<p>Two weeks ago I started to experiment with multiple profiles on Twitter.&nbsp; Some of my friends have tweeted with questions about why I am doing this, how it works, and is it worth it.&nbsp; So instead of having multiple conversations, I thought I would put what I am learning right here and give you peak into how the experiment is going.&nbsp; </p> <p><a href="http://twitter.com/joankw" target="_blank"><img style="margin:5px;" src="http://twitstamp.com/joankw/packaged.png" align="right"></a>I'm not a social media expert, just a business person learning to use it effectively with some really great coaches like @LonSafko, @Hardaway, @StevenGroves, and @jenn_ex.</p> <p>I now have five twitter profiles. <strong><a href="http://twitter.com/joankw" target="_blank">@joankw</a></strong> for an eclectic mix of things that I share with my friends on Facebook as well as with my twitter followers at the same time.&nbsp; <a href="http://twitter.com/CorePurpose" target="_blank">@CorePurpose</a> is all business articles and tips. This links back to my profile on LinkedIn. Then I have three very specific profiles to have deeper conversations on the subjects I like the most <a href="http://twitter.com/@JKWinnovation">@JKWinnovation</a>,&nbsp; <a href="http://twitter.com/JKWgrowth">@JKWgrowth</a>,&nbsp; <a href="http://twitter.com/JKWleadership">@JKWleadership</a>. </p> <h4>Reasons to do it</h4> <ol> <li><strong><img style="margin:5px;" src="http://twitstamp.com/corepurpose/packaged.png" align="right">If you Tweet consistently</strong> - and I do - linking to other platforms like Facebook, Plaxo, and Linked in can cause you to monopolize your friends feeds.&nbsp; It's like crying wolf - when you have something important to say - no one's there to listen.  <li><strong>Your profile is a brand component</strong>.&nbsp; Multiple profiles allow you to keep your brand focused and consistent within each profile.&nbsp; People follow the profiles that have the messages they want.  <li><strong>It's easier to have real conversations</strong>.&nbsp; On the focused profiles, I follow publications and people who tweet on the subject - when we connect we <img style="margin:5px;" src="http://twitstamp.com/JKWinnovation/packaged.png" align="right">have something to actually talk/tweet about.</li></ol> <h4>Early mistakes</h4> <ol> <li>&nbsp;<strong>Don't be a FEED HOG</strong>.&nbsp; Unless it's meaningful across profiles,don't multi-tweet.&nbsp; It's annoying if your followers don't have a tool like Seesmic that aggregates repeat messages.  <li><strong>CHECK your spelling</strong>.&nbsp; (My biggest failing.) People discount your message if it's&nbsp; full of typos.  <li><strong>Find the right mix of tools.</strong>&nbsp; It's a bit of trial and error but the right tools for you are out there and more are coming daily. (More on tools below.)  <li><strong><img style="margin:5px;" src="http://twitstamp.com/JKWgrowth/packaged.png" align="right">Let people know you are out there</strong> and what you have to say.&nbsp; Thanks&nbsp; to the folks at <a href="http://twitstamp.com">TwitStamp</a> for these fun and interactive profile stamps.</li></ol> <h4>Ways to make work it without going crazy</h4> <ol> <li>There are some <strong>great tools</strong> for those of us with multiple profiles.&nbsp; None are perfect, but my toolset includes Seesmic - great visual interface - and Hootsuite which allows me to 'tweet later' and manage the follow.&nbsp; It these two platforms would just merge into one, I would be in Twitter Heaven.  <li><strong>Tweet Later</strong> - a great way to spread your messages <a href="http://twitter.com/JKWleadership" target="_blank"><strong><img style="margin:5px;" src="http://twitstamp.com/JKWleadership/packaged.png" align="right"></strong></a>across the day with out being tied to your computer.&nbsp; Early each morning I schedule a few messages for each profile to tweet later using Hootsuite.&nbsp; Then I log in later via Seesmic to read the feed, reply to conversations, or share more 'in the moment' thoughts.  <li><strong>Set aside a specific time</strong> to do this then turn it off.&nbsp; It's easy to get sucked into all the goings on and not get other important things done.  <li><strong>Less can be More</strong> - I share and follow based on good content.&nbsp; So when someone follows me - I follow them.&nbsp; If it turns out to be spam or just noise - I un-follow later.&nbsp; That way I can find interesting new people and still get through all the messages in a reasonable amount of time. </li></ol> <h4>How's it going?</h4> <p><strong>So far, so good.</strong>&nbsp; I have met some great new people, found interesting articles and blogs, gotten asked to be on a couple of radio shows to share ideas on topics I care about, and, wonder of wonders, found a customer or two in the process.&nbsp; Who knows, I may also find what I really want - the opportunity to lead and grow another really cool company.&nbsp; Not a bad start.</p> <p>Stay Tuned...</p> <blockquote> <p>Joan Koerber-Walker</p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:68b3ea08-6d86-4178-b59e-a0f41fcaae21" style="display:inline;margin:0;padding:0;">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Joan%20Koerber-Walker" rel="tag">Joan Koerber-Walker</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/CorePurpose" rel="tag">CorePurpose</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/@joankw" rel="tag">@joankw</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/@corepurpose" rel="tag">@corepurpose</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/@JKWinnovation" rel="tag">@JKWinnovation</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/@JKWgrowth" rel="tag">@JKWgrowth</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/@JKWleadership" rel="tag">@JKWleadership</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/@LonSafko" rel="tag">@LonSafko</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/@Hardaway" rel="tag">@Hardaway</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/@StevenGroves" rel="tag">@StevenGroves</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/@Jenn_ex" rel="tag">@Jenn_ex</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Twitter" rel="tag">Twitter</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/multiple%20twitter%20profiles" rel="tag">multiple twitter profiles</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/seesmic" rel="tag">seesmic</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hootsuite" rel="tag">hootsuite</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/#innovation" rel="tag">#innovation</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/#leadership" rel="tag">#leadership</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/#growth" rel="tag">#growth</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/twitter%20tips" rel="tag">twitter tips</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/twitstamp" rel="tag">twitstamp</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/facebook" rel="tag">facebook</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/plaxo" rel="tag">plaxo</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/linkedin" rel="tag">linkedin</a></div></blockquote>