Twitter Retweets - RT @ Rules of Engagement

Twitter2009-03-10 - What I'm about to share with you may change how you use Twitter from this day forward to gain a competitive edge in Social Media Marketing.

In a previous article I discussed the Retweeting process and offered a few suggestions for the Scrubbing of Retweets. I'm going to take those original suggestions and expand on them here with working examples of the various RT scenarios that I've been testing on Twitter.

Table of Contents

  1. Retweet Testing and RT Research
  2. RT1, RT2, RT3
  3. Recycling Retweets and Front Loading
  4. 250 Character Super Retweet Pays Homage to 19 Followers
  5. Retweet Summary
  6. RT, SRC, RE Labels

Retweet Testing and RT Research

I've recently finalized my testing of Retweets from an in-depth SEO perspective. I've discovered quite a bit about the Twitter platform during my research period which started on 2008-07-25 and continues today. There are three basics that power Twitter; People, Tweets and Retweets. It's that simple and why Twitter have become the fastest growing Social Media Network as of 2009 March.

I'd like to extend my sincerest appreciation to everyone (my Followers) for enduring the multiple Tweets, Retweets, SuperTweets and SuperRetweets these past few days (2009-03-06 thru 2009-03-09). I'm hoping that you learned as much as I have by watching what I was doing and picking up on the subtle intricacies of Tweeting and Retweeting from an SEO perspective.

I'm really excited about all this Social Media stuff. You may not think there is much going on with that 140 character Tweet and/or Retweet but, there is quite a bit taking place throughout the networks that influence those 140 characters. I'm hoping I can convince you of these subtleties and you'll take your Tweeting and Retweeting a little more seriously when applicable.

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RT1, RT2, RT3

I caught this Tweet from @feydakin in me timeline and it was definitely worthy of a Retweet. I used this particular Tweet as one of my research examples on how to best handle subsequent Retweets of the same Tweet, the Recycling of Retweets.

Yes, I think it is a good practice to RT a RT multiple times throughout the day and target a broader range of your Followers. You might even want to schedule Retweets. For this test, I put 14 hours between RT1 and RT2 and then 4 hours between RT2 and RT3. This was for no particular reason, it was my schedule at the time and I wanted to space them out a little. I'd surely be using a third party application to perform this task for me after I set up the initial RT1.

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The Triple Retweet

  1. RT1 @feydakin
    Twitter / Edward Lewis: Inappropriate product layo ... (delinked due to broken zi.ma link)
    RT1 @feydakin

    This was the first (RT1) Retweet in this test. All I did was make sure that I Front Loaded the Tweet and then paid homage to the original Twit, in this instance RT @feydakin

  2. RT2 @feydakin
    Twitter / Edward Lewis: Inappropriate Product Layo ... (delinked due to broken zi.ma link)
    RT2 @feydakin

    This was the second (RT2) Retweet and I've Scrubbed it a little bit and added a different comment. Notice how I am using the < to indicate my reference to. < I like this method better than enclosing the Front Loaded Retweet in quotes which was another suggestion I made for separation.

  3. RT3 @feydakin
    Twitter / Edward Lewis: Inappropriate Product Layo ... (delinked due to broken zi.ma link)
    RT3 @feydakin

    This was the third (RT3) and final Retweet in this test. The process of copying RT2 and RT3 for Retweeting was painless and all I had to do was change the RT* and update my comment.

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Front LoaderRecycling Retweets and Front Loading

Recycled SymbolWhen recycling your Retweets, be sure to keep them Front Loaded. You might consider leaving additional space for others to append their RT. Keep the Retweet concise and focused, leave as much space as possible for the RT Frenzy process.

For those of you Retweeting, trim out the fluff and keep the Retweet Front Loaded during its brief moments of Twitter fame. When Retweeting just remember that the Twitter Title is comprised of the first 48-61 characters of the Retweet.

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250 Character SuperRetweet Pays Homage to 19 Followers

Bullfighter Based on a recent article that I wrote about Optimizing Twitter Tweet Titles, I was able to put the Retweeting process to a solid test. I've got some interesting information on SuperRetweets which is an extension of the article I wrote on SuperTweets.

Via DM - RT RT RT in some ways acts like a red flag to a bull. @AndyBeard

I don't see the need to append RT @ for each person who Retweeted someone else's Retweet. This may not be the best approach when you are restricted to 140 characters visibly (Short SMS Version) and 250 characters total (Long SMS Version up to 255, 250 is maximum before truncation).

Below is a SuperRetweet I constructed that pays homage to a small group of Retweeters. Notice how I've removed all the repetitive RTs and have grouped all the Retweeters at the end of the Tweet? In this example, I'm using my SuperTweet powers and have assembled exactly 250 characters that I will be using as a showcase example moving forward.

The RT19 in this instance indicates the total number of Retweeters. I think I'll be using that type of label for my Evergreen Retweets and then the RT1, RT2, RT3 process for Recycled Retweets. Of course if there were only a few Retweets I'm not going to make an Evergreen Retweet like the example shown below. Today was an exceptionally great day for Retweets! Thank you again.

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Red Flags for the Bull

Twitter / Edward Lewis: Red Flags for the Bull RT1 ...
RT19 AndyBeard

What are you doing? 250

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Evergreen Tweet Collection - PermaTweets

I'm almost certain that very few of you have seen anything quite like the above. It is exactly 250 Characters and it did take me a few moments to assemble all of that. The above #SuperRetweet will now become part of my Evergreen Tweet Collection or what I'm now referring to as PermaTweets. I've got quite a Tweet Library developing and I'm going to put that into an Evergreen TSO environment and nourish it.

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Retweet Summary

When Retweeting and/or Recycling Retweets you may want to consider the following...

  1. Front Loading
  2. White Space Optimization
  3. Room for Growth (RT Frenzy)
  4. T140 - 140 Character Tweet SMS Short Version
  5. T250 - 250 Character SuperTweet SMS Long Version
  6. Retweet Format: RT @Username SRC @Username at backend of Retweet

Note: I see many using the full word Retweet which may not be optimal. That's 7 characters of the original 140. If you use the abbreviated form of RT, you save 5 characters and it appears to be the predominant practice these days amongst those Retweeting Tweets.

RT, SRC, RE Labels

2009-04-06 - I'm now using RT, SRC and RE labels.

I place the RT @Username SRC @Username at end of Retweet. I'm keeping the SRC at the dead end of the Tweet preceded by one RT @Username reference which is usually the Twit I picked up the SRC @Username from. I'm not going to load multiple usernames behind the RT label unless of course it is called for, I'll be using my best judgment in this area. Too many RT @Username and I think the Tweet may become diluted and shift focus from the content being Retweeted. Others feel differently and I'll be testing regularly.

If the second RT @Username is someone I'm following, they will get the RT and not the second Retweeter. That is fair to all involved. We only have 140 Characters to work with out of the box, make the most of the content you are Retweeting. Make sure to Front Load those Tweets!

Remember, you can also construct a 250 Character SuperTweet if you really have something more than 140 Characters to say. Break out of the box!

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