The twitterati came to Los Angeles recently to share face-to-face the nuances and magic of communication in 140 characters or less.

In true Los Angeles fashion, the 140tc event held at the Skirball Cultural Center Sept 22 – 23, included celebrities, comedians and musicians, all of them influencers on Twitter. SingularCity member, Julie Spira had the pleasure of being picked up and spun around by self  help guru Anthony Robbins during his Twitter presentation. The musicians panel included Curt Smith, of Tears For Fears fame and the very charming Chamillionaire.

I had the good fortune to capture, on video, a collection of interviews with some of the most outstanding attendees at the conference, including some who are SingularCity members. I asked them:

Please describe yourself in 140 characters or less

• When did you start using Twitter?
• Twitter has evolved since it started, how has that changed how you use Twitter?
• What would be three things, top of mind, you would advise someone who is just starting out on Twitter?
• Do you use different platforms, such as Facebook differently?
• Experiences are shared on Twitter, can you give us an example?
• What is the one thing you would like to plug?

Mari Smith: Fast Company referred to Mari as “the Pied Piper of Facebook.”

 

Marsha Collier: SingularCity member, author of eBay for Dummies series, and radio show host.

 

Heather Meeker, SingularCity member and Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Pelago, makers of Whrrl.

 

Julie Spira, SingularCity member and author of The Perils of Cyber Dating.

 

Sean Percival, founder LaLaWag, online and mobile experience consultant, shows up regularly on panels as an SEO (search engine optimization) expert.

 

Chamillionaire, Grammy award-winner and successful entrepreneur, uses Twitter and other social media to deepen relationships with his music fans.

Major points of the conference, which apply not only to Twitter, but to all social media, included:

• Twitter for yourself, find and always be your own voice.
• Be authentic.
• Remember who your audience is.
• You can use Twitter as a news source.
• Hash tags (#) on Twitter are used to follow particular topics and very useful at conferences.
• Make sure you are talking to others, social media is about conversation.
• Bring value to your followers.
• Be useful, be kind, be helpful, don’t make it all about you.
• No one appreciates negativity, if you must use it, use it in small doses.
• As with any content, decide on your goal.