Monday, October 4, 2010

What words will get you retweeted?

Q: What are the most commonly retweeted words?
A: Words not as interesting as the least retweeted words.

Oh Alyssa. Once again she helps me learn more about the Twitter. Today she posted a link to an article Fast Company wrote that detailed strategies for successful tweeting - specifically about getting "retweeted."

I'm trying to be a good citizen of Twitter. If I happen to see a funny twit, or a knowledge heavy link - I give credit. For example, the comic Todd Barry has a great twit-wit. I was happy to try to pass around a more meaty piece (that's the nerve.com column I tweeted). Comics like Todd Barry make me want to be a better writer. I truly appreciate the skill it takes to tweet a successful joke. These comics have no control over timing or context, and have such a limited space to get in and out with an effective punchline.

Which is why my early twittering is becoming a writing exercise in the short form (not my specialty). Today during lunch I read that Fast Company article, and found the top ten (and bottom ten) retweeted words noteworthy. I decided to go inside my mind and write a tweet that used each of the top ten words. This was more difficult than I had thought, but it was a nice way to pass the time at lunch.

In something that probably speaks more truths than I'm willing to admit now: I was able to develop a tweet using the least ten retweeted words with much greater ease.