a blog by embark creative

Yesterday, Twitalyzer’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Twitter listed America’s sweetheart, Alyssa Milano, in the number five spot. I, personally, don’t follow many celebrities…in fact I’m fairly certain that Alyssa Milano is my only celebrity follow — I like what she has to say. Regardless, Alyssa has earned that fifth position fairly. It doesn’t hurt that she has over 330,000 followers, but gaining the respect of the Twitterverse requires more than a pre-existing cheering section.

So how did Alyssa Milano get to number five? Here’s what I think…

• She exudes generosity and kindness, demonstrating her commitment to philanthropy and various causes.

• Positivity wins. Nobody likes a complainer, and as easy as it is to to voice your opinions when you’re frustrated, Alyssa’s glass of Twitter is always half full.

• She’s more than just a pretty, talented face. She’s got personality and she shares it. From her love of baseball, to her dog Gibson, to (yes) what she ate for dinner, we get a little slice of her life.

• Alyssa is engaged! Actually, she’s married. But really…it’s not unusual to see her Tweet a response to a Follower or Retweet a Tweet by someone other than a fellow celebrity.

• This girl knows Twitter. She gets it. And she has no problem sharing links to articles that help her fellow Tweeple learn how to use Twitter effectively.

• Alyssa has managed to self-promote gracefully.  We’ve all received Follow requests from people who flat out advertise — not attractive. As business owners and entrepreneurs, Twitter can be a useful tool to show our audience what we’ve got. But work those business plugs in organically and with moderation. Self-promotion will invent itself through your balanced content (see below).

• A combination of all of the above makes Alyssa’s Twitter stream interesting. She’s good at mixing it up.

• And lastly, she has a pretty hot avatar.

Most of us will never occupy the number five position on Twitalyzer’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Twitter list. But, learn a thing or two from Alyssa Milano’s Twittiquette and chances are you’ll gain the respect, and following, of the people you find valuable.