Student Guide: Who to Follow on Twitter in Boston

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As much as we complain incessantly about #Boston, you’ve picked a good city to call home while you’re in school. And one thing we’re really good at is social media. Our Mayor (@marty_walsh) hosts #TwitterChat(s) regularly, we’ve won various awards for the city’s social media prowess, and here’s a protip: if you know who to follow on Twitter, that’s enough to be “in the know” in this city.

So here’s a good list to get you started (subscribe to it here):

General Boston

@BostonTweet
@OnlyInBOS
@universalhub
@BostInno
@ConciergeBoston
@BostonAttitude
@BostonReview
@morisy
@steveannear
@Fara1
@dbernstein
@HeyRatty
@senatorjohn

Events

@TheBostonCal
@BostonTweetUp
@BriteBoston UPDATE: Inactive since 2015.

City of Boston (important) Accounts

@CityOfBoston
Mayor: @marty_walsh
Food Trucks: @bosfood
Bikes: @bikeboston
@DoITBoston

News

@BostonGlobe
@BostonDotCom
@DigBoston
@MetroBOS
@BetaBoston
@WBUR
@wgbhnews
@BostInno
@BostonMagazine
@TheImproper
@cambridgechron
@7news

Live Updates

@CityOfBoston
@UniversalHub
@MassDOT
@BostonPolice
@BostonFire
@BEMSincidents

Schools

@BU_Tweets
@EmersonCollege
@Northeastern
@BostonCollege
@Suffolk_U
@UMassBoston
@BerkleeCollege
@EmmanuelCollege
@Harvard
@MITstudents
@SimmonsCollege
@MassArt
@TuftsUniversity
@SMFABoston

Neighborhoods

@allstonratcity
@YourAllstonBri
@BrightonMainSts
@SomervilleCity
@MissionHillMass
@JP_02130
@thefenway
@YTfenwaykenmore
@kendall_square
@cambridgeUSA
@WelcomeToDot
@DTownBostonBID
@HelloGreenway
@go_centralsq

Food & Drink

@onthebar
@thedrewstarr
@petemfboyd
@hiddenboston
@mysecretboston
@mcslimjb
@bostonmixdrink
@eaterboston
@blumie
@boloco
@ZagatBoston
@TheWriteStuffSK
@lmennies
@thrillistboston
@RestoWeekBoston
@BostonChefsNews
@BostonChefsJobs

LULZ

@backbaymemoirs UPDATE: Inactive since 2015.
@centralsqpigeon  UPDATE: Inactive since 2016.
@lukeoneil47
@BDPizzaBrighton UPDATE: Inactive since 2015.
@The66bus
@TomBradysEgo
@iamchrisscott
@bostonmo

A&E

@AllstonPudding
@DigBoston
@Vanyaland617
@SoundofBoston
@BDCwire
@Boston_Calling
@together
@boweryboston
@LostinSound_org
@mmmmaven
@MASSEDMC
@lawnond
@GlobeMusic
@mfaboston
@ICAinBoston
@amandapalmer

Venues

@mideastclub
@zuzubar
@TheSinclair
@paradiserockclb
@GreatScottROCK
@Brighton_Music

@middlesexlounge
@The_Wilbur
@hob_boston
@ttthebears UPDATE: TT The Bears has closed as of July 2015.
@goodlifebar

MBTA Accounts

@mbta_alerts
@mbta_bus_alerts
@MBTA_CR
@MBTA
@MBTATransitPD

Other Transportation

@bikeboston
@Hubway
@Uber_BOS
@HailoBoston
@Lyft
@Bridj

The best Twitter accounts in Boston

@mettermedia
@haveyoumetter
@discolyssa
@saraherib
@kciccolini
@jasminejamboree
@angelabray
@heshi393
@sierraunsworth

Who are your essential Boston tweeters? Let us know in the comments!

Metter Media LLC is a Boston-based social media management company that implements community-based, localized social engagement strategies for small businesses and corporations alike. Need help with your social media? Email Lauren today.

Social Media Tips From @MidEastClub + @ZuZuBar

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Clay Fernald (@claynferno) is the brains behind the Midde East and Zuzu’s social media. From running the actual venue to running the venue’s social media (which includes keeping guests, artists, and followers constantly informed), we bet Clay had a lot of advice for businesses looking to get their big toe wet in the somewhat murky waters of social media. And we were right.

 

1. Music Monday! #mm
Even if you aren’t in the music business, put your favorite artist in the spotlight on Monday! Have you Heard Aretha Franklin sing Adele? Wooooo! Hashtag #mm means “Music Monday.” Everyone likes music!

2. Follow Back! #ff

In 2012, we got the blue checkmark next to our @MidEastClub Twitter handle? What does that mean, we’re clear for smallpox? No! We’re a recognized professional entity by the almighty Twitter herself! Thanks, birdie!

