Using Twitter - 12 Things To Think About From @JohnBrownPJ

Using Twitter - 12 Things To Think About From @JohnBrownPJ

Graphic copyright guardian.co.uk/music Follow Me On Twitter

As @JohnBrownPJ nears 1000 followers on Twitter, a few observations are at hand.

Using Twitter - 12 Things To Think About From @JohnBrownPJ

1. List all of your followers by category. This will help you focus on tweets you specific to the varied issues you are interested in. In doing that, you will be able to view tweets by subject in the left pane.

2. Track your tweets by attaching using a bit.ly link.

3.Use 3rd party applications such as Listorious, Seesmic, WeFollow and TweetReach to find potential followers.

4. If you are a photographer, avoid tweeting about your photography only. It looks like spam and becomes boring unless you happen to be James Nachwey.

5. Use #hashtags (there is some debate about this)so people can see other tweets people your followers may be interested in besides yours.

6. Thank people who retweet your tweets and mention you. If you're not doing that, ask yourself, why not?

7. If you are a niche tweeter, avoid tweeting trending topics. Afterall, the scourge of child labor will be around after Lindsey Lohan gets out of jail.

8. Clean up your lists. If a non-follower hasn't tweeted in 3 years, why keep following? You can always start following them again when they become active.

9. Use Twitter for research by temporarily following people who are experts relative to specific subjects. There is a lot of gold to be mined here.

10. Be patient. Critical mass is probably achieved at around 30,000 followers. If you are a niche tweeter, the odds are that you won't get there.

11. Stick to your guns. If you believe the issue of child labor around the world is important, keep tweeting about it. The kids need you.

12. If you hail from the Western World, don't expect your "real life" friends who live there to follow you. As one friend in Queens New York recently told me over the phone, "I'm WATCHING COLOR TV!".  Try that in a country where 80% of the population has no power.

See You On Twitter!


John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS

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Cambodia Mental Health Therapy Photojournalism By Victor Luengo Del Ama Now On Gaia Photos

A schizophrenic patient is being treated at the Soviet Friendship Hospital. Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2009 after several suicide attempts.

Photo © Victor Luengo Del Ama All Rights Reserved  Follow Me On Twitter

Cambodia: Therapy Against Poverty is a new photo story now appearing on Gaia Photos. As photojournalist Victor Luengo Del Ama explains,

"In Cambodia today, there is an increasing number of emotionally disturbed persons. Traditionally the emotionally disturbed in Cambodia have suffered from the trauma caused by the historical tragedy of the  Khmers Rouges, who killed one third of the population and virtually enslaved the rest. But now, according to  Psychologists in Phnom Penh, we have to deal with contemporary psychosocial problems like poverty, lack of work, future and the new drug markets."

Please view the entire story about Cambodia and its mental health challenges on Gaia Photos.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Zaragoza, Spain, in 1973, Victor started his carrier as painter. later he studied for a MA in Fine Arts in Madrid and a postgraduate course in Kassel, Germany. In 2004 he studied for an MA in Photography in London. His work is more related with conceptual discourses rather than social matters.

A year later he started working at Contacto, a journalism photo agency and a partner of Magnum and VII Photos agency among others. At the same time he began working as photographer for Contacto, Radial and Europa Press in Madrid he decided to become more engaged with social photojournalism.

In 2008 Victor went to Madagascar to make promo videos and photos for aguadecoco foundation and Media Resources in Antananarivo. Meanwhile he traveled around the country to report the about everyday life of the Malgacheswhich included life in east Madagascar, child labor, the vulnerability of women and the the sapphire business in the Ihosy Valley region.

In 2009 he went freelance and became involved in different projects with several NGO's. besides visiting Cambodia to do personal work. Currently he is preparing himself for a long journey to work for the NGO Educacion sin Fronteras and to report about life conditions of small communities in south Peru and Bolivia.

Please search for other assignment photographers at Gaia Photos, a place to explore and discover the issues facing the diverse population and locations of our world, both near and far.

Please subscribe to our new features page to keep track of new stories too!

NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Gaia Photos has a new Facebook Fan Page. If you're using Facebook, sign up to get new features served on your Facebook wall automatically.

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS

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A Great Gadget For On The Fly Documentary Films? Paulo Nunes dos Santos Shows Us A New Tool

A look at a a Kodak zi8 camera with a Rode Videomic microphone mounted on a shoe.

Photo © Paulo Nunes Dos Santos All Rights Reserved Follow Me On Twitter

I don't write too much about gadgets as I am not a "gear head", but I wanted to share this device pointed out to me on Facebook by fellow Gaia Photos photojournalist Paulo Nunes Dos Santos.

Check it out or ask Paulo questions right here!

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS

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Photography & Photojournalism In Vietnam By Aaron Joel Santos Now On Gaia Photos

Farmer Nguyen Van Duoc pauses to look out over his farmlands in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Photo © Aaron Joel Santos All Rights Reserved  Follow Me On Twitter

Vietnam: Urban Farmers In Hanoi is a new photo story now appearing on Gaia Photos. As photojournalist Aaron Joel Santos explains,

"Vietnam’s capital is at a critical junction, balanced precariously between its past and present, trying to maintain a certain sense of culture and identity while integrating further into the global economy. Rice fields and farmlands are being overtaken by new highways, skyscrapers and industrial areas. The lakes and rivers for which the city was once known are drying up and suffering from increased levels of pollution. And urban farmers who have relied on their families’ lands for generations are being slowly edged off their fields in the name of progress."

Please view the entire story about urban farmers coping with modernity in Vietnam on Gaia Photos.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aaron Joel Santos grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated from schools in San Francisco and Boston before moving to Vietnam in 2007. These days, Aaron is an editorial and documentary photographer based out of Hanoi and working for clients across Southeast Asia. He is represented by Wonderful Machine in the United States & Invision Images across Europe and Japan. Aaron's work has been shown in a number of international magazines and publications, including The Wall Street Journal and Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, as well as in galleries in the US, Malaysia and Vietnam. He's a fan of warm weather, cheap beer and friendly people.

You can also search for assignment photographers at Gaia Photos, a place to explore and discover the issues facing the diverse population and locations of our world, both near and far.

Please subscribe to our new features page to keep track of new stories too!

NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Gaia Photos has a new Facebook Fan Page. If you're using Facebook, sign up to get new features served on your Facebook wall automatically.


John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS

My Mondo Library Photography

My Photoshelter Photography Archive Homepage

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