So, you've set your Twitter profile up, but you still can't see what all the fuss is about? You need to start 'following' and connecting with some other Twitter users to understand what it can do and why people are so evangelistic about it.
What is 'following'?
When you follow another Twitter user, you are adding their updates (usually known as 'tweets') to the information you see on your Twitter home page - the page you see when you log into Twitter. This is known as your 'Twitter stream'. So you know what I mean, here's a shot of the top part of mine, where you can see tweets from five of the people I'm following:
How do I follow someone?
Easy - just go to their profile page and click on the 'Follow' button under their picture on the top left.
When you do this, they will receive an email letting them know that you have followed them, and this gives them the opportunity to check your profile out and decide whether to follow you back or not (whether they decide to reciprocate or not, you will still be able to follow them).
How do I find people I might want to follow?
Here are a few of the ways you can find people to follow that are either interesting or relevant to you:
- Search by name for people you already know, people you have heard of, or who are well-known and respected in your space, using the Find on Twitter option, featured in the Find People tab along the top right menu on your Twitter home page. This tab also contains options to find people you know that are using Twitter through your Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail or MSN account.
- Search for subjects that people are 'tweeting' about, using Twitter Search or Twitter Monitter. When you see interesting tweets, just click on the name of the person that tweeted in the stream of messages, look at their profile and follow them if they look interesting.
- Follow Mr Tweet - a service that, among other things, will identify and recommend new people you might like to follow by referencing people you already follow against the range of Twitter users out there. This service comes into its own when you have been using Twitter for a while and are following a few people, as Mr Tweet's recommendations become more accurate the more data he has to go on.
- Once you start following a someone you find interesting, see who they are following, check out those people's profiles and follow them too (if they look like they might be relevant to you).
- Use directories, like Twellow (here's a search for 'nonprofit' on Twellow to get you started, or you can search on any number of other keywords) or Just Tweet It (here's their 'non-profits' category), to find people listed under areas of interest and/ or specialism.
A couple more tips:
- Try to following around 20 people first of all (or as many as you feel comfortable with). You'll find many of them will follow you back, provided you have included enough information in your profile for them to see whether you might be relevant or interesting to them, and you'll begin to discover how Twitter can connect you with people and ideas you may never have come into contact with otherwise.
- Make sure your profile represents you accurately, to give people a good idea of who you are, what you do, and what you're interested in - as this will help people connect and engage with you. You can personalise your profile in a number of ways using the options in the Settings tab in the top right menu when you are logged into Twitter, including selecting a background theme or uploading your own design, and adding a photo of yourself (which makes your profile more friendly and human). Note that you have just 160 characters to describe yourself in your Twitter profile (so make each one count!), but you can also add a link to another of your online profiles, such as LinkedIn or Facebook, to help people find out more about you.
- You can protect your updates, so they cannot be viewed at all by anyone, and cannot be followed, without your express permission. This is also found in the Settings tab, under 'Account'. I would recommend that you do not opt to do this, simply because it makes it very difficult for anyone to decide whether you are worth following or not, since they can't see what you tend to tweet about, and therefore can't decide whether they will be interested in what you have to say. It also just seems a bit secretive and is not really in the spirit of Twitter, so the vast majority of people leave their updates public.
What next?
If you haven't done so already, you might want to post your first update or 'tweet'.
You have just 140 characters for each message, and the option to include a URL within that, should you wish to link to something elsewhere online.
Just type your message into the box underneath 'What are you doing?' and hit 'Update'. And, before you post your first tweet, it's worth noting that it's going to end up being listed here, so try to make it something more interesting than mine was!
Don't worry, if you don't like what you've posted, you do have the option to delete it afterwards, by clicking on the little dustbin icon at the bottom right of your tweet (you will see this when you mouse over that area).
I recently started using Mr Tweet, it's a great little tool and I've found some really interesting people through it.
Posted by: Ed Walker | January 26, 2009 at 06:17 PM
Hi I liked your note, add your site to your bookmarks.