Anyhoot, we got there by slowly building a great ratio of followers to people we followed. And also we made sure not to follow jerks. Us the #FF hashtag on Friday to engage with your peers, your friends, your competitors and see how fast your list can grow. If you get a #FF notification, follow them back (after checking out their profile, of course!)

3. Report Spammers!
Are you followed on Twitter by a lot of egg icons, or is someone spamming one-of-a-kind Marty McFly sneaker sales on your Facebook Page? Unless it’s Doc Brown himself, use the appropriate buttons to report to Twitter and Facebook that these are spam accounts! Keep the B.S. to a minimum and those news feeds clean for all. It feels like a citizens arrest!

4. Meme it up!
Bored on a Thursday? Send your intern to MemeGenerator to make a clever joke about what you and your team are working on.

See, look what my intern did! She’s a card.

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5. Speak in your own voice!
There are lots of conflicting words of advice about this, but as a brand, you are still a person, or hopefully, a team! Sign your tweets if you need to express who you are.

For example. nerd musicians @PaulandStorm share a Twitter account and they simply sign tweets this way: [P] = Paul, [S] = Storm.

In the MidEastClub Twitter bio, we are a collective team, but we post as “The Box Office, Jill&Steph&Jamie&Clay.” This puts at least a name to the company (four names, in fact!) that people can relate to!

6. Acknowledge your mistakes.
If we make a mistake or update set times, we say “oops” or “updated set times.”

BACK TO THE PROS!



Social Media Tips From @Lyft

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Catching a Lyft may be as easy as opening an app on your phone, but Zach Cole, Lyft’s social media manager, doesn’t have an easy job. From mastering Lyft’s “cool dude next door” voice on Twitter to handling Lyft’s responses to the numerous red-tape it faces in many states across the country – Cole has a lot to handle, but he makes it look effortless! We asked him for some advice for businesses looking to emulate that kind of organic presence.

 

 

1. Find out what your audience likes.
Brands that don’t constantly talk about themselves often find great success. Knowing what your audience is truly interested in can help inform your content strategy, so that you’re able to share more content that isn’t centered around your brand, but still communicates your brand values.

2. Create a content calendar.
Brands with strong content calendars do two things really well: they have a regular posting frequency per social channel, which helps brands understand when they can best reach their audience, and they post a variety of content. Content calendars are great tools for bucketing content into categories so that brands can share a balanced variety of content.

3. Set goals.
Talk with your marketing and brand teams to determine your brand’s goals for social media. This way, you can have an idea of what matters most when working to improve your social strategy. Goals vary from one brand to the next — some brands (media and e-commerce) will often measure website traffic from social, while others may want to focus on reaching a target demographic with a specific message.

4. Experiment.
Try new things! The world of social media is still relatively new, so there’s always room to experiment. Try sharing new types of content, playing with copy, working with influencers, etc. You sometimes never know just where you’re going to find the most success until you give it a go — and generally social media lets brands do this at minimal cost.

BACK TO THE PROS!


Social Media Tips from @together + @mmmmaven

Together MmmmavenTwo accounts I’ve ALWAYS noticed being awesome at Twitter are @together and @mmmmaven. Together is Boston’s annual week-long electronic music, technology, and art festival. Mmmmaven is a DJ and production school located in Central Square, Cambridge. Both of them are on our list of who to follow in Boston because not only do they both provide followers with music-related things to do in Boston, but also things in the area involving art and technology. Even though the festival is once per year, the Together team is active year-round. Aside from Mmmmaven’s courses, they also tweet about free workshops, which are great for people who want to get into music (DJ’ing and/or producing) but don’t know where to start.

If your question is “WHY ARE THEY BOTH SO GOOD AT TWEETING?” your answer is because @daviday handles them both. He has also offered his top tips for you!

Find more A&E Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston.

1. Tweetdeck
Download Tweetdeck if you haven’t yet. In Chrome, it’s best as an app. It will change the way you look at Twitter.

2. Interact
Every time you open your feed, don’t forget to favorite things. Like a Tweet? That’s what the favorite button is for.

3. Create a paper.li newsletter
Definitely for anyone who considers them a leader in their field or any business – paper.li can automatically pick followers up for you because it autotags some of the most popular accounts.

4. Follow your neighbors
Every time I start a new account, I pull up Google Maps and find every Twitter account in the surrounding area. Be a good neighbor and stay in touch with your hyperlocal surroundings.

5. Schedule tweets
More and more often, people have their Tweetdeck pulled up most of the evening (what they call the “second screen”). So if you’re working 9-5, don’t forget to schedule some for later, because Twitter addicts are hardcore.

BACK TO THE PROS!