Terri Camp is no ordinary social media maven, and not just because she’s a home-working mom with seven kids in the house (an eighth grew up and got married.)  Camp does nothing by halves — her book, published by Multnomah Books  in 2000, was entitled “I’m going to be the greatest mom ever (even if it kills me). She started on Twitter  in November, 2008 and had over 1000 followers in just two weeks. Today she is one of Fort Worth’s top twitterers according to Twitter Grader. and was just named among the  Most Influential Women in Social Media by the Kat Logic Blog. We spoke with Terri by email and she shared some of her thoughts about Twitter from her home in Fort Worth, where she works as a writer and real estae agent (just sold a house this week, something she calls a “ta-dah moment.”) In her words:

Terri Camp is a mom, realtor, and writer.

How did you come up with your twitter handle, and the slogan ” ta-dah?”

I began using Ta-Dah Mom about a year ago when I came up with an idea to help moms become positive coaches for their children. I implemented the program in my own house and it transformed our home. Basically it’s a celebration of life and those we love. If I come in from a long day and I look tired and drained, one of my kids will invariably come up and say, “You need a ta-dah!” She will then throw her arms up in the air and say, “Ta-Dah!” I like to pass out random Ta-Dah’s in Twitter. As I read the twitter streams, I will see posts that people are celebrating a birthday, a new business idea, new clients, or a baby that slept through the night. I will then send a “Ta-Da” message in an @reply to the person. I’ve been getting a lot of really positive feedback from people who tell me I make them smile, encourage them, or even that my positive energy is so contagious they are finding themselves happier. What an awesome compliment!

How did you enact your rapid-fire start in Twitter?

I began by reading profiles of people posting. Then I followed the ones who looked most interesting. I looked at the followers of people who had a lot of followers, and began following those people. I joined a group and received a lot of followers through that.

The most important way to get followers though is to have a good picture. Throughout the holidays I was a Rudolph complete with antlers and a red nose. Your picture makes a huge impression on those reading your tweets. They get to know you through your picture, so I made sure my picture reflected my personality. And write a good bio. This isn’t the time to claim expert status, but the time to be real and genuine.

Next begin making good posts. Look at it like adding content to a blog before you ever have one reader. Engage with others. Read the tweets and reply to the people. I created a twitwall with a post called “tweets you can expect from me.” When someone follows me, I send them a nice message and a link to my twitwall. I also include a link to my blog post, How I Got 1000 Followers on Twitter in Two Weeks.  I still feel like a newbie as I’ve only been twittering since mid November. I now have over 2600 followers and follow a little more than that. 

What applications or programs do you use for tweeting? 

I use tweetdeck and tweetchat. 

What are your favorite topics to tweet about?

I mostly tweet about real estate in the DFW area, particularly Fort Worth/Keller/Southlake, “mom topics,” and being positive. I try to make my tweets count, to give a lift to someone or encourage them in some way.

Do you think being a mom has helped you succeed in business? Why and how?

I’m a single mom with 7 kids at home. The children are extremely helpful to my success and I try to include them whenever I can. They each have unique gifts, love to see me living my passion and often encourage me to write. The other day I mentioned I was working on a new e-book. My twelve year-old daughter said, “Oh, I’m so glad you are writing another book! You need to be encouraging moms! Are you going to write about all the miracles?” They are so incredibly supportive it’s amazing!

Twitter following:  2721 Followers:  2601

Website:  TerriCamp.com