Twitter Participant Brian O’Connell Made My Day

ByPhyllis Zimbler Miller

I saw in my @Connect stream on Twitter that Brian O’Connell (@Brian_OConnell) had tweeted:

@ZimblerMiller Just finished Lt. Cmdr. Mollie Sanders. A very good read.

I replied:

@Brian_OConnell Brian, thx so much for tweeting that you enjoyed LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS! www.millermosaicllc.com

Then Brian replied:

@ZimblerMiller I have almost 400 books on my Kindle app and your book was the first novel that I couldn’t put down. Watch out Tom Clancy!

I finished up with:

@Brian_OConnell Wow, Brian! You really made my day, and my day definitely needed being “made.” Thanks so much again.

Why have I chosen to write a blog post about this exchange on Twitter?

Because this exchange showcases the power of Twitter to make connections with people whom you otherwise are unlikely to connect with.

Until this exchange I was not following Brian. And I don’t even know how he found the ebook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS or how he then connected with me on Twitter.

I do know that, with the simple act of tweeting his appreciation of the technothriller, he pleased me and possibly got other people interested in reading the ebook.

Social media offers these relationship connection opportunities to everyone who understands the concept of sharing information with others and showing appreciation for what is shared.

On the other hand, at the same time I saw Brian’s tweet I was dealing with inappropriate comments on a discussion thread on the LinkedIn Book Marketing group (www.LinkedInBookMarketing.com) that I founded and manage.

I reminded people of the group rules by adding the group rules in a comment on the thread. Unfortunately, by the time someone in the discussion had alerted me to the problems with this discussion, things had gone beyond the unkind and into the realm of cruelty. And I’m not sure reminding people of the rules will have any effect on toning down the rhetoric.

This is the negative side of social media just as tweeting compliments is the positive side of social media.

Remember the words of Charles Dickens in his opening of A TALE OF TWO CITIES: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

That’s the world of social media opportunities today. And if you want to learn more about social media, see the Miller Mosaic blog at www.MillerMosaicSocialMediaMarketing.com

© 2012 Miller Mosaic, LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) has an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company Miller Mosaic LLC, which now is WBENC certified.

9 Comments

  1. I’m happy that my sharing left you touched, moved and inspired enough to create this blog post. I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed the book, not realizing that a simple Tweet would make such a difference in your day. Social media is a powerful tool indeed. While it can be used en masse to alter history, it can also be used for a simple expression of appreciation. Your post made MY day.

    FYI, I found your book on Amazon in the Kindle ebook store. Your contact information was found at the beginning of your book.

    1. Brian —

      Isn’t it great that a social media site such as Twitter can enable making both our days?

      Thanks for leaving this comment here. And author Shel Horowitz (see comment below) beat me to the draw:

      I had planned on asking your permission to use your tweets as an attributed quote on the Mollie Sanders website. Is this okay with you?

      Phyllis

  2. Phyllis, you just gave all of us a reason to communicate with our twitter people! I love that Brian complimented your book — especially choosing it above others! You go Phyllis. I do similar posts with my followers at Twitter. I thank them when they retweet a blog post each time. And I ask questions about their work or book. It’s a way to stay warm in a noisy world. So many of these conversations lead to my target audience of business people and authors lead to their subscribing to my free weekly info on writing & marketing blogs and books. I’m so grateful. Those subscribes lead to sales conversions and we can always use more of them–both for books and consulting!

  3. Woo-hoo! Great story. This is one of the reasons I like Twitter so much. And like Judy, I send a lot of thank-yous. I’ve gotten quite a bit of Twitter fanmail for Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green, and I think for Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers as well. Makes an author’s heart smile.

    I don’t have to tell you this, Phyllis–but other people may not realize that you can now tweet to Brian for permission to quote him in your marketing–think of the impact and credibility if you’re opening up a web link and you see an attributed quote that says, “I have almost 400 books on my Kindle app and your book was the first novel that I couldn’t put down. Watch out, Tom Clancy!” (I added the grammatically necessary comma).

  4. Shel —

    Thanks for leaving such a nice comment. And you beat me to the draw as I had planned to ask Brian his permission to use his tweets as attributed quotes on the Mollie Sanders site. (Is this okay with you, Brian?)

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