By: Michelle Joseph
Publication: Prevview.com (5 Aug 2011)



What do you do for a living?

Social Media Architect/Strategist at Havas Media Singapore.

I help brands understand the benefits of being social and reach out to their target audiences. Depending on the campaigns and objectives, I would typically strategise on how to increase the influence of the said brands on the digital sphere.

How did you get started on twitter?

I started my account on Christmas, 2007, but only engaged in heavier usage of the platform when I got an iPhone two years ago. I started getting more engaged with the Twitter community last year after attending several conferences, such as the iStrategy Conference on Social Media in Singapore.

In the beginning, I started off by finding people through keywords and hashtags. You engage with these people by retweeting their tweets and taking time to read their tweets and give your opinion on their tweets.

People will slowly start to retweet you and remember you when you retweet them. They also value you more because you reveal a personality. Twitter is a very nice community and it’s a great feeling to know your tweets are read and analysed.

You are a very active Twitter user and are known for posting the latest and most updated digital/tech news. When did that come about and how do you find the content to do it?

I actually started out as a blogger covering technology and lifestyle. Micro-blogging came naturally to me after that as I was impressed with how real-time and extensive micro-blogging platforms have evolved. Currently, I am also part of an “Influencer Engager Program” e.g. Microsoft, Adobe, and Frank by OCBC, have engaged me as an Influencer. It’s not a paid job. I tweet about the product (new or otherwise) if I like it. I only share my opinions if I like what I am using. I was selected due to my social media presence.

Would you advise our readers to use Twitter for their job search. If yes, why?

Yes, I would not have found my job if not for the advent of social media. I was found by my current employer due to my presence on Social Media platforms, such as Foursquare and Twitter. He later contacted me and offered me a job. My previous job at SocialEyes, Inc. – a technology start-up in LA, was introduced to me by an acquaintance who I’ve gotten to know on Twitter. She introduced me to their Business Development Manager at that time through Twitter and after video calls and other conversations, I was hired.

Twitter is a great platform to meet different people from all over the world. My social following is not just limited to Singapore, but is more global, so I am not restricted to just local audiences or experiences.

Are there any particular Do and Don'ts in your opinion when using twitter for job search? Should users be concerned that employers would look at their Twitter/Facebook persona as a decision factor when it comes to hiring?

Definitely. It is not uncommon to be googled by your current and future employers. In fact, it is how one finds out more about people when you share information about yourself freely on the internet. When you are active on a public social media profile, you have to be aware that such information can reach anyone, and allows people to assess you based on your online personality.

Dos – Form a solid and consistent identity of yourself and your personality online.

Twitter is a brilliant place to network and find people all over the world. So make use of its power to find people who interest you. Find topics that interest you using keywords and share your opinions and retweet their tweets. Share the message and people will remember you. A friend of mine, Ruhani (@ruhanirabin on twitter) who is the Head of Product/UI/UX at Friendster for Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia , once told me that he remembered who I was as I would constantly retweet his tweets on technology and social media. He has currently over 60 000 followers on Twitter and I found this to be very true! This is how your twitter following and network grow organically. If people see that you are tweeting topics that interest them, they will naturally want to know what you have to say.

Don’ts – Don’t be overly angsty and emotional on the public twitter timeline. To be honest, I do swear, but I limit it as much as possible in the online space. There has to be reasonable limits of what you can do online. If it is a complaint I am tweeting about, for example, it’s definitely valid and I keep it civil.

Don’t use a professional twitter account to tweet very personal thoughts if you are building an online brand identity and you want to be looked upon as a credible source. If Twitter is a platform you would like to use to stay in touch with your network of friends and bare your true thoughts, then Privatise your tweets, don’t let it be publicly known.

Don’t be an overly adversarial person on twitter. In my opinion, being adversarial online just endangers relationships with other people who might be put off by your behaviour. Offer constructive criticism, and don’t attack a person’s character. Be respectful of the online community if you want to be respected as well.

Do you have different personas for your work twitter and your personal twitter? If yes, how do you manage to separate the 2?

I don’t think of it as professional or personal. I just keep it civil and tweet about the things that interest me. For example, my employers know that I will not use my personal account to tweet for a particular client to promote their product, unless I want to do it on my own accord. I will therefore still tweet as my own identity on my personal account about things that interest me.

What is your opinion on using twitter (personal) during wrk hrs?

It’s really very subjective and dependent on the place that you work in. As for me, it’s my job, so I am not opposed to it. It’s a good form of relaxation and great for keeping updated with news because it updates you in real time.

But, if you are in a certain industry that does not allow it, then using it will be at your own risk. Of course, there are ways to counter any ban of the usage of social media platforms at work by using other dedicated social CRM platforms. Ultimately it boils down to company policy.

What in your opinion is the best thing about twitter and the worst [for job search/professional use]?

The best thing is the fact that it gets you connected around the globe. It brings together like minded people and is a great tool for networking and finding/exploring new things.

The worst thing is that, it works extremely fast so there is virtually no time to correct a mistake. There have been cases, both locally and globally, of how carelessness by company employees led to negative postings on the corporate social media profiles they were managing. The danger of massive social amplification is great when the mistake was retweeted and it snowballed into something worse. Employees have been fired because of this. So, you have to be very careful how you tweet because it can be used against you.

Any wise words for those newly starting out on twitter?

Be yourself and try to connect with various people every day. Take the time to understand the platform you are using if you want to be serious and use it well. Grow your twitter following organically.

Prolific tweeters are those that people remember. People remember you if you retweet them and share opinions and let them know who you are. Be helpful and respond to your followers if they have questions- you will find that this normally leads to very insightful discussions! Use a lot of hashtags and use them to find people who share things that interest you. If content is king, conversation is queen.

Last December, I had a Twitter following of 600 and I managed to grow it organically to 6.7K this August by engaging with my followers. It’s possible to build a community if you are serious about your tweets and share insightful things.