Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Want to increase other’s engagement with you on Twitter? Two recent changes might make that more likely.
Late in October Twitter introduced polls.
You can make a benign statement in your poll such as: “Stuffing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving.” Two buttons follow: agree/disagree.
Or you could ask something controversial for people to agree or disagree with.
Or you can seek input on two potential titles for your upcoming book, with viewers voting on which one they like best.
How Polls Work
The polls are embedded directly in the tweet; the results are tabulated as people vote.
Twitter product manager Todd Sherman says, “If you want the public’s opinion on anything — what to name your dog, who will win tonight’s game, which election issue people care most about — there’s no better place to get answers than on Twitter. For poll creators, it’s a new way to engage with Twitter’s massive audience and understand exactly what people think. For those participating, it’s a very easy way to make your voice heard.”
BufferSocial explains the ins and outs of the polls with these bulleted points:
- Polls have a lifespan of 24 hours. Tweeters are informed of how long is left to vote, and how many people have voted — as well as the results in percentage.
- How you voted is not shared publicly (so no one else will be able to see which option you voted for).
- Once a poll is completed the results can be viewed publicly.
Before you vote, a Twitter poll looks like this:
Once you have voted in a poll you will see the results as they currently stand, the option you selected marked with a checkmark (only you will see this), the total vote count, and the remaining time left on the poll.
Because others don’t know how you vote, that means advertisers can’t target you.
How to Create a Poll
To create a poll go to tweet.com or use your smart phone app. When you open the compose screen, you’ll see this on your desktop:
Only the poll symbol shows in the app.
When you tweet, the poll goes out to your followers. Then, when someone retweets a poll, it will appear in his or her timeline and be seen by that person’s followers just like any other retweet. People can also vote in polls directly from a retweet, which is the power of a poll. You’re reaching more than your followers with a poll thus increasing other’s engagment with you.
You can also pin the poll tweet to the top of your timeline , which enables you to collect extra votes and also display the results of your poll.
Even though polls are quite new, some have gone big. Todd Sherman notes the ones that do best require the viewer to have a real opinion (maybe you aren’t too interested in voting for stuffing for Thanksgiving, for example) or are jokes.
Sherman also notes that “From what I’ve seen, polls spur more conversations around the topic than asking the same question without a poll because people reflect on what others think.”
How to Use Polls as a Writer
Buffer’s article suggests nine ways to use Twitter polls. Voting on characters’ names, titles, and two cover options immediately occur to me.
What ideas do you have for using Twitter polls?
Another change in Twitter is that the “favorite” option (a star) has been switched to “like” represented by a heart. The nice thing about using “like” is that we’re all familiar with it from Facebook, and the heart corresponds to the hearts used on Twitter’s Periscope (and are a very popular aspect of Periscope).
Here’s Twitter’s tweet announcing the change.
In this video, you can see all the meanings Twitter product developers think “like” encompasses, as opposed to “favorite,” a word that suggests you can have only a limited numbers of favs. In the developers’ minds, likes are more universal than favs.
Twitter users responses to the announcement were less than enthusiastic. The New York Times showcased these tweets:
What are these drippy “hearts” replacing “likes”? I have to think harder about committing to such ardent fealty now…
I work at @twitter but even I can’t believe how we replaced a completely value-neutral term like “favorite” with something so loaded.
“People like Facebook.” “This is Twitter. It’s different.” “No, we must be like Facebook.” “With Likes?” “No, that’s stupid. Hearts.” “…”
So there you have it–to heart or not to heart.
Do you think you’ll use hearts (likes) more than you did stars (favorites)? Why? Do you think it could result in more engagement from others in your tweets?
TWEETABLES
Twitter introduces two changes that can result in more engagement. Click to tweet.
Writers: How can you use changes in Twitter to connect with more followers? Click to tweet.
I am brand new to Twitter, so this was a very informative read! Thanks for sharing, Janet.
I’m so glad to help jumpstart your entry into Twitter. I really “get” Twitter; it’s suits how I like to connect via social media.
