AJ Vaynerchuk

Introduction

This hasn’t happened to me before, but I know a few people who have had issues with receiving @reply spam. You can receive @replies from twitter users ever if you aren’t following them. Most people chalk this up as an unavoidable problem and simply deal with it. Well good news for those of you out there who want this, there is an option to block users.

Where to Find the Block Link

If you truly wish to block soemone from sending you @replies, you need to actually visit their profile. Once on their profile page point your attention to the right sidebar. Scroll down a bit to the bottom of the sidebar content (below the collage of people the individual is following) and there should be a link entitled, “block.”

Screen shot Example:

Here is a screen shot example: (I am simply using Dave Morin as an example, Dave is actually a great guy, and if you don’t follow him already, you NEED to!)

Conclusion

Most of us shouldn’t have this problem, but I have heard a few people complain about the issue, and I figured if I could help one or two people, then it would be worth it!

Introduction

Sharing links is a vital aspect of Twitter that bloggers use every day. It is a great way to spread your content, and when done properly can expand readership, build brand, and provide value for your followers. Since sharing links can be so important, it is important that you use the right URL Shortner at the right time.

URL Shortner? What’s That?

Twitter only allows you 140 characters for you to get your message across. Since you are promoting a link, you will want all the room you can get for “the pitch.” Some links can be rather large(even 140 characters themselves) and the solution to this is a URL shortner. A URL shortner will take your existing link and convert it into a nice, clean package that is far shorter in terms of characters.

Examples of URL Shortners

Tinyurl
is.gd
snurl
Not Long
Tweetburner

When to Use Tiny URL

Tiny URL is most likely the most branded URL Shortner around. Twitter uses tinyurl as their default URL shortner, and thus, most of your readers will probably recognize tinyurl over all the other options. If you have the room to fit a slightly longer link, then use Tiny URL.

When to Use is.gd

is.gd is less known than tinyurl, but in my opinion it does the job better. I mean when it comes down to it, tinyurl.com has 11 characters, and is.gd only has 5. Those 6 characters are important! The only downside to is.gd is that it doesn’t have a .com associated to it, and sometimes followers may not understand or even be afraid of is.gd. I wouldn’t use is.gd unless you desperately need the extra characters (which does happen from time to time).

When to Use Snurl

Snurl is a great URL shortner and is the default url shortner of the popular twitter desktop application Twhirl. If you are a user of Twhirl, using Snurl is EXTREMELY easy and highly recommended!

When to Use NotLong

Not Long is an interesting service because all the other shortners on this list randomly generate your links while Not Long allows you to name/brand your links.

For example, if your blog post is about tips for increasing RSS subscriptions, your link could be: “increasing-rss-readers.notlong.com” or something to that extent.

If you don’t need much room to pitch, I would highly recommend using notlong to brand your links with vital information about your blog post.

When to Use Tweetburner

Tweetburner is interesting because it tracks clicks. If you have a link that you feel will be clicked on a lot, then you may want to use tweetburner for it’s marketing purpose. On the front page of tweetburner there is a list of top 10 links of the hour, you may be able to pick up a few extra eyeballs if your link is popular enough to crack the top 10.

Conclusion

URL Shortner’s are a blogger’s best friend. Amazingly enough there are certain situations where certain services work best. I highly recommend testing out all the URL shortners and tracking results; remember that a certain readership may respond to a certain shortner!

I wrote a guest post today for Blogging Bits entitled: The Art and Science of Retweeting for Twitteraholics.

Thanks to Mohsin for allowing me to make the post.

Here is a quick teaser:

Many bloggers use Twitter as a platform to promote their own blog. That’s an easy concept, no need to waste our time there. Instead, lets focus on something that is under-utilized by most bloggers: promoting other blogger’s content by “retweeting.”

Head over there and Leave a Comment

“Often, people will blog about the conversations that happen in twitter, the conversation shifts back to blogs.” - Jeremiah Owyang

To keep track of these conversations you only need to follow a few simple steps:

Step 1) Go to Google Alerts

Step 2) Set up your personal google alert by adding your Twitter Handle.

Step 3) Create the alert and never miss another conversation!

Have you been utilizing this great little Twitter tip?

Want to link your Twitter account to Facebook so that your status updates sync? Easy, here’s how:

Step 1: Search for “Twitter” in Facebook’s search field.

Step 2: The first result should be the one you are looking for. It is the application “Twitter.” Click “view application”

Step 3: Add the Twitter Facebook Application.

Step 4: Choose your settings and add the Twitter Facebook Application to your profile.

Step 5: Enter your Twitter login information.

Step 6: Choose to have Twitter update your Facebook status.

Step 7: Allow and Authorize Access for Twitter to Facebook.

Step 8: That’s it! Now every time you update your Twitter, your Facebook status will update automatically.