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We’d follow these tweeters anywhere — and not just on Fridays. Cydni Tetro, Janet Thaeler and David Williams are local Twitter pros(e).

They know how to LOL, substitute U for you, and — most importantly — inspire people 2 think, 2 connect and 2 follow.

Feed your curiosity and get the “TwitLonger” on why these tweeters say 140 characters are the bird’s meow. #PunsAreFun #HashtagsAreAddictive

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3 local pros you have to tweet to believe

BY BRIANA STEWART • PHOTO BY DAVE BLACKHURST

twitter.com/UVBusinessQ50 FALL 2012 / www.utahvalleybusinessq.com

WORKING TITLES Operating partner at Mercato Partners; entrepreneur in residence with Imagineering at Disney; managing director and founder of Women Tech Council; partner at SocialPlayz in Lehi# OF TWITTER FOLLOWERS 40,046# OF TWEETS 2,550JOINED TWITTER 2007

Why did you join Twitter? I always join new technology platforms to test, experi-ence and understand what could happen with the technology. For me, Twitter became a great business conversation platform where I could track the market, create relationships and broadcast knowl-edge all in 140 characters. Favorite part of Twitter? How easy it is to track and post in the format.Favorite business tweeter? Robert Scoble (@scobleizer) Favorite Utah Valley business tweeter? My friends who connect me to the local market — Jeremy Hanks (@jeremyhanks), Chris Knudsen (@chrisknudsen), Maile Keone (@mlkeone), Alex Lawrence (@_alexlawrence) and Paul Allen (@paulballen).Favorite business connection you’ve made through Twitter? Chris Brogan. Twitter was actually the reason he came to Utah to speak.What’s been most surprising about Twitter? In the beginning we couldn’t tell how Twitter and Facebook would play out — but it has been proved that both have value in the marketplace.Do you tweet morning, noon or night? Noon or night. Morning is too hectic trying to catch up with all of my partners

on the East Coast. I usually tweet when in cool meetings, with great people or when I hear or find really great information I think could be valuable to others. 140 characters — too much, too little or just right? Perfect for me.Are you a retweeter or a replier? More retweets than replies, but I try to reply to all tweets where we are in a conversation.Ever tweeted something you wanted to take back? Once I did. I failed to validate the information I had heard. I deleted the post. That was a long time ago — in the beginning.Do you tweet on your phone, iPad or computer? Computer if I want to use bit.ly tracking. iPhone for instant posts.In what order do you check your social media? Facebook, Twitter, LinkedInBiggest LOL moment on Twitter? How popular Star Wars is on Twitter. The an-nouncement of one of my Disney projects, called Carbon Freeze Me, had a huge social footprint.Why should business pros tweet? To connect to markets, watch trends, create relationships and build brand awareness. But all of that only works if you have a strategy, defined voice and reason for how you approach the Twitterverse to optimize for business.

cydnitetro@cydtetro

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Cydni Tetro (left), Janet Thaeler and David Williams have tweeted their way to business brilliance.

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Why did you join Twitter? It was some-thing I heard I should do, though I didn’t really understand the value of it at the time. I have stayed, now particularly, because of the amount of exposure it provides for me to share what Fishbowl is doing and the articles Mary Michelle Scott and I write for Forbes and HBR. It’s a way to read up on many industries quickly by following those who I consider “in the know.” Favorite thing about Twitter? Speed of gathering and spreading information.Favorite business tweeter? Pete Cash-more (@mashable)Favorite Utah Valley business tweeter? Mary Michelle Scott (@marymichelles)Favorite business connection you’ve made through Twitter? ForbesWhat’s been most surprising about Twitter? The speed of which some info/article/situation can go viral.140 characters — too much, too little or just right? For this medium, just about right.Ever Tweeted something you wanted

to take back? Not yet. Are you aware of something I should have? Are you a retweeter or a replier? I retweet occasionally but don’t reply.Do you tweet morning, noon or night? All three, depending on time and what is relevant. In what order do you check your social media? Facebook, LinkenIn and then Twitter. And then I check Klout to see the measurement of the effort.Biggest Twitter pet peeve? People who copy your tweets and post them as their own. Maybe that is the truest form of a compliment … a silent one. Biggest LOL moment on Twitter? When all of a sudden I went from 500 followers to 100k-plus. It kind of freaked me out.Why should business pros tweet? Why, I just wrote about this subject for Forbes and HBR. I spoke to the fact that all leaders — from C level to the CEO — should be involved in social media. Tweeting being one of the most import-ant.

Why did you join Twitter? My first tweet was in March 2007 and I answered the question “What are you doing?” literally by writing, “Going to lunch to talk online marketing & online PR.” It was a start. I stayed because it’s much quicker to tweet than to write a blog post, and pretty soon I had more Twitter followers than people reading my blog.Favorite thing about Twitter? The links! I use it for research by searching for topics I’m interested in such as, “Pinter-est case study.” Also to instantly find out the latest news (such as Bin Laden was killed) either national or local.Favorite business tweeter? It changes, but right now it’s either @Hubspot or @Wildfireapp.Favorite Utah Valley business tweet-er? I can always count on @BenWinslow to cover local news. I was glued during the Elizabeth Smart trial. I also like @Cheapchick.Favorite business connection you’ve made through Twitter? It’s how I got on @Marketingprofs radar and did a webinar with them, which is something I’d hoped to do for several years.What’s been most surprising? How fun and what a great publicity tool Twitter chats can be. I love #pinchat.Ever tweeted something you wanted to take back? I did delete a tweet. The second I sent it I knew it was a mistake

and quickly removed it (getting a call from a CEO confirmed my decision). I’ve probably deleted less than 10 tweets in my five years on Twitter.Do you tweet morning, noon or night?My stats say afternoon. I tweet when I’m inspired — and use Buffer App to space them out.140 characters — too much, too little or just right? Just right. It challenges me to be brief but still communicate some-thing valuable.Are you a retweeter or a replier? Defi-nitely a retweeter. If I reply to people too often I lose followers by the hundreds. So I prefer to use DMs. Do you Tweet on your phone, iPad or computer? Computer mostly. Phone if I’m live tweeting at an event.In what order do you check your so-cial media? Facebook, Twitter, Linke-dIn.Biggest Twitter pet peeve? People who send out the same message over and over again to different people (aka spam). Biggest LOL moment? When I tweeted about @orangesoda selling the company. They replied with: “We asked everyone on the sales team and they said no one sold the company today.”Why should business pros tweet? To share and document their expertise. To keep current on their industry and inter-act with influencers.

WORKING TITLES Internet marketer and writer specializing in PR; author of “I Need a Killer Press Release, Now What???”; social media consultant for OrangeSoda in American Fork # OF TWITTER FOLLOWERS 12,175# OF TWEETS 11,617JOINED TWITTER 2007

WORKING TITLES CEO of Fishbowl in Orem; founder of the CAM Center, an incubator created to support businesses and uplift individuals# OF TWITTER FOLLOWERS 120,395# OF TWEETS 2,703JOINED TWITTER 2010

david williams@davidkwilliams

janet thaeler@newspapergrl

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