouse but lack the features, such as being wireless and able to work well on any surface (great for when you are not at your desk).

You Don't Need to be a Professional Geek or HTML Diva to use WordPress

You don't need any great knowledge of HTML or CSS to make and maintain a site on Blogger or WordPress.

I never learned more than a touch of code, or any more than I needed to actually use to understand the general language. It really is a language, just a bit more mathematical than you're used to with day to day English.

If I really need something I find it online and just copy and paste it in where it says to put it. There are loads of great guides on how to do more with WordPress. But, really, just find a plugin and forget it is simpler than dealing with the actual code. Why reinvent the wheel?

I've been using WordPress from the first year it existed. I don't claim to be an expert but I've got experience and common sense for whatever the experience doesn't cover. I run half a dozen sites on my own domains with WordPress. …more

I'm very happy with Ubuntu. If you want to save yourself from buying Windows, trying to avoid catching viruses online and find yourself able to work faster (well, your computer will be faster) switch to Ubuntu Linux.

You can switch from Microsoft Windows to Ubuntu (a user friendly version of Linux) very easily. It's much simpler and less dramatic than you think. You don't have to be a computer programmer, you don't have to be someone who can repair their own computer or take it apart. You can be anyone who has never done anything more complicated than check your own email, start a basic blog, downloaded a file or joined an online forum.

Changing your computer operating system from Windows to Ubuntu can be done in a few minutes (in addition to the time the computer does the work of installing the software). Note, the computer is going to do most of the work, not you.

If you have ever installed Windows yourself you will find the Ubuntu install pretty simple.

Links to Ubuntu

• Ubuntu Guide

• Ask Ubuntu

Save Your Data/ Files First

When you change your computer's OS you will be wiping your hard drive clean. So, make a copy of any files you have in Pictures, Documents, etc. Don't forget to save files from your desktop too. I also save my bookmarks from Firefox or Chrome.

Make Sure your Computer Can Run Linux

Unfortunately, not every computer will run on the Ubuntu system. I found this out the hard way. I had been running Ubuntu on my computer, an Acer I bought more than five years ago. Then I had the money to buy myself a new computer and I rushed out and bought a new HP computer. I took the time to look at features and prices and stores. What I didn't check was whether the computer I was buying was Linux friendly.

I had told the sales people in the store I was going to be installing Linux. They never mentioned a problem. I don't think the sales people even knew anything about the computer. They didn't know if my monitor would work with it - and it was an HP monitor too. So, don't hope the sales people will be able to tell you anything useful when you are computer shopping.

Go to the website of the computer manufacturer and send them an email, ask them if the computer you are using (or thinking to buy) will run on Linux. You can be sure I will be double checking next time I'm looking at new computers. For now I've kept my old computer in the other room and I have it as a back up, still running Ubuntu. I found I missed Ubuntu and I'm okay going back to Windows, but it's not as much fun as being part of the Ubuntu community.

Before you Begin to Install Ubuntu

First, make a back up copy of your Windows OS on DVDs. Don't skip this step. As long as you have a back up you can go back to Windows if you decide Ubuntu isn't for you (or on the small chance you have a problem installing Ubuntu). If you don't know how to burn Windows on a DVD, check the site. You will likely need more than one DVD if you have Windows 7 or later. I did.

Second, get the latest Ubuntu. Burn it to a DVD as well. This will be your back up copy of the Ubuntu operating system. Ubuntu updates their OS twice a year. You can choose to upgrade then or skip it. Upgrading is simple however and keeps you on track for new developments and fixes.

I strongly suggest you run Ubuntu alone on your computer. For one thing, it makes the install process really simple and uncomplicated. For another, if you give yourself a month to adjust to the little changes you will see between the Windows desktop and the Ubuntu desktop, you won't notice the difference between running Ubuntu or Windows.

The only real challenge to changing operating systems is the software you are used to using. In the case of Internet browsing, you can use Firefox or Chrome, just as you would have been doing while you had Windows. However, MS Internet Explorer won't run on a Linux OS (operating system).

In fact, you will find little change at all in your usual Internet activities. It will only be secondary software which you used for image editing, games, etc which you may not be able to use. In many cases you can find a web version or a Linux-friendly version of the same software. Check the Wine HQ site and see if you can run your Windows applications/ software via Wine. There is an extensive list of Windows software which can be run on a Linux computer.

It's worth taking a look at the software you use before you begin the install. Make your decision based on knowing where you will be after the install. Don't make an impulsive decision to change and then blame Linux/ Ubuntu for your software trouble. Plan ahead and you will find the problems can be resolved easily enough.

If you have come this far...

The actual install and switch to Ubuntu is as simple as following the instructions on the screen. Slip the DVD into your computer and let it run. You will be asked if you want to install Ubuntu alongside Windows or by itself. Choose to have Ubuntu without Windows. Don't let Windows intimidate you or Ubuntu scare you.

Eventually, the install will be complete. Your computer will leave you on the Ubuntu desktop. It's different, chances are it will be shades of orange. Along one side you will see some icons. With Windows the icons are in different locations on the screen. Explore a little.

If you can't wait to get online, install your web browser of choice and get surfing again. That's really all you need to do.