What is Twitter? Well, where have you been.. LOL? Twitter would have to be one the fastest growing sites on the web today. It is taking the internet by storm and there are around 10,000 new users per day signing up to take part in this internet revolution. 

Twitter is best described as a micro blogging platform. You are limited to 140 characters each time you do an update, which initially, may seem a small amount. However, as you become more experienced, it's just amazing what you can fit into 140 characters.

That said, Twitter is much, much more than that. It is like one huge global chat room, but then again, it doesn't have to be. It all depends on how many people you follow on Twitter. If it's in the thousands, then your "Tweetstream" will be running fast and furious with everything that's coming in. If you are only following a few hundred, or even less, then things are much easier to keep up with.

Twitter is also a great way to meet new people online, particularly those with similar interests to you. I will show you how to do this more as we progress through this report.

How To Set Up
Setting up on Twitter to have your own account is easy, but a few things that you should be aware of when organizing your account. This can apply even if you already have an existing account too, so consider these tips and it can improve your entire Twittter experience.

The first thing to do if you don't have an account is go to http://www.twitter.com
the home page of Twitter.

You will be asked to either login or register. If you don't have an account, then of course you will need to register. So let's go through the registration process and explain it all here.

Registration
The Twitter screen will ask you for your first name and last name and will then check this is entered correctly. A green tick will appear next to the box.
The next box asks you for a user name and this is where you need to give some thought to how you are going to represent yourself on Twitter. You should remember that you can set up more than one account on Twitter, but you will need a different email address for each one.

Now this is where the thinking bit comes in. The first account you register should always be in your own name if you can get it. Naturally, common names like JohnSmith (there are no spaces in usernames) will already be taken. However it is possible to get variations on your own name such as John_Smith, or John_Smith23 or some variation like that. You can only use an underscore in a username. Hyphens are not permitted in the field.

It isn't absolutely critical that you register your own name, but I would recommend you do if you can, particularly if your name is an unusual one. I'm sure the last thing you want is someone else impersonating you on Twitter, or anywhere else for that matter.

If you wish to register a business name, then you can do that of course, but make your you use your own name in the sign up process so you are identifiable and connected with the business name you register. The concepts and reasons for operating under each type of registration will be discussed later.

You are now asked for your email address. Email addresses are linked to accounts and you will only be able to use your email address once. For every account you register, you will need a different email address.

The last thing to do is to fill in the Captcha letters and then click on Create My Account.
The next screen will ask if you want to add any of your friends from the popular web-based email programs. You can do this later if you wish.
The next screen presents a short list of people who Twitter asks if you would like to follow. Choose some if you like, but I wouldn't bother. I prefer to find my own friends on Twitter.

When you click Finish, you will then be taken to your very own Twitter account. You are logged in and ready to go!

Your Settings
Next thing we are going to do is fill out our settings and this is very important on Twitter. You will find the access to this at the top right of the screen, fourth link from the left.

On this page you will notice there are some tabs across the top. For the moment we will concentrate on the Account tab.
The information you entered on joining is already entered here, but now it's time to pad this out so people can find you on Twitter and you also make yourself an interesting person to be followed. People will use the information you enter here to make that decision, but much of what is entered is also searchable on Twitter and through various third party applications.

One thing to note is that you can change your username at any time on this screen. You just have to enter your password to do so. Although it can be done, it can confuse your follower base, so I wouldn't recommend doing it on a weekly basis.

First of all change your time zone to your own and then move onto the one line bio.
Your Bio
You have 160 characters here to "sell" yourself. Take some time over it and do it well. Don't simply enter a bunch of keywords as they appear totally uninteresting to people, although they may get you found. Use keywords by all means, but start your Bio with the words "I am" and then describe yourself. So you might put for example:-

I am a keen gardener and hiker who also has a passion for the outdoors, internet marketing and affiliate marketing who also loves social media.
Now that description is only 143 characters, so you could still get some more keywords in the bio. No doubt you can see the ones that are there which are gardener, hiker, internet marketing, affiliate marketing and social media. Using these terms in your bio will have you coming up in search results when people are looking for other like-minded people to follow. As you can see, it is worth taking some time to get the bio right.

Balance of Screen
Enter your web site name or blog here if you have one. Make sure you include the http:// prefix to the address.
Your location is next and is also important so people can search and find others in their same area. It will also be important to you if you are chasing rankings on Twitter as users are ranking by their locations.

Protect Updates
This is included if you want to have a private account and you have to approve followers. NEVER turn this on if you intend to use Twitter to meet new people. They just couldn't be bothered requesting permission to follow you unless they know you personally.

