Leveraging Twitter For Microsoft Dynamics

Social Media has been a buzz word for a while now. Social Media, sometimes known as Web 2.0, are tools that allow for interaction amongst users. This can come in the form of social networking, video sharing and wikis to name a few. One of the more popular tools is Twitter which allows you to send and receive short messages. Messages can be broadcast to all the people who follow you, sent to a specific person publicly so everyone can read it, or sent to a specific person privately.

I really like Twitter because all the information posted on it is to the point. Messages, otherwise known as Tweets, can only be 140 characters long. I can very quickly skim my home page to see if any of the people or companies I am following have said something interesting that I want to read. Twitter can be a great resource for business information, including information on Microsoft Dynamics.

To help get you started on Twitter, here are a few tips.

1. Setting up your account – Your user name is important because it is part of your personal brand. Keep this in mind when choosing it.
2. Twitter Vocabulary – Twitter has developed a vocabulary of its own. Here are a few key terms to understand that will help make using the tool easier.

Handle – also known as a user name.
Tweet – the 140 character update that is written in the text box under ‘What are you doing?’
To Follow – to subscribe to someone’s updates. You will receive all their tweets on your Twitter homepage/stream.
Hashtag(#) – A tagging system that helps label all the conversations surrounding a topic, event or theme so that they can be easily searched and found. A hashtag is created by combining a # with a word (#word).
Retweet(RT) – to repeat what someone else has already tweeted. Usually done if you feel what someone has said is valuable.
Direct Message – A private message sent from one user to another. Think of it like your Twitter inbox.
Tweeting – Not sure what to say? Tweet an observation, what you are reading (books or blogs), what events you’re attending, link to a blog or newsletter, or retweet someone else’s tweet. Or, you can choose not to say anything – that’s ok too!
Following – Now that you are on Twitter, you need to follow people or companies. Media outlets, thought leaders, bloggers and others in your industry are great people to start following. You can also follow Encore on Twitter. Our handle is @encorebusiness.
Security – Under the Account tab, within Profile Settings there is an option to ‘Protect My Tweets’. By clicking this, your Twitter stream will be private and only your followers will see your tweets.

Now that you have the basics, you can begin utilizing Twitter to educate you on news, updates, and tips and tricks for your Microsoft Dynamics solution. Watch for an upcoming post for best practices on that.

Happy tweeting!