We have been spending a lot of time on Twitter here at Enclave Security and we have put together a short list of ideas for Info Sec pros who are interesting in becoming more active on Twitter.
• Twitter is not so much about conversations; it is about sending out the message. As you know, both can have value from a marketing perspective.
• Twitter posts are limited in size, but use ‘tweets’ as a carrot to get people talking about your website, blog, favorite security tool, etc..
• Twitter is a ‘teaser’. You can send short messages to colleagues and clients about interesting news articles, the next conference you are attending, or other people you follow on Twitter.
• Use Twitter during your non-productive time: in waiting rooms, in traffic, waiting for a lunch date, etc…
• But, Twitter should be used with a strategy and goals in mind. Some instructors at the SANS Institute use Twitter to build awareness about the forensics and audit programs. We use Twitter engage people on info sec topics and auditing ideas. What would you like to tell people about?
• Twitter is a tool to building communities. There are Twitter directories that you can add yourself to. Get involved in Info Sec groups!
• As Twitter moves away from it ’shiny object’ status, it is growing more sophisticated as a branding tool. You will see more people with customized backgrounds, deals for existing customers, and discounts for new customers.
• In a recent survey of 432 highly involved Twitter users (who spend an average of 2 ¾ hours per day on Twitter), the top reasons they were using Twitter was “truly motivated by learning new things and getting information real-time, as it’s developing.”
• Invest regular daily chunks of time: Many people allocate preplanned blocks of time to tweet and use tools like TweetLater.com to schedule broadcasts that can post automatically throughout the day.
• Filter your Twitter traffic: TweetDeck allows you to set up groups and filter conversations. For example, if you’re following hundreds or thousands of people, you can set up filter groups for people such as analysts, publishers, and authors—and choose to look at their tweets