How Twitter changed my li…

I left the corporate world way back in 2007.  I’d set up my businesses, Get Better Coaching, created my website, a Facebook page, updated my LinkedIn profile and worked on some SEO for business.  I was steadily building my brand and online presence.   Little did I know that joining Twitter would have such a profound effect on my business, business life, personal life and beyond.  I didn’t understand it, but heard that it would be ‘good for business’ to be on there, so I got on there.

My name was taken so I added my middle name and you’ll find me on Twitter as Wendy Ager @WendyAnnAger.

I joined Twitter in May 2010 and now have over 4000 followers (January 2014).  I don’t sponsor anyone, post affiliate links, have advertising, pay for followers.  It’s all my own ‘work’.  According to TwopCharts that gives you information on your Twitter usage, I’ve been on Twitter longer than 90.9% of all other Twitter users!

For those who still don’t ‘get’ it, it can be about sharing your every move, and following some people for that is fun.  It can be informative, but for me it’s mostly about finding out information, and connecting with people.   I’ve probably learn’t more about business and marketing through reading posts, blogs and articles AND meeting people and hearing speakers at business networking events via Twitter than any other source.  I’ve met more people in real life because of Twitter and kept up with many, many more than I could have done before.  I now nearly always turn first to Twitter to find out about news too.

I started real-life business networking in 2010, where you go and actually meet people and discuss business, share contacts and information and pass on leads. I connected with the people I met on Twitter to follow up, keep in touch and share local and useful information.  This was great as I was working part-time and couldn’t always attend the networking meetings when I had clients.

Twitter was the main place I took bookings from for my social media for business workshops!

Then I noticed people arranging different kinds of meet-ups, other than business ones: Tweetups in a pub, a breakfast club in a cafe, dinner clubs in a restaurant and Clandestine Cake clubs in other local venues, and started to go to these too.

At the first Tweetup in Purley I met Fiona Lipscombe and became interested in her idea to hold a festival in Purley.  I started their online marketing as they had none, other than a website, and am still the Head of Social Media and on the Marketing Team for this very successful and now, well-established festival.  We have a huge main stage, provided by The Brit School and two others, dance and other performances and loads of free kids workshops.  Last year thousands of people came to enjoy the week-long festival and weekend finale.   It’s a real community festival, bringing together local businesses, groups, churches, clubs, classes, people with similar and wide-ranging interests.

I joined the first and nearest Clandestine Cake Club meeting in Horley, that made the local news, and now help to promote and attend a local Croydon one.  It’s just for fun, for those who love to bake and eat cake.  I’ve also been a regular at PurleyBreakFast Club.  It’s great to meet all kinds of locals and here is where I met a group of ladies with young kids and we have become really good friends.

When the August 2011 riots happened, I was at a Twitter Dinner Club just down the road from Croydon.  After that, a lot of social media channels have been used to create awareness of what is GOOD about the area and how it’s being improved, as well as channelling money back into the riot-affected areas.   I’ve also been to a few Croydon Tech City events, which is a movement to create a hub of Tech companies, established and start-ups to come and work from Croydon.

This is why I say Twitter changed my life.   I believe it’s brought me more, and more interesting interactions with other people than anything else and now I’m helping show others how to use it and use it to bring them more business through Dot-Social.  It’s working on Purley Festival where I met my partners, Ania Wilk-Lawton and Stephanie Darkes.  Twitter has also allowed me to make new friends, have fun and brought a real-life communities together.

Follow me @WendyAnnAger and/or @DotSocialise

If you’re interested in social media, tech and/or Croydon I’ve got stuck into writing about these topics, so go and have a look at the Dot Social Blog too.