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Alphatech5
Newsletter * *
ISSUE #187
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Getting
Started With Twitter
By
Wesley Craig Green (c) 2009 |
There's
a new web application on the block that has everyone
talking and it goes by the name of Twitter.
Twitter is fast becoming one of the more popular methods
for communicating online and has a large number of loyal
followers who stick with it despite the growing pains and
competitors. While this article won't cover everything
possible with Twitter, it will give you a good starting
point on how to start using it and how you can use it for
your business.
What Is This Twitter You
Speak Of?
So what is Twitter and how can it be of benefit to you or
your business? Twitter is a free online micro-blogging
application which gives you the ability to send out short
messages (up to 140 characters) called "tweets"
to people who are following you on Twitter.
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You
can send tweets either through your computer or by using
your cell phone via a text message. These tweets/messages
can be about anything you want and they can include links,
as well.
Making Twitter even more useful is the ability to send a
direct message to someone you are following (this is done
by entering @username at the beginning of your message) or
replying to someone's tweet with your tweet. You would be
surprised how common it is to reply to someone's message
then to have someone who is either following you or the
person you sent the reply to reply to your initial message
and so on.
People can follow you and your tweets by first signing-up
for their own free Twitter account at the Twitter site
then adding you to their líst of people they are
following. Once you have created your account, you can
either check your Twitter page (your personal page which
appears after you sign-in at the Twitter home page) for
any of your friends' new messages or you can send out your
messages. But it is much easier, in my opinion, to use one
of the many online or desktop applications which give you
the ability to do all of this and more.
Twitter As A
Communication Tool
Twitter is a quick and easy way to communicate with
family, friends, business associates, and also within a
company setting. Being an online service, Twitter is
available to anyone with online access. All you have to do
is login to your account through any number of third-party
applications developed for Twitter or through the Twitter
site and you are ready to go.
Within a company setting, employees could have a Twitter
account created for them with the option to have their
messages protected. This means only people they (or you or
the person in charge of creating the Twitter accounts)
approve will be able to send and receive messages from
them. The same thing could be done using an instant
message program but with Twitter, there would be no
software to install and it would be accessible from
anywhere with an online connection. Additionally, the
person who is in charge of the Twitter accounts will have
the power to control who is and who isn't part of this
private Twitter network.
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Even
though there are tons of online communication applications
available, Twitter can also be used as a way for people
who are collaborating on a project to stay in touch with
one another regardless of where they are. And depending on
which third-party application they are using to Twitter
with, these conversations can be saved for future
reference. There are even some third-party apps which you
can use to send files up to 10MB to anyone you are
following as long as they are using the same application,
that is. Still, a handy feature to have and one which may
become a feature of Twitter if there's a big enough demand
for it.
Marketing With Twitter
Herein lies the great thing about Twitter from a business
perspective: the marketing potential it offers users.
Sure, it is great to send messages and chat using Twitter,
but it can also be a great marketing tool if used
correctly. Have some breaking news you want to get out
quickly? Send it out as a Tweet. Made an important update
to your blog or web site? Let people know about it
instantly with a Tweet.
Want to promote your project, book, movie, whatever by
giving away a free download or preview? Send out a Tweet
with a URL to the free download. Only want to market
something to certain individuals you are following? Simply
enter their username preceded by the "@" and you
are set.
Another simple marketing tool available with Twitter is
the ability to befriend people who are following someone
you already follow. While this practice could backfire on
you if you begin to add everyone you find following
someone you are following, be picky and just befriend
those who either share similar tastes that you do or work
in the same field as you or already follow many of the
same people you do. Otherwise, you could come off as a
spammer which will be a hard image to shake.
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Twitter
Now And Beyond
Twitter represents a fundamental change in the way people
communicate online. There have always been instant
messengers and they have their place and purpose but they
don't provide the one thing which sets Twitter apart and
that is the ability to instantly communicate with either a
couple of people or potentially thousands without the need
for proprietary software. No need to download this piece
of software in order to communicate with this person or
that organization.
Much like how blogging has become a staple of today's
society, Twitter and "twittering" is on the same
path to becoming ingrained in today's culture despite only
being around for less than two years. So simple in its
execution, powerful in the marketing opportunities it
offers, and ease of use, Twitter will be one of the top
web technologies to gain worldwide prominence in 2009.
If you like, you can follow me on Twitter by going to http://twitter.com/
GeekEntrepreneu and clíck on the Follow button.
About
The Author
Wesley Craig Green is The Geek Entrepreneur, an
entrepreneur who is a publisher, owner of an online
classified ads network of sites, two web sites focusing on
independent and digital comics and graphic novels. You can
check out his personal blog, Geek
Entrepreneur which is dedicated to entrepreneurship,
blogging, inspiration, technology, and small business.
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