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The Twitter Craze - How to Jump In and Start Tweeting!

 Most people have heard of Twitter with the recent media blitz on news programs etc. but don't quite know what it is or how to jump into the fray.  Twitter is a social networking tool that allows the sharing of information on the micro-level.  That information, which is passed along as "tweets" is limited to 140 characters.  Not used properly, one can easily be overwhelmed by the information bombardment. But, with the proper tools, you can sort your "Tweeples", perform searches for pertinent information or people to follow, and network efficiently.  Twitter is one of the tools that should be in your social networking toolbox.

 

To start, I recommend visiting Lucas Black's The Quick Tweet Guide which gives a bulleted list of how to accomplish the basics in Twitter.  The two programs I use to manage Tweets & Tweeples are Tweetdeck and Flock 2.5.  Tweetdeck is an Adobe AIR program that allows you to stay in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook and more. TweetDeck shows you everything you want to see at once, so you can stay organized and up to date.  It allows you to create groups for your tweeples to make the information more manageable.  I would like to see the group feature become shareable across computers.  That is, if you structure groups on one computer, that you could share it with the rest of your computers.  Flock is my favorite internet browser and is a social-networking number one resource.  The newest edition of Flock incorporates a Twitter search engine feature that allows you to type in any word and pull up all tweets that contain that word.  As such, you can easily find the topics and people you want to follow to grow your business. Flock has many other fantastic features and incorporates numerous social networks, blogging platforms, email etc.

 

Why Network Socially?  Today, networking is not just about handing out cards and getting business, it is about creating relationships.  We do that by sharing a little bit of ourselves and becoming a person, not just a name or a brand, to our customers.  How much to share?  Josh Camson in his blog post, "Are You Keeping the Social in Social Networking" provides the following breakdown from Diane Danielson of Downtown Women’s Club:

 

30% about your own business/career.

30% about someone else’s business (promoting/retweeting/fan pages)

30% about your personal interests (your dog, the real housewives …, etc.)

10% of just plain funny or thought-provoking ideas

 

Think before you write is probably the best advice I can give you.  Try to step back and look at your possible tweet and see how it would look from a customer's point of view.  The drunk fest you had with the office on Friday night might not give the right impression to a prospective investor looking to have you handle a multi-million dollar deal.  Further, my personal pet peeve is quotes. There are folks that all they do is post quote after quote.  I have a hard enough time sifting through all the fluff and garbage than to have my TweetDeck muddled with quotes from famous people.  If I wanted a quote, I would google search it.

 

I hope this post gives you a little insight into the world of Twitter and I hope you jump in and start tweeting!  Don't forget to follow me KASesq94!

Some other great resources:

52 Links on Twitter for Business

Twitter Business Cards

Simple Twitter Apps

The Twitter Yellow Pages

Tweetlater ( Schedule Tweets)

Using Twitter: Tools for Productivity (Pt 1)

Using Twitter: Tools for Productivity (Pt 2)

Now You See It...Now You Don't - is HUD Squashing Tax Credit as Down Payment Program????

I blogged last week about FHA's new plan to allow prospective purchasers to monetize the first time Home Buyer's $8,000 tax credit and use it as a down payment on the purchase of a home. The Secretary of HUD made statements at a NARS meeting about the revolutionary plan and HUD drafted a Mortgagee Letter (ML 09-15) describing the plan more in depth (which I personally viewed and read on their website).

However, ML 09-15 has disappeared from HUD's website and we are left wondering if HUD is already pulling the plug on this plan...

   

FHA Unveils New Plan to Let Home Buyers Use $8,000 Tax Credit Upfront as a Downpayment

For those that qualify (there are certain criteria to be met including income limits) for the First Time Home Buyer $8,000.00 Tax Credit, a plan is finally evolving to let them use the credit where they need it most - for a down payment.  Although not all the details are worked out, such as how the "bridge loan" for the tax credit will be funded, the basic premise is there and promises to widen the availability of credit to the prospective homebuyers we all so badly need.

FHA Plans to Offer $8,000 Upfront to First-Time Buyers

by: Nick Timiraos

One of the problems during the housing boom was that many people were able to buy a home with little or no money down, giving them little financial incentive to work hard to hold on when times got rough.

Now U.S. housing officials are working on a plan that would essentially allow some first-time buyers to purchase homes by paying little money upfront. Rather, they would be able to put an $8,000 income tax credit for first-time buyers towards their down payment on loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration. The idea is to allow home buyers to “monetize” the tax credit. Right now, home buyers must wait until they file their taxes to receive the credit.

The FHA is finalizing a program that would allow approved lenders, non-profits, and state and local governments to fund short-term loans that could be used as down payments to be repaid once the borrower received the tax credit. Once they received their tax credit, they would pay off the short-term loan and put equity into their home.

New Plan Offers First-Time Home Buyers $8,000 Tax Credit Upfront - Developments - WSJ

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Tags: mortgage, FHA, tax credit, down payment, real estate, first time home buyer, NAR