This is such a fun way to engage followers! I now have a poll! @CMcAdamsMoore
Way to dive into the deep end of the pool, Carol!
I didn’t know about the polls. That’s funny. I can’t even imagine giving a poll at this point. What? I might have one participant … my mother. 🙂 And well, I love that you wrote about the heart change. I don’t mind the heart because when I click on it … it doesn’t just turn pink, it splashes! 🙂
Thank you, Janet – at last, insight into polls! I haven’t tried using them yet, but am thinking about trying one for a title (or two).
And, I think I’m with whoever said “People like Facebook”! Then again, I’m already getting used to it. Now, if someone could explain what the purpose of the “Moments” are…
Roari, conducting polls is pretty easy. Hooray!
My understanding of Moments is that they can be funny. (I saw one about the Pope’s visit, which I didn’t find all that funny, but then, that might just be me). Or beautiful (saw one on space travel). My understanding is it’s like a short story made up of a collage of images with captions.
Moments is being used by a select group of businesses (like BuzzFeed) before it’s opened up to us mere mortals. So it’s in the Beta phase.
I wasn’t aware of the polls, but I can definitely see how that can be utilized to gain more information, and possibly more followers. I’m going to be thinking on how to use those. 🙂 I am thinking we can even use polls as a part of our brand to engage people. I see a lot of possibilities with polls. 🙂
*I did notice the hearts. I was a little surprised by them, but I guess I don’t have strong feelings either way. I already “favorited” those tweets I liked, or when someone retweeted my tweets. So, it doesn’t seem terribly different. It’ll be interesting to see how people use hearts and if Twitter keeps them.
Jeanne, yes, I think polls can help to identify your brand. There’s plenty of room to explore to see what types of polls bring the best responses–or real insight into a question you have.
I can see, if you have two book ideas, you could test the waters to see which idea gains the most traction.
Can you give an example of how we might use a Twitter poll in regards to book ideas?
I would think discretion is needed in how much info we share.
Jenni, of course you are putting your idea out there for anyone to snatch; so you’d need to keep that in mind. But if you were trying to decide between a couple of different settings for a novel, you certainly could ask that type of question. For nonfiction, it’s less likely someone would snatch your idea because you are more prone to write about something that fits YOUR brand and your ability to reach that audience.
I’m not bothered by the hearts/likes/stars/favourites thing. The words and symbols are merely different-shaped ‘switches’ used in the context of selecting preferences. It’s like putting s different-shaped shifter knob in your Ferrari. Once around the block and you really won’t care
* For usage, I can see where it would help SP writers in title and cover selection, but in traditional publishing, would that not be something of a wasted effort, as the choice is in other hands? And if indeed an author is given final say over a small range of titles and covers, would not the publisher be rather offended if the choice was then put up to a public vote? Were I a publisher, I would see it as a privilege offered, and then deliberately diluted.
* I would never put character names up to a decision-by-poll. For one thing, it becomes something like one of those silly ‘name-the-baby’ reality-show concepts.
* More importantly, though, my characters are going to speak for me when I’m dead. I’ve put a lot of care into chipping away the marble that brought these Davids to life, and there names are inimical with their identity, and with their message. Not through the use of symbolic names; that’s disrespectful to characters in another way.
* It’s just that to me, these are, in some weird, metaphysical, and very grounded sense real people. They ‘tell’ me their names when the marble-dust falls from their lips, and I will not take that from them.
* Must be Italian Day here…Ferraris and Michelangelo.
Seems that my brain went to Italy and partook of rather too much red wine, because ‘names inimical with their identity’ should have read ‘intimately connected with their identity’.
* Not only was ‘inimical’ the wrong word, the grammar was also incorrect.
* Aaarrrgh.
I looked at “inimical” and wasn’t sure what to do with it in the context. Thanks for the correction.
Andrew, sometimes the publisher and author are trying to decide between two covers. WITH THE PUBLISHER’S PERMISSION,some of my clients have put the covers up on FB for a vote. But now that’s an option with Twitter as well, and could engage some people FB didn’t reach. So I see showing two covers as an entirely feasible poll.