You can now save your settings, but note here that there is also a link to delete your account should you ever wish to do so.

Devices
You can enter your mobile phone number here if you want Twitter updates to your phone. Personally, I can't think of anything worse, particularly if you have a couple of thousand followers.
Notices
You can have Twitter "nudge" you with a text to your mobile phone if you haven't updated in 24 hours. What a pain!
The Replies function is an interesting one and will determine what tweets you see that are prefixed with the @ symbol. This is how you direct a tweet to a particular individual. There is a great help screen explanation on this, so go there to make your decision.

The rest of the notices are self-explanatory. It is worth noting that the Direct Messages possibly needs a bit of explanation though as to what they are if you are new to Twitter. If you are following someone and they are following you, Direct Messages can be sent that won't appear in the Twitter timeline. They are essentially private messages between two people. If you are an infrequent user of Twitter, it may be worthwhile to switch on receiving notifications by email so you can respond. Otherwise leave it off as it will just fill up your mail box with more clutter.

Likewise, the notifications that you have a new follower just adds to your email and I would leave it off unless you like the buzz of being told someone new has followed you.

Picture Tab
This is really important. When you open this page you will see the small avatar on the screen which is the default for Twitter. If you want new followers, putting a photo of yourself here is imperative. If you are running the Twitter account for your company or business, then your logo is ideal. But just put something so you can be identified in the Tweetstream by your followers. The graphic is often more important than your name when people are scanning Tweets and you will stand out for yours.

Design Tab
Here you can change the background of your Twitter page from the default. Twitter provides a number of alternatives that you can select or you can upload your own background. You can also change all the colors if you wish. Again, whatever you do, just change it so you are not running the default. It shows you have taken some time setting up your account.
A note here worth mentioning is that with the plethora of Twitter client applications out there, many people don't even look at your web page anymore. Still, it is one component of your presence on Twitter and is worth doing well. Later on I will show you places where you can get a more professional background than those offered here.

Well, that's it for the setup. The last thing to do now is to click on Home at the top of the screen and send your first Tweet. Something like, "Hi, I've just joined Twitter and am looking forward to meeting interesting people" is a good first one to send. Just type it in and click the Update button.

How to use, "Twitter" for Traffic.

How to use, "Twitter" for Traffic.

Twitter Traffic-Brevity. That's the trademark of Twitter. Trying to keep it short and simple is Twitter's motto. Twitter is a social networking system coupled with a mini weblog system which allows twitterers to submit short bits of knowledge called tweets to others and also allows other people to see your tweets. To do this, one twitterer must follow the other and be on each other's network. Twitterers can also retweet something tweeted to them.Twitter has been used as a marketing strategy to raise web traffic and generate curiosity about something. Tweets are text-based and allows for only 140 characters for each tweet. Tweets are delivered to the recipients on the twitterers list. Tweets may be sent by way of mobile phone or Internet.

Twitter traffic is created in the event the followers have an interest in your specialized niche market. Twitter has forced marketers to figure out ways to seize the reader's attention in 140 characters or less. Tweets always incorporate a web address that allows the recipient to click the hyperlink and be taken to the tweeters internet site. Exactly the same occurs in the event that one of the readers retweets, or resend, the tweet to their list of recipients

Twitter traffic is generated by those that are interested in what you have to provide. You are discovering your specialized niche market while you continue to include readers with the same interest. As your tweets are retweeted, you will probably get converts from that group which didn't realize they were curious about the niche before they first viewed it.

Like any type of marketing, it requires a serious effort to get Twitter traffic and to keep it coming. One tweet won't create traffic but numerous tweets will commence the traffic-generating in your favor. The information has to be relevant, interesting and eye-catching.

Something as trivial as growing flowers may end up being a means of advertising. On your web page just include a Twitter link. In any advertising always include a Twitter hyperlink and whenever publishing a web page, also include a Twitter link. One of the best things about Twitter is that tweets may be generated at any time from any location. If you have a thought about anything you believe your readers will find enlightening while you're watching a hockey game, such as, whip out the mobile phone and tweet away. Should you get up during the night with a tweet of a lifetime, there is no need to get out of bed to get the job done. Your tweet will most likely actually generate more Twitter traffic.

