In the last post we talked about some of the problems people have with using Twitter. A major concern that I run into a lot is the idea of how to organize tweets to create or follow conversation. By far, the first thing that needs to happen is to select the tools for organizing your tweets. Twitter has heard this concern too and recently they changed the Twitter home page by adding features to help us utilize advanced functions. It works great. But what about Facebook, Fan Pages, and LinkedIn. Is there a way to have everything thing in one convenient place you may ask. My answer to you is a resounding yes! Here’s how. Use a tool such as Hootsuite, TweetDeck, or Seesmic . I have used all three and in my humble opinion, Hootsuite is the winner. However, I would suggest that you try out all three or whatever tool you like as long as it does the same as these. Now let’s take a look at Hootsuite as a social media organizational system.

Hootsuite gives you very powerful tools that bring everything you need to stay abreast of what is happening in your social media world. When selecting a tool such as this look for speed first. You don’t want to be sitting around all day just waiting for the thing to load or refresh. Also, consider ease of use. How much information can you see right on the dashboard. Is it easy to make comments or follow conversations. Take a moment to view this short video created by Chris Voss, of the Chris Voss Show, (that’s the Chris Voss Show, he always says it twice) as he talks about his first impression of Hootsuite.

Which one you select is not as important as knowing that it is easy to use so you will, well, use it.  Here’s another short video from Melissa who blogs at Adverturoo.  She’s a new find for me but I already love what I just saw of her mommy plus marketing blog.  In this video you’ll get a basic overview of a few of the major functions of Hootsuite.

Now that we’ve comvered the basic of organizing your tweets and other social media sites, let’s pick up again next week with a talk about strategy for building followers, dialogue, and relationships that help you meet your desired goals.

What are your questions about Hootsuite?  Go ahead to the comment box and ask away!

Are you a technology expert?  Well, I’m not!  There is so much to learn and new developments emerge daily.  It’s no wonder that a person who is really a marketer or lawyer might struggle a bit when it comes to managing hardware, software, applications and such.  While I was surfing the net today, I found this really great article, Managing the Technological Side of Your Business When You Don’t Understand Technology.  The article gives practical information about finding help with technology for e-commerce businesses.  However, it’s still good advice no matter what your industry.

Additionally, here are my top 3 reasons for why it’s a good idea to get help with technology:

1.  Save your sanity.  Sometimes it takes hours to figure out how to answer a technology questions and that’s if you ever find the answer at all.  Why not save time by having someone who already knows to help you.  Often times, clicking on one little box will give you the results you need.

2.  Increase your productivity.  Technology, after all, is supposed to help us work faster, connect better, be more informed and more.  Do you know the all the right tools to use to help you reach your business goals more efficiently?

3.  Organize yourself.   In real estate it’s location.  For technology it’s organization.  Consider your email.   Have you created rules for your incoming emails so that they will be categorized and easy to find?  Do you use a toolbar to help you easily utilize the different areas of Outlook?  For example, I use an Outlook toolbar that allows me to see a profile complete with picture of anyone who sends me an email.  That little add on allows me to see how to connect with the people who email me through other means such as Twitter or LinkedIn.  It also threads all the email conversations I have with a person and keeps the attachments in one place.  As a social media consultant, this tool is very valuable to me.

 I hope this advice is helpful when you find yourself short one IT department.