When I first started on Twitter, I got comfortable by chatting with other real estate agents, most who I knew already from places like Active Rain. Over time, I realized something magical about Twitter- there are lots of non-real estate agents on the site, many who live right near me. Now, I don’t know about you, but in my real life,I don’t spend much time socializing with other real estate agents. I do have a small core of close agent friends who I hang out, with, but the group is relatively small.
They same is true for me on Twitter. I love interacting with agents, but I also really enjoy non-agents. As a matter of fact I seek them out. It is fun, I learn all kinds of new things, and I get to meet other bay area people that might know someone who could be a potential client one day.
I used to be a Twhirl lover, but over time, managing all of the people I follow became unwieldy. One day, I found a fabulous little program called TweetDeck. There are other programs such as TweetGrid which allow you to do the same thing, TweetDeck just happens to be my program of choice.
The fabulous thing about TweetDeck is the ability to create groups. As you can see in the screen shot, I have a group I call "SF Peeps". This group was created just for me to follow local people. Through this group, I can find out what hot topics are going on in the Bay Area, hear about events and tweetups, and keep my pulse on the local scene.
If I didn’t use groups, I really wouldn’t have a way to monitor what was happening locally. I follow so many people, I can’t keep track or remember where they all live. There are many different groups you could create in twitter. A local group, a group for agents, a group of tech specialists, whatever strikes your fancy.
While Twitter can sometimes be compared to hanging at a cocktail party, if you want to truly maximize its use, it helps to be organized and have a plan.
Applications to check out
TweetDeck– TweetDeck is a Twitter dashboard that you can use to set up groups. Please note: you can adjust the tweetdeck window to fit colors that are aesthetically pleasing to you. The default is a black background, which I find hard to read.
TweetGrid– a twitter dashboard that lets you search nine different dashboards at a time.
Matt Thomson
January 28, 2009 at 4:35 pm
How do you even find people near you? When I click on Find People, I can only search by name or network. How do you look up people in your area or make groups?
teresa boardman
January 28, 2009 at 6:35 pm
If not for groups I would never be able to keep up with local people and local events. I would just see Realtor tweets.
Matt Stigliano
January 28, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Matt Thomson – There’s a few ways to find locals out there. I use twitterlocal.net and I’ve experimented with twellow.com. Good luck.
Mark Eibner
January 28, 2009 at 10:16 pm
we’re at it again Getting Local With Twitter: Get out of your feed reader and comment on this p.. https://tinyurl.com/b2g24y
sheilabragg
January 28, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Getting Local With Twitter: Get out of your feed reader and comment on this post- we PROMISE that the ShamWow gu.. https://tinyurl.com/b2g24y
Jim Duncan
January 28, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Hmmm … how about a site of just local tweets … cobbled together, put on a dedicated site … sort of a TweetGrid for the non-tweeters?
Sherry Baker
January 29, 2009 at 1:13 am
hmmm, I’m guessing I need to spend a little time with my tweetdeck. I haven’t organized it this way. Thanks for pointing out the benefits, Ginger!
fred
January 29, 2009 at 9:25 am
I think twitter is a complete waste of time. lets all get productive now! come on.
Carson
January 29, 2009 at 11:33 am
To find local twitter peeps, I do a search for my town name using tweetdeck…It has a search function. Then I can choose to follow people who pop up talking about the area. It’s pretty sweet for finding locals.
Paula Henry
January 29, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Ginger – I went looking for local people and now, tweet with locals more than anyone else. I have an appointment this week with a seller who I met on Twitter.
Teresa Boardman
February 4, 2009 at 9:19 am
For getting local also try twitter local to find people in your community.
Kim Wood
February 4, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I’d like to know what your Tweetdeck color scheme is 🙂
Real-TechGuy.com
February 18, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Using twitter to get more local traffic https://budurl.com/GettingLocal