'If you want to build up an expat online network, Twitter's the way to go' April 1, 2011 Why did you decide to join Twitter? To promote our blog's rich content, especially as we publish on a daily basis. How often do you use it? Every day, including weekends. What do you like most about it? It's a good way to stay in touch with our blog's main constituents: expat and travel bloggers, as well as others who are interested in what it's like to feel "displaced." We've met some really interesting people whom we wouldn't have met otherwise. Do you use any software to manage your tweets? TweetDeck, Timely, Buffer, Hootsuite... It's not always possible or practical to tweet manually, so software that helps you schedule your tweets is a must. It also stops you from being the restaurant bore who keeps playing with her smartphone at the table. Do you access from home and/or out and about on your mobile? Usually from home, very occasionally on the mobile (see "restaurant bore," previous question). Do you run more than one Twitter feed? If yes, do you use Twitter for business? All the regular writers have their own personal Twitter accounts and they promote the posts from those feeds, too. Do you find you interact most with friends and family you already knew before joining? Or new Twitter friends? New Twitter friends - almost exclusively. Our friends and family don't know what we're doing, which we're thankful for (if they did know, they might not approve!) Who are your top recommendations to follow on Twitter and why? That's hard to say as we cover a broad range of topics, so it varies a lot. But we're in close touch with bloggers like @In_Expatland and @kbairokeeffe, who often retweet our posts. Any further recommendations for expats looking to use Twitter? If you want to build up your own online network, Twitter's the way to go. Finding people in a similar situation can help with that feeling of isolation that sometimes overtakes even the best of us when we move to a different country. Because of the public nature of Twitter, you'll find the users are generally a sociable bunch, willing to share their own tips and experiences. Don't be shy in your tweets, but equally, don't fall into the trap of Too Much Information. Does the whole Twitter world really want to know how that curry last night affected your digestive system?