I was complaining about seeing a number of consecutive posts that were obviously automated. That approach comes across as "anti-engaging" to me. Perhaps my criticism of Kyle's recommendation for automation was too broad. If people use automation tools as you suggest, Ericka, they certainly don't seem as much like advertising. Wording is important, to invite a reply or comment, is it not?

I am a huge fan of HootSuite, as well. I find it extremely useful for scheduling Tweets (I just scheduled one tonight!) as well as managing multiple accounts with multiple users.

I also find TweetBeep very useful for "batching" research and prospecting. I can use TweetBeep to set up alerts for certain keywords and phrases for both myself and my referral partners. Then it emails me alerts whenever tweets are posted meeting those criteria. I can even restrict it by geography. For example, by setting up an alert for the phrase "moving to Indianapolis" can be on the lookout for anyone tweeting about their upcoming move to Indy, which means I can post a reply recommending my realtor who is a member of my BNI chapter. My fellow BNI members are amazed at how often I come into a meeting with referrals I've made via Twitter just by getting keyword-rich email alerts via TweetBeep

Usually, "chunking" is a good way to increase productivity. However, setting aside a specific time to pursue a task is only wise if that task requires concentration and a major duration of commitment. Tasks which require what psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi calls *flow* (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_%28psychology%2… are well-suited for focused, scheduled blocks.

Twitter, however, requires entirely the opposite of concentration. Tweets are fleeting and momentary. Unlike email, in which every message requires some kind of processing, most of the messages in your Twitter stream will never be read by you. Furthermore, it's considered bad Twitter etiquette to send tweets in rapid succession. Also, conducting twitter conversations during repeated periods of the does not expose you to different experiences and people that appear throughout the course of the day, such as those on other schedules or in other time zones.

A much better way to use Twitter is to set up a program like TweetDeck in the background and completely ignore its existence. Then, add a few recurring appointments throughout the day, and when they go off—no matter what you are doing–stop, look at TweetDeck, respond to a message or two, and post a status update about what you are doing or thinking. Do not stay on for a more than a few minutes. You may need a second reminder to tell you to get off Twitter!

You can increase the number of reminders over time, but eventually you will start to check Twitter habitually. In my office, I have an old computer just running TweetDeck continuously on a dedicated monitor. During those times when applications are loading up, when people put me on hold on a phone call, or when I pause for a thought, I can check the other screen to see what is happening in the Twitterverse.

To be fair, there are types of Twitter tasks that are well-suited the approach you recommended. Set aside time to use a scheduling tool like HootSuite on a regular basis to schedule any Tweets that you want to appear as announcements. You should also filter all your new follow requests, and then add/reject and engage new followers all at once.

We actually do a free 15-minute presentation on Productivity and Social Media, and I'll speaking about this topic at blogINDIANA 2009 as well!