Twitter Beginner’s Guide

So I am a Twitter newbie and I am not afraid to admit it.

I first signed up for Twitter around a year ago, but really had no idea what to do with it, so my account sat dormant and neglected. However, in recent months, Twitter is getting too much attention to miss. I mean, when CNN starts using it as part of regular programming, it’s time to look into things. So a little over month ago, I started Tweeting. Since I am fresh out of emerging from rookie confusion, it seems a great time to post a newbie guide.

1. Find people.

After creating an account, go out and find some friends. Of course you can start with people you actually know, but one of the charms of Twitter is being able to quickly follow people who you don’t know and may never actually meet.

I recommend:
-Looking for people in your industry (use standard search terms to find them)
-Look for celebrities you actually like or are interested in (I definitely recommend people like Shaq who know how to use a networking tool)
-Look for leading figures who you wish you knew (executives, experts, politicians,etc: you name it, they are on Twitter)
-Look for ogranizations and companies

2. Start reading.

It’s amazing how the smallest and most basic details can be interesting. This is the beauty of Twitter: short bursts of information, links, opinion, and thought.

3. Dont be afraid to network.

If someone ‘follows’ you (and people will find you), return the favor and follow them back.  This is how you build a network and really get moving. The main problem I have found, is after a while, you have more people than you can reasonably pay attention to.

4. Start posting.

Don’t worry about what to write, just start saying the basics and then you are moving. Feel free to reply to others, it’s OK and definitely not rude. If you think something is valuable, then ‘Retweet’ it. This basically means you repeat the message to others as worth repeating (a true “tip o’ the hat” for tweets). Also, keep in mind the messages are limited to 140 characters, so if you post a link, use a URL shortening service like TinyURL.com.

A few basic protocols to follow:

A): Don’t curse, keep it polite.
B): It’s permanent, so be careful. You can delete your profile display of the message, but it will have already been broadcast to everyone following you.
C): Google indexes this, so once again, be aware of what you write.
D): Tweet frequency is debatable, it depends on who is following you and what you are saying. Some people tweet constantly with great info, and others just get cumbersome. At the very least, avoid making multiple tweets over a short period of time (5 Tweets in 5 minutes for example).
E: Be original and be social. This is a social gathering online. Say what you think and don’t be a afraid to post about your breakfast for example. These are real people out there, and they want to know you are a real person too. Remember, the small stuff is sometimes the most interesting.

5. Organize yourself.

There are some good programs out there for monitoring the people you are following, keeping track of those you really want to stay in touch with, and posting your messages. I recommend TweetDeck and twhirl as two applications to check out.

Also, if you are doing some market research, or just want to analyze the streaming thoughts of the planet, check out programs like TweetGrid. This program lets you insert keywords and monitor all tweets matching that keyword as they happen. Absolutely fascinating. Put in ‘Obama’, ‘Rihanna’ or even the name of your company. Then watch in real time as people talk about it.

Hope this helps, and in a couple months, I hope to have a some good business info. Companies like Starbucks are leading the charge in taking advantage of this opportunity, so of coarse, check them out too!

March 17th, 2009