Posted by: RamonGustav | August 31, 2010 at 05:27 AM
Are you eager to secure funds for that dream project of yours?
Posted by: RamonGustav | September 03, 2010 at 10:30 AM
Some of the photographs are great, but I was hoping this project would raise some interesting questions, such as what flags mean to people, whether they still have a role today, and so on. Instead we get some oh-so-witty photos of the flag as wee or draped over the designer's dog. Maybe I'm just surprised no-one set the flag on fire and took a photograph of the remains.
Posted by: viagra online | September 09, 2010 at 06:20 PM
Do you have a viable business but lack the necessary finances to get it off it’s feet?
Posted by: Buy_Viagra | September 17, 2010 at 08:12 PM
Are you eager to secure funds for that dream project of yours?
Posted by: Buy_Viagra | September 18, 2010 at 05:27 AM
Hi I liked your note, add your site to your bookmarks.
Posted by: Music_master | September 26, 2010 at 01:40 AM
cialis soft generic cialis soft order cialis soft tab description cialis soft tab india cialis soft tablets cialis soft tabs 10 mg cialis soft tabs bestseller cialis soft tabs online cialis soft top cialis softabs cialis softabs generic cialis softtab how works cialis softtabs online
Posted by: Hot_cialis | October 31, 2010 at 01:11 AM
buy cialis buy cialis at a discount buy cialis brand buy cialis by the pill buy cialis canada buy cialis cheap buy cialis cheaper online buy cialis mexico buy cialis omline buy cialis online 20mg buy cialis online site buy cialis online viagra buy cialis pharmacy buy cialis pills generic
Posted by: Hot_cialis | October 31, 2010 at 07:25 AM
buy cialis buy cialis at a discount buy cialis brand buy cialis by the pill buy cialis canada buy cialis cheap buy cialis cheaper online buy cialis mexico buy cialis omline buy cialis online 20mg buy cialis online site buy cialis online viagra buy cialis pharmacy buy cialis pills generic
Posted by: Hot_cialis | October 31, 2010 at 02:53 PM
cialis tadalafil cialis tadalafil 100mg cialis tadalafil 20 mg cialis tadalafil american express cialis tadalafil canada cialis tadalafil cialis tadafil tal cialis tadalafil reviews cialis tadalafil viagra cialis tadalafil work cialis the dangers fda cialis the sex pill cialis to buy
Posted by: RX-order | November 20, 2010 at 07:56 PM
Hi, I congratulate you on Merry Christmas!
Posted by: Antivirus_man | December 06, 2010 at 11:50 PM
Merry Christmas! I wish you a lot of gifts and luck in the new year.
Posted by: Antivirus_man | December 07, 2010 at 07:10 AM
The new year is already knocking at the door, let it will bring only happiness and joy.
Posted by: Antivirus_man | December 07, 2010 at 03:21 PM
The new year is already knocking at the door, let it will bring only happiness and joy.
Posted by: JOBS_frend | December 26, 2010 at 11:10 PM
Merry Christmas! I wish you a lot of gifts and luck in the new year.
Posted by: JOBS_frend | December 27, 2010 at 06:45 AM
Hi, I congratulate you on Merry Christmas!
Posted by: JOBS_frend | December 27, 2010 at 03:55 PM
Interesting site, always a new topic .. good luck in the new 2011. Happy New Year!
Posted by: school_dubl | December 30, 2010 at 05:55 AM
Hi Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, a cool site I like
Posted by: Rental | January 15, 2011 at 07:43 PM
Hi Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, a cool site I like
Posted by: Rental | January 16, 2011 at 02:14 AM
With the new 2011. Year! Congratulations.
Posted by: Rental | January 16, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Hi Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Posted by: Rental | January 20, 2011 at 09:31 PM
With the new 2011. Year! Congratulations.
Posted by: Rental | January 21, 2011 at 04:40 AM
Hi Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Posted by: Rental | January 21, 2011 at 01:22 PM
Happy New Year! Happiness and success in 2011.
Posted by: Hotjobs | January 25, 2011 at 06:29 PM