If you want to know more about what Twitter is all about do check out the links below to a number of relevant items Mark has posted on his blog for ambitious professionals:

• A twitter case study and intro for professional advisers
• The biggest misconception about twitter
• Getting started on twitter – for accountant type twitter virgins
• Twenty top tips for using twitter – Key Do’s and Don’ts
• Don’t be an accountwit on twitter – more mistakes accountants make before they ‘get’ twitter
• Is twitter for me? Ten NON-business reasons to be on twitter - Many professional advisers start with these before trying to get business value from it

Mark is available to deliver talks on Twitter and on other aspects of Social media ‘without the hype’ in-house at firms/businesses and at conferences and seminars. His contact details are at the top right of this page, just beneath the menu bar.

Mark’s first blog post re accountants and twitter

It was back in December 2008 when he wrote about why Accountants need not bother with twitter: Twitter is not for accountants. His view has modified a little as he has watched a minority of accountants claim to be gaining some benefit from the time and effort that they devote to twitter.

The classic mistake

Experience suggests that the vast majority of accountants who start using twitter mistakenly think of it as a potential route to market. They then lose interest after a few weeks if they are not winning work or traffic to their websites. A minority of accountants are evidently enjoying their time on twitter and are persisting with it. Some (a small number I believe) are even actually winning some work through twitter. They are the patient ones.

Twitter lists for accountants

Mark has created the uk accountants and tax twitter list and adds all those of whom he becomes aware. He also maintains a separate twitter list of top uk tax commentators (IMHO).  There’s a link near the top left of each list if you should want to follow them.

How I use Twitter – Mark Lee

If you’re still reading it’s probably because  you’re thinking of following me on Twitter. Thanks for that.

To help you I’ve set out how I use Twitter and what you can expect from me in the way of ‘Tweets’ if you decide to follow me.  I’m not saying it’s the best way or even that it’s the right way; it’s just the way that I use it.

My approach

Firstly be aware, I probably tweet 5-20 times a day. That can seem a lot if you don’t follow many people.

By the way if you want to know more about me, there are links to my websites, profiles  and blogs on the right of this page. Or you could just check out the ‘About Mark‘ page on this blogsite.

How do I find time to tweet?

When I’m out and about I use the echofon (a twitter app) on my iphone. I tweet while waiting for trains, cabs, meetings etc.  It takes no time out of the day.

When I’m in my office I use Tweetdeck on my Macbook (previously on my pc) to keep track of incoming and outgoing tweets.  I use Hootsuite when I’m in a library or someone else’s office.  I sometimes tweet while I’m waiting for the computer to do something, while on ‘hold’ on the phone or during lunch, tea, coffee breaks. Again, it doesn’t take much time out of the day.

I sometimes use Twitter as originally intended to provide  real time status updates of meetings I’m attending, who with and where. I tend to do this in advance using  a service called SocialOopmh (previously known as Tweetlater). There are alternatives to this such as Hootsuite and BrightKit.

I have also set up each of my 3 blogs to update Twitter with a link every time I post a new item on:
- Accountant jokes and fun – just to keep it separate from the next one!;
- Ambitious Accountants – tips and advice, much of it relevant to all professional advisers; and
- TaxBuzz - the Tax Advice Network blog  (and this has it’s own twitter account too: @TheTaxBuzz )

Beyond all this I post links (and I ReTweeet items and links) that I think are special and worthy of a wider audience .

I also publish my ponderings related to Twitter and to other items of interest. And I comment, reply and help others in reply to Tweets where I hope what I add will be of value.

My main interests on Twitter

These are: UK Accountants, UK tax matters, online networking, referral marketing, public speaking and Magic. Also certain TV shows, films and sundry other things.

If you follow a lot of the same people that I do, you’ll see every @ (reply) message that I send to them, and that they send to me.

And if you’re accessing Twitter through the website rather than using a client such as Tweetdeck, then it could get a bit annoying. You do get used to it after a while though, I promise!

In May 2009 I asked on Twitter what 3 words came to mind when people saw my name. Replies included: Accountants, tax, seminars, knowledge, common sense, speaking, training, sincere, feedback, books, informative, entertaining. I doubt it’s changed much.

So that’s how I use Twitter, and what you can expect if you follow me.

Will I follow you back?

Sorry, but I don’t automatically follow back everyone who follows me. I fear that could really clog up my inbox of tweets to read/scan. Equally I won’t automatically subscribe for your newsletters just because you’ve subscribed for mine. I think the same logic applies.

If you expect follow backs from everyone you follow then you probably don’t understand twitter and/or are following the advice of someone who doesn’t really ‘get’ twitter – whatever they may say.  I’m notionally following over 900 people (as at Feb 2011). In fact most of them rarely tweet and anyway I only have time to dip in and out of the stream of tweets they all post.

I do follow my list of UK accountants and tax people – without automatically following each and every person I add to the list.

In the past I used a tool called Tweepler every week or so to see who has followed me recently. If they looked interesting I  often looked at their twitter page and recent tweets. I then decided whether or not to start following them.

Beyond that I may follow someone if an RT or reply from someone I follow motivates me to check out a stranger’s twitter feed and it looks like it might be of interest. And sometimes I may see an intriguing reference or link in the media. Again I generally have a look at recent tweets before adding anyone.

That’s all folks!

Hopefully if this hasn’t put you off, and you’ll be sending me a “Hello” message @BookMarkLee very soon!