"I would have written a shorter letter,” said 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal, “but I did not have the time.”
Pithiness has never come easy. But now that Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook updates are composed while standing in line at the grocery store, the stakes are much higher.
With that in mind, here’s our brief guide to becoming a better microblogger:
- Ask yourself why you are doing it.
Think you should join Twitter or start a Tumblr because people keep telling you it would be a good idea? Go ahead -- but expect your results to be about as inspired as your reasoning. For a satisfying 140-character existence, stay focused on what you're doing and why you're doing it, whether that be:
a. To stay abreast of people you already know
b. To promote your services, company or workplace
c. To learn more about a topic or share your obvious expertise, or
d. Simply to create a repository for all those great pictures of sloths.
- Game the system.
Once you’ve set on an objective, you can concentrate on getting your message to the people. Your sparkling wit and profound insights will help, but there are a few practical considerations that can help place your bons mots in front of the greatest number of eyeballs.
Being aware of the hours of heaviest activity on various services can help you boost engagement.
Short Facebook posts -- those of 80 characters or less -- receive a higher-than-average number of likes and comments, as do posts that ask a question. These findings came from analyzing wall posts by major retailers, but they will probably apply to sharing pictures and pearls of wisdom about your new puppy.
When retweeting, be mindful that adding a comment and then inserting "RT," rather than diving for the "retweet" button, will ensure that your name and likeness, rather than the original author's, ends up on the post. Win.
Also know that the scientifically determined optimum number of posts on Facebook -- assuming your goal is to be "liked," which we'll go ahead and do -- is 0.5 times per day.
- Mix it up.
Varying the kind of post you do makes for a pleasing mix -- and trying a new kind of post can get you out of a microrut. Thank someone publicly. Intersperse photos of your infant with an observation about work. Cultivate mystery. Even if you have space for a full description, a strong teaser is click bait. Be personal, but avoid TMI. Mix links and reposts with original material. (Unless your thing is, you know, all about sloths, in which case, stay with that.)
- Please yourself.
It is one of the simplest and most hallowed rules of written communication: If it was fun to write, it will probably be fun to read. If your output feels like a chore, stop -- or go back to item #1.
- Remember: Concise doesn't mean sloppy.
Just because it's short doesn't mean it can't be well-written. Twitter and Facebook can teach you how to do what Mad Men have been chasing for years -- to make your thoughts punchy and muscular in a limited space.
Imagine a character limit as a spa, polishing your thought to its barest, sveltest essence.
It's a lesson we wish would trickle down to the writers of the five-pound tomes that came with our TVs and digital cameras: It is possible to convey information effectively without gassing on for hundreds of pages of small type, people! Chop, chop!
On the other hand, it's possible -- if less common -- to pare down too much: Ikea instructions, for example, are so cryptic they might as well be Lascaux cave paintings.
140 characters: We'll take it.
