Comments on: Oprah, here are 5 ways to improve your Twitter bio

By: Elizabeth Cottrell

Elizabeth Cottrell — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:16:55 +0000

Excellent advice –it prompted me to improve my bio significantly. I was so concerned about figuring how how to follow and be followed that I paid too little attention to the bio.

http://www.twitter.com/EHCottrell

One of the things I particularly appreciate about your contributions to the Internet, Joan, is that they are smart AND practical. The fact that you share them so generously speaks volumes about you as a person and an entrepreneur we can all emulate.

Thank you.

By: Colleen Wainwright

Colleen Wainwright — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:10:48 +0000

I absolutely see the value in an explicit Twitter bio like the ones you’ve highlighted. It’s extremely user-friendly, and seems to have become the norm on Twitter.

That said, I’m probably going to keep my rather more oblique (and definitely spicier) bio for the time being. It’s more in keeping with my brand (when did that word start making me cringe?) and it kind of lets people know if they’re going to like the way I use Twitter, which is not the way the majority seem to use it.

Another wonderful piece on getting up and running with the service is Andy Ihnatko’s piece for the Sun-Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/business/1532392,ihnatko-oprah-twitter-041709.article

Oof. Long URL!

I especially love his tip about finding someone you really like who has a big follower-to-following ratio and looking at those people s/he follows. Someone you like who both follows few and is followed by many is likely going to point you toward similarly awesome tweeple.

By: Phyllis K Twombly

Phyllis K Twombly — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:39:41 +0000

Awesome ideas! Your bio is one of the few things on the ‘net you can actually control. I know what I’m doing next…:-)

By: Victòria

Victòria — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:29:12 +0000

Dear Joan,

Lucky me to have found you. I see I’m going to learn a lot of your twitts and, who knows,maybe give you some mediterranean point of view in return.

Many regards from a sunny Mallorca.

Victòria.

By: Joan Stewart

Joan Stewart — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:07:20 +0000

Denise, all those little details give visitors a great bird’s eye view about your background, likes, etc.

By: Denise Merritt

Denise Merritt — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:14:56 +0000

Ok, Joan. I’m going to change my twitter bio. Check it out at http://twitter.com/DeniseMerritt!

By: Gail Sideman

Gail Sideman — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:55:32 +0000

You make a great point, Joan. Just because a celebrity thinks that “everybody” knows him/her, true personality — maybe even something the public doesn’t know — would humanize a Twitter bio and the person. People relate to others when they share things in common. Otherwise, the celeb is just another untouchable name in the media.