It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the micro-blogging and social networking site, Twitter.
And I'm not the only one; Twitter has hit the mainstream and everyone is jumping on the Twitter bandwagon, including maybe you. But Twitter can be a little confusing to newbies, who often wonder how to use this clever little tool successfully.
So if you are new to Twitter and are not sure how to use it or what to tweet about, here's a few tips to help get you get started.
Make your One Line Bio count, because this is what people use to decide whether they want to follow you or not. You only get 160 characters so use them wisely.
Do not use a sales pitch in your one line bio. Just tell people a little bit about yourself including personal interests and hobbies. People are looking for common interests when they scan the bios in Twitter, so it makes it easier for you to connect with people if you do that.
Also, do not link directly to a sales page in your profile. It's better to link to a blog, or a profile page, Squidoo page, etc. where you are introducing yourself and your background or sharing helpful information. Remember it's rude to walk up to someone at a networking meeting and go straight into your sales pitch and it's rude to do it online too!
Join in the conversation. Answer a question or respond to someone whose tweet made you laugh. Post your feelings about something important that is going on in your life. Be real, not phony!
Post links to helpful blog posts you've read, tweet about what books or classes you are reading or taking, share a resource or web site that you think others might find helpful too.
Post promotional links every once in a while. And don't be blatantly pushy when you do. Just keep it easy and light and avoid the hard sell language. It's a real turn off and people will unfollow you if you go overboard with it.
Have fun with it! Twitter is like a great big, wonderful noisy party and allows you to connect with so many interesting people all over the world. So just relax and have some fun with it and people will be attracted to you naturally.
Finally, do you have questions about Twitter? A Twitter success story to share? Please use the comments to post them.
Happy Tweeting!
Linda Locke
http://www.twitter.com/lindalocke
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