It’s 4pm MST. You’re thinking about connecting with your Twitter followers by sharing an interesting article, making a witty joke, inviting them to a meet-up. You type twitter.com into your Chrome browser. Nothing. You open Firefox. Nothing still. You’re so desperate you even consider reinstalling Internet Explorer onto your computer, but think better of it at the last moment.
Breathe.
So Twitter is down. We’re helpless. Stuck with an idea growing rotten in our brains. Unsure what our favorite followers across the world are doing. This is isolation, pure and simple.
No! Don’t despair! I have an idea. Several ideas, in fact. Let’s number them.
Five Ideas to Keep You From Going Crazy While Twitter Is Down
1. Blog! See, I’m doing it! Instead of spouting out all your ideas in succession throughout the day, you can channel your energy into creating a really kick-ass blog post. What ideas and insights have you had in your industry today? What creative concepts are brewing in your head?
Spend some time researching these ideas: who else is talking about them (off of Twitter, obviously)? How can you contribute to a conversation that’s already happening?
2. Read some blogs! You’re looking to connect with other people, so why not check out what they’re blogging about? Find some industry-specific blogs and start following them. Do it now, while Twitter is down and you’re feeling lonely. Comment on their posts with real, authentic responses.
Participating in other people’s and businesses’ blogs is a great way to network. You’re getting valuable information and you’re giving back great feedback. Plus, it plants the seed for future guest blogging opportunities, which you should DEFINITELY take advantage of.
3. Make your LinkedIn profile better! Augh! LinkedIn? Yes. LinkedIn. It’s a great tool for your professional life and business. Make sure your profile is up-to-date and looking slick. Do you have a professional picture posted? Are you linking to your professional website?
Check out LinkedIn’s professional networks, too. I belong to a bunch of them, and there have been some excellent SEO opportunities that have sprung up from these connections. Business owners want to connect and come up with ideas that are mutually beneficial.
4. Like more businesses on Facebook! You may have created a business page in the hopes that hundred of thousands of people would "like" you and buy your product or service. If that’s worked for you, great. If not, I have some advice.
Start interacting with other businesses and people you admire who have professional pages on Facebook. Business pages can "like" other businesses, and seeing their posts in your feed can give you some great ideas for blogs, Facebook status updates, and article links.
5. Share valuable information on discovery engines & social bookmarking sites! If you’re not on Stumbleupon, Digg, Reddit, and the other social bookmarking sites, then this might be a good time to sign up. You can post articles, websites, images, and other interesting stuff from across the web, including your own content.
I have to warn you though, that if you post only to your own content, nobody will care. Instead, whenever you read or see something that you like, share it on these sites. Then, you’ll slowly build up a following of like-minded individuals, who will then be more willing to re-share your own blog post or site content.
Yes, Twitter is down, but not all hope is lost. There are billions of ways to connect with people, and the fact that Twitter is down just gives you a good excuse to go out there and do it.