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Twitter Marketing for Business Owners

Increasing Your Twitter Following Quickly

If you are already on Twitter and are using it as a business tool, good for you. If you're not on Twitter yet, it's very easy to join and it's free. Just follow the prompts at Twitter.com and you'll be on before you know it. Before you do anything else, upload your picture to Twitter so people can see what you or your brand logo looks like. This is the start of branding yourself via Twitter.The next step is to add a bio to your profile. You can look at what other people are putting and come up with one of your own. Ideally, you should list your business interests and add a dash of humor.

After you get those two things going, start following a few people you know and who know you. Tweet in their direction by using an @ in front of their Twitter name. This ensures that they will see it when they check their "mentions" (their @name) on their Twitter page. And everyone checks because they want to know who's talking to them or about them. Don't forget to use the @ sign.

So you've got a couple tweets out there and you're following a few people. The next step is to throw in a few retweets (RT), which you do by taking someone else's profound or informative tweet and copying and pasting it in with an RT and @theirname added to the front of it.

Offer some great tweet quotes yourself and be sure to tweet about any awesome article you just read, including the link. You are making yourself useful and your tweets valuable.

Now... you can start following lots of people and most of them will follow you back. What's the purpose of this? Well, the more targeted followers you have on Twitter, the more likely some of them will buy from you when you tweet occasional promotions of your products or services.

All the steps you've done prior to this ensure that your Twitter profile is attractive to others. When you follow them, they're going to check out your Twitter page (unless they do auto-follows) and see if you're worth following.

To get targeted followers, go to well-known marketers in your field of interest. For example, if you're an internet marketer you'll want to follow people like Joel Comm, John Reese, Mike Filsaime, etc... whoever you'd like to follow.

Okay, take it one step further now by clicking on their followers in the upper right hand of their Twitter page. People who follow them are probably people you want to have follow you, right? So follow these people and they'll most likely follow you back. Hover your clicker over their name and it will show their bio. If the bio looks like they're in your field or a complementary field, click on the follow button. If you're not sure, click on their name and check out their Twitter page.
As of this writing, Twitter allows you to follow 1000 new people per day, but don't take it that fast. It looks a little suspicious if you are following 2200 people and you've only tweeted 7 times.

Follow these hints to increase your followers on Twitter. Yes, Twitter is about building relationships with other Twitterers, and it can really help your business to build relationships with your targeted audience.

Twitter Client Applications

Twitter Client Applications
The biggest problem with the standard Twitter web application is that you have to keep an eagle eye on your replies and Direct Messages as you only see the main Tweetstream on the screen. It is also limited in that it only displays about the last 20 tweets, so if you want to see older ones, you have to keep going back pages.So what to do?Easy, download Tweetdeck from http://www.tweetdeck.comThe first thing you will probably notice is that you will need to change the settings as the default is white text on a black screen. Makes it hard to read I've found, but each to their own.Tweetdeck is brilliant in that it displays the Tweetstream, your replies and your direct messages all on the one screen. The message columns allow for 500 tweets as a default, so scrolling down allows you to go back a fair way or search for tweets you may want to refer back to.The screen has a continuous right hand scroll, so you can set up different groups and their tweets will appear in that column. You might have a group called best friends and another for gardeners for instance. That way you don't miss important tweets from people who are more important to you than others. At the time of writing, Tweetdeck is probably the most widely used application for Twitter and I would highly recommend it to you.

Your Tweets
Start getting some tweets into the system now. On the Twitter home page, it asks What You Are Doing. Quite frankly many people don't care until you have built a relationship with them as a result of following. But there are some good ways to get started.

Follow some blogs that you are interested in via an RSS feed to a feed reader such as Google. (Search these on Google if you are not familiar with the terms. There is heaps of information on there and could occupy an ebook of its own.) Start by posting links to interesting posts on Twitter about them with a link to the blog post. For example: "Interesting post on pest control in tomatoes. Link". Make sure you always include http:// in the link and not just www so the link is clickable in the Tweetstream. If it's a long link, Tweetdeck has a facility to shorten it to a small url.

Another good way of starting out tweeting is with quotes. Do a search for some quotes of interest and tweet these. Personal development ones are great and also quotes by famous people. Here's one I just found in the Tweetstream as an example: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle. There are thousands of these all over the internet that you can use.

Whatever you do, at no stage of your Twitter career start posting sales tweet after sales tweet. Your career will be shortlived if you do and people will unfollow you very quickly.

Twitter is about engagement, value and a social experience. A constant flow of sales links is just not on. By all means post links to your products or sites, but keep them to around 5% of your total tweets at the most.

Another good idea with your tweeting is to keep religion and politics out of them. These subjects can only alienate followers and you can lose them.

