Why Twitter and How It Turned Potti

 The Potti Team Blog

My friend's baby photo

When my friend, a high-ranking politician, posted photos of her new baby on Twitter a day before she posted any on Facebook, I was a bit disgusted.  I thought of Twitter as a kind of celebrity ego-fest, with followers like groupies.  Even after hearing that Twitter usage might advance my online business, I was adamantly opposed to it.  Twitter was the one thing I promised myself to never do.   I recall my feelings well, but I have somehow not only ended up on Twitter, I quite frankly love it.

This transformation did not happen overnight.  As you may have gathered, I did not choose Twitter to follow celebrities or politicians.  Only for my vintage jewelry business would I sink to such depths!  Even then, I tried other avenues first.

I spent a good bit of time and effort on a Facebook business page, and exchanged a lot of likes in order to build a following.  I understand that FB is a very effective tool for many businesses, but it was not the best fit for me.  I had difficulty building a following, and my posts were seen by few.

Since I sell on Etsy, my next step was to join an Etsy promotional team.  I choose one that was exclusively for vintage jewelry.  This was a much wiser move.  I needed to learn more about vintage jewelry and about promoting sales, and I did both.  I profited from the team in many ways, and one thing I learned was that I needed to give Twitter a try.

I was terrified that I was going to do something very awkward and very public on Twitter, and I did make mistakes.  In retrospect, I realize they were tiny matters, but at the time, they seemed huge!  I needed a couple of months to settle down, but as I did, I began to discover something.   I realized that the Twitter platform, and the kind people that I was beginning to meet, allowed me to feel uninhibited in a way that only an introvert can appreciate.  I realized that Twitter was actually fun!

 I found followers much easier to gain on Twitter than Facebook, and it actually increased my sales, which was my goal after all!  I enjoyed the quick, friendly exchanges that took place on Twitter, and the fact that thank you, a returned favor, or a kind word was appreciated.  I found this to be characteristic of many on Twitter.  I found it to be especially true of the circle of friends that I was beginning to know.

One person recognized special potential in this circle of friends, for those of us who also sold on Etsy.  She convinced another, and the Potti Team was conceived.  Gathered from friends in what many of us already considered a happy place, the Pals On Twitter Treasury Ingroup Team has amplified the friendship, the kindness and appreciation, and the support we shared as merely Twitter pals, and harnessed it into something even more productive, even more supportive, and for many of us, even more fun!

Thanks to the insight of our leader Debra and our Captain Jesse, we have the best of Twitter and Etsy in a streamlined, efficient manner.   They encourage growth and learning within this context, sharing their knowledge and expertise as we grow as a team, and selectively adding members whose vision and work ethic  seem in sync with our own. 

My husband says that when we have another baby, we will announce the birth on Twitter.  That's fine with me.  The pregnancy will have made headlines in the National Inquirer long before.

                                                                                                                                                                 Michele Davidson