My second piece for COMPLEX was one of the most fun, and most challenging pieces I’ve had to write. In another article for their TECH section, I made a list of the 25 funniest celebrity Twitter hacks. The hacks aren’t just hip-hop artists, either: rappers, singers, professional athletes, and even politicians get got in this list. I’m just now realizing that the site doesn’t allow copy and paste, so I won’t use any text, ha – just check the article.
CLICK HERE to read.
Finally! Something I can spam rappers with!
It’s amazing a post like this is even necessary in 2011, but apparently, it’s still a problem.
If I had a dollar for every time I got a tweet or Facebook notification from an artist with no explanation, I’d be counting Oprah stacks. Many artists dig around Twitter to hit the go-to journalists, bloggers, DJs or tastemakers with links to their music, a vague “Check it out!” and nothing else. On Facebook, there are even more options: they’ll tag you in a flyer photo, sign your wall, leave an irrelevant comment on a status you have. All promotion is good promotion, right?
Well here’s a hint: IT DOESN’T WORK!
Most writers/bloggers decide what to cover or listen to based on this list: buzz/popularity, recommendation from people they trust, a big name feature, or a novel/unique story idea.
When you have none of those things, as far as I’m concerned, the best thing you can do is show professionalism. Introduce yourself, network and build a relationship with the person you want help from. Social networking sites, especially Twitter, make this incredibly easy. Chime in on topics they’re talking about, leave comments on their blogs, and make a real connection. Show that you understand and respect what they do, and maybe they’ll do the same for you.
That way, you’re more likely to get not only a post at the time, but posts in the future as well. Think about how you’d feel if someone you’ve never met asked for help in something you do for a living, compared to how you’d react if a friend of yours asked for help.
Otherwise, nothing separates you from the millions of other artists sending us links every day. And if you don’t stick out, there’s no reason I should care about you.
So from now on, every time a rapper sends me a link with no explanation? I’m going to reply with this link, with no explanation at all.
As my regular readers should know, my favorite tech blog is BoyGeniusReport. They’ve got the best reviews, exclusive news, and even occassional doses of Hip Hop, and that makes them one of my goto web sites every morning. So when I saw the man behind the site and Dossy Shiobara were collaborating on a new Twitter program, I had to take them up on their offer. Even if it cost $4.99 (this is a limited offer, btw; apparently, it’s going to cost $9.99 in a week or so), while the other programs I’ve seen are free. SocialScope was supposed to be the best one out there, so when I applied for that beta too late, I figured I’d give this a whirl.
And I’ve gotta admit, I’m enjoying this. As the BGR ads/description states, this definitely captures the essence of the Blackberry more than other Blackberry Twitter apps I’ve used. The other ones – like most third party Blackberry apps I’ve used, actually – utilize the menu key more than anything, but TweetGenius utilizes shortcuts in the same manner that Blackberry afficionados are used to: “C,” the same key used to compose a new email or text message on Blackberrys, is used to compose a new Tweet. “R,” same key used to reply to messages, is used to reply to others’ updates. There’s essentially a shortcut to nearly every Twitter function you’d have to do, and it ends up working really well.
Shortcuts aside, it’s heavy on the features as well: TwitterGenius has everything you need to serve your Twitter addiction, but nearly just as seamlessly as it is on a computer. You can do everything necessary – look at profiles, track conversations between users’ “@” updates, and more – within the application itself, instead of having to outsource them to the Blackberry browser. Can’t find anywhere to access pics in TweetGenius? Go to your photos folder, and click the menu key: TG gives you the ability to send your photo files to TwitPic.com and post them to Twitter. It’s commendable how they cover all of the bases within the program itself.
And visually, this is slick. The video above isn’t doctored at all – that’s how it really looks. It occassionally takes a while to load in others’ profiles, but the developers have been releasing updated versions somewhat regularly, and that issue seems to have been fixed or improved greatly. But in general, it’s a smooth program: the screens slide back and forth instead of loading regularly, the “poof” of smoke upon updating your status is dope, and even the loading screen is dope visually.
With TweetGenius, Boy Genius and Shiobara make a program that’s just as addictive, user-friendly, and crisp as Twitter itself. Don’t let the fact that it costs throw you off too much – it’s worth the skipping out on a value meal.
To check out TweetGenius, CLICK HERE.
Just found this link online, about someone who literally tweeting his way out of some loot. He got a job offer from Cisco, and upon getting the offer, he tweeted this:
Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.
A channel partner advocate for Cisco saw the Twitter update, and he responded:
Who is the hiring manager. I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.
Talk about Tweeting a check that ya ass can’t cash.
“You lose!” ©Kanye West
William E. Ketchum III co-manages BLAT! Pack, a crew of artists, producers, DJs, radio personalities, and other music professionals.
ketchums.wordpress.com 