Replies
You can reply to someone's Tweet simply by putting the @symbol in front of their name. This makes the tweet stand out to them as it appears in their reply column or page instead of in the general Tweetstream. It is a very useful way of starting conversations with people in order to build relationships. Simply comment on one of their tweets.

Tweetdeck has a feature when you hover over the user's avatar to put their name and reply symbol straight into the posting area.

Retweeting
People appreciate retweets and it is a good way to get noticed by others. All you do is put RT in front of the @username. Using Tweetdeck, hover over the user's avatar and it will put the whole thing in the posting area. Separate their tweet from your comment if you have one. I usually put two pipes, which is holding down the Shift key on the character. This will produce "||" which clearly shows the end of the other person's tweet and your reply or comment.

If other people retweet your tweets, make it a habit to thank them. It's common courtesy. Simply tweet @username Thanks for RT :-) and send.

The Big Decision
It is probably time now to make a big decision as it will affect the way in which you use Twitter considerably. That decision relates to quality versus quantity. If you are into marketing, than quantity of followers will be important to you. It's like building a list. But if you want to keep things personal, then quality of followers will be what you need. Either way, the next step will be to find some people to follow.

Gaining Followers
You need to first be aware that rushing out and following a heap of people can make you look like a potential Twitter spammer. Build your following base slowly. As time goes on, if you are chasing quantity, then you will be able to add more at a time, but initially I would suggest you stick to 50 for a start. The reason for this is that when you follow people, they will most likely follow you back. Many people don't do this automatically, although some do, particularly in the internet marketing space. Some people will actually go and look at your Twitter home page to decide if you are worth following or not in their eyes. This is where your profile and the settings that you took all the trouble to do will stand you in good stead.

Some Good People To Start With
Here are just a few people that you can start following straight away. They are included because they are great exponents of Twitter and you will learn a lot simply by watching their tweets. You will see their style of using Twitter and can emulate the good points and leave out what you don't like in developing your own style. They will all follow you back too usually, so you will build your own follower base. All these people have large follower bases which they have built by being active, engaging and providing value to others on Twitter.

Ange Recchia aka @angesbiz
Ange Recchia here better known as @angesbiz on Twitter and many other Social Networks. I'm a Social Media and SEO Consultant/Coach for WebVision2020 Pty Ltd and write about Twitter at http://socialnetworkingnewsdaily.com/ I also love to write about Personal Development at http://angesbiz.com You should follow me because I am on the most incredible journey of my life at the moment, I love to meet new tweeps and share interesting links while engaging in conversation. In other words, I like to be Social!
Follow Ange at http://twitter.com/angesbiz

Ric Raftis aka @RicRaftis
I am a Business Coach, Internet & Affiliate Marketer and Web Designer who loves Twitter & Joomla. I am also a Cagora Community Partner in 5 Worlds. I am also a Geek! Follow me and I will follow back. Engage me and I will answer. I love to meet new people and make new friends and Twitter is a great way to do it. I also run the Help Via Twitter site at http://www.helpviatwitter.com where you can get answers to all sorts of questions on the Forum where you aren't restricted to questions of 140 characters.
Follow Ric at http://twitter.com/ricraftis

Mike Wesely aka @Mike_Wesely
Hello, I sure hope ur having a "Twonderful Day". Mostly Smart People Follow Me!!! If You're Not, You probably Wouldn't Like Me Anyway. Also, if your Smart, you should go to and watch http://TwitTalk.tv, were we teach people how to use twitter more effectively. Check Out the Achieved shows at bottom. If for some reason You get bored there, Liven up your day by going to http://VideOptin.com. Oh but most importantly, say hello to me using the @Mike_Wesely at the beginning of your post. I always try to respond. That is the Respectful way :-)
Follow Mike at http://twitter.com/Mike_Wesely

Michele Price aka @ProsperityGal
Twucess twith http://www.blogtalkradio.com/TwitterToday, you learn twit tip and we showcase Tweeps every week, who you are and what you do so you can build a strong networking well. I am a heartfelt business woman who shows you easy ways to connect and succeed, oh I cook a mean pot roast too, giggle. p.s. love to tweet inspirational quotes to get you to thinking in a focus that takes you where you want to BE.
Follow Michele at http://twitter.com/prosperitygal