Happy Italian Day!
I’ll be really interested to follow any suggestions for marketing in this conversation…as I hope to go live with a free ebook at the end of the week.
* It’s called “Where are you…God? – Finding Faith in the Night”, and is my take on where’s God when it hurts?
* Hint – God isn’t beating the stuffing out of you to build character or make you lean on Him. He’s fighting alongside you, with Divine Desperation, and will carry you home when the battle’s done. He doesn’t mind getting your blood on his uniform.
* One poll that occurs to me is a theological one – “Do you believe God sends our trials deliberately, or are they an artifact of free will, and He helps you get through them?”
* If anyone has other poll thoughts for this topic, I’d be grateful.
Andrew, I really like your poll idea here. An important question, and every well worded.
I like your question too. You might also have a poll that states the issue more simply: When you are hurting, do you believe God will help you to get through? Yes/No
“He doesn’t mind getting your blood on His uniform” … beautiful.
Andrew, I am with you on that. Do not believe half the stuff we go through is from God. It’s from the devil (yes, that alive and well enemy of ours) or our own bad choices. However, God is there to use it for our good even when we mess up. Not to be confused with him ever messing up. He doesn’t. And he walks us through our darkest night, yes!
I’m still trying to get the hang of Twitter, Janet, so thank you for the informative post. I mostly access it on my iPad app, and I don’t see either the poll option or the heart. I still have a star for Favorite. Either I need to download a newer version of the app or perhaps just log in. Isn’t technology fun how it changes all the time? (Not sure if that’s sarcastic or not. Depends on that particular moment in dealing with technology. 🙂 )
I read that the poll is available for iOS and Android; so I would think you could create a poll. I also read that some people didn’t yet have the heart; so that’s apparently still in process for some systems.
Guys, I need to ask for your prayers. Been trying to avoid bleeding out over the last twelve hours, and it’s not under control. Too lightheaded to walk, have to crawl, keep my head down. Might need to go to hospital, in spite of having no insurance.
* To Him the glory.
* God is a Marine rifleman. Semper Fi.
Andrew… go right away. Yes… praying.
Thanks Bill. Trying to arrange transport, and will run blood expander if I can find a vein. All blown. Prayers appreciated.
Amen to both points.
Praying for you Andrew. Take care of yourself!
I’m praying for you, Andrew. The money doesn’t matter … your life does.
Praying.
Praying Andrew.
I’m praying Andrew. Let us know how you are doing.
Great information, Janet! I’ve seen some polls on Twitter but wasn’t sure how they were done. Thank you for sharing!
Just noticing this change. Thanks!
I like the poll and just put one up. We’ll see how it works.
Ooo, let us know, Davalynn!
I’ll have to try this. Sounds like a winner.
Hate the heart; love the poll idea. Thanks for the info. Very informative along with the how-to. Great.
Linda, you’re not alone in your dislike of the heart. I’m glad the info is helpful to you.
Just noticed Andrew’s note. Anyone heart from him?
I did. He just emailed me with “SF”.
Semper Fi.
Once a Marine…always a Marine.
Hope we hear more later. thank you.
Is it showing my maturity level that hearts and stars reminds me of a Lucky Charms commercial?
I’m not a fan of Twitter, but like a good girl and a plate of weird looking vegetables, I’ll give the poll a try.
Jennifer, Lucky Charms is the perfect analogy for these symbols! Hey, no pressure in trying the polls, but maybe they’ll surprise you and not be so bad.
I just wish I knew how to do poles on facebook, because I’m not going to actually use my twitter account, at least I haven’t yet.
Kristen, I’m not an authority, but as far as I know, the only way to conduct a survey on FB is to have a link to SurveyMonkey.
Blog family, Andrew has asked for prayer.
He’s got an IV going, yes, on himself, and the bleeding has stopped.
But he’s not doing well.
Thanks for the update, Jennifer. Continuing to pray.
Jennifer, thank you for the update. Andrew, and his circumstances, are so near to the Lord’s heart.
It’s November 17th and I just saw this post. Is Andrew doing better?