Wayne Mansfield aka @WayneMansfield
After many years as a Internet Marketer I have come late to Twitter. My business is the staging of seminars in Australia, NZ, India and the Middle East on business and personal education. Twitter is someting else... there is a level of engagement on Twitter that allows the meeting new people. To get the best from Twitter, I always follow you back and try yo respond to your messages. Fun is Twitter and you will see the banter betyween myself and quite a few people. Real friendship are built on Twitter. Retweeting is the ultimate compliment to the posts of others - when you RT RT you are sharing inspiring words - great quotes are vitamins for the brain....I retweet good tweets all the time and enjoy a good quote or two. Make sure you say hello so we can get to know each other.
Follow Wayne at http://www.twitter.com/waynemansfield

Ivy Clark aka @IvyClark
I'm a freelance web generalist (web designer/developer/information architect) passionate about usable web design and I guess I'm geeky as I love new toys. My hobbies are varied depending on my mood - gardening, nature walks, jewellery making, scrapbooking, surfing the web, reading or just basking in the sun . I'm still relatively new to Perth, having moved here from Singapore just 6 months ago, so I'm really enjoying the newness and excitement that everything brings . I love making contact with like-minded folk and love how we can share ideas, knowledge and learn from everyone we connect with in Twitter.
Follow Ivy at http://twitter.com/ivyclark

Well, that should get you going with a few people and there is a good cross-section there of people and styles.

Using Twitter with No access to your computer

Using Twitter with No access to your computer

Want to use Twitter with your cell phone?

Want to use Twitter even when you're not at home or don't have access to your computer? No problem. Inside your account you can choose whether to have messages sent via cell phone or instant messenger programs as well. Just browse to your settings and choose the devices tab and in a few steps you're good to go. This feature makes it possible to tweet on the go. This is perfect for those who travel frequently or while out and about come across something interesting or amusing that they'd like to share with their followers.

Twitter's arrival has also lead to the creation of different platforms and applications to make it appealing to just about everyone. Popular applications include, Twitter Fox, Twhirl, TweetDeck, and TweetMyBlog. Twitter Fox and Twhirl give users who are prefer the instant messaging look and feel a way to use Twitter in somewhat the same manner. Twitter Fox is an extension for the Firefox browser and Twhirl is a desktop application.

TweetMyBlog is a way to automatically post updates from a user's blog to Twitter. In order to use it all one needs is a Twitter account and an RSS feed from their blog. It will automatically posts a tweet using your account when your blog is updated.

Tweet Deck is another desktop application that allows for more organization of updates. Instead of posting all a users tweets one right after another, it allows the user to organize tweets into separate columns within the application. For those who have customers and friends on Twitter this is a great feature.

 

Using Twitter on Your Cell Phone

Using Twitter on Your Cell Phone

Imagine you are in a conference where you just heard one of the most profound quotes and you want to Twitter it. Maybe you're riding down the road and see the funniest billboards that you know will make your Twitter friends roll with laughter. Oh wait; you don't have your laptop. You do however have your cell phone. If only there was a way to tweet these and other things when you're computer wasn't available. Guess what, there is.
Your cell phone can be a powerful Twitter tool. There are many ways you can use it to benefit not only you, but your followers as well. With your cell phone you can continue to contact your friends and followers and they can tweet you as well. Your cell phone is a communication highway and with Twitter added it becomes a networking wonder.
There are many tools you can use to twitter from your cell phone. Depending on the type of phone you have, you can go mobile in a number of ways. Tools like Jott, Hahlo, Mobile Twitter, Thin Cloud Twitter, Twitter to Go, Twitter SMS, Twitter IM, and Twoble are all available for various cell phones and plans to help you tweet tweet away.
Here are just two of the many cool ways to use any cell phone to harness the power or networking through Twitter:
If your phone has a mobile browser, you can go to www.m.twitter.com and you are good to go. While this is not the best option, it is an option and it works. This is a simple tool that allows you to view Twitter from your cell phone and allows you to tweet back and let people know what you are doing as well.
Flurry is a mobile mail client/service. You can download the Flurry client on your phone seconds after you sign-up. Flurry, which started out as a service that would let you check e-mail on your cell phone has recently added a feature that allows you to add RSS feeds and read them on your mobile phone. In case you did not know, you can set up RSS for all your favorite Twitter users. All you need to do is add RSS feeds generated by the Twitter accounts of your friends. The best part about it is that you don't have to pay for anything - it's free. If you want to send messages of your own from your cell phone letting people know what you're doing, just use the SMS (texting) feature on your phone.
Your cell phone has so many capabilities and so does Twitter. By using the two together you have yet another way to utilize the power of social media. Of course you don't want to drive and tweet at the same time but you can always pull over to the side of the road and tweet your ideas, thoughts, or updates away.