1. Use the @ Sign to Talk to People. To reply to someone or to send a public message to someone on Twitter, place the “@” sign in front of their Twitter name. If you want to see public messages sent to you, click on your Twitter profile homepage and click on @Replies.
2. Retweet someone’s Tweet using the letters “RT”. If you like what someone else said, or if you want to share someone else’s Tweet with your network, copy and paste the Tweet into your Twitter box. And just place “RT @name” in front of the Tweet and post it to your network yourself. This is acceptable as long as you credit the person who first posted the original Tweet.
3. Direct Message (aka your private Twitter e-mail box). This Twitter function is much like your e-mail box but the messages are in 140-characters or less. Keep in mind, you can send a private direct message to Twitter users who are following you only. To send a direct message just place the letter “d” in front of the person’s Twitter name. If done right, your message will not broadcast publicly.
4. Shorten your URLs. Many people use Twitter to share links to new stories, websites, industry tips and trends and much more. But with only 140 characters to use, you cannot use a lengthy URL address in your Tweet. Forget the long URL address and use a URL shortening service to shorten your link. These include TinyURL.com, ShortURL.com, ow.ly, or Bit.ly (this site, when logged in, actually tracks the number of “hits” you get).
5. Find Interesting People to Follow. Who to follow? Your profile page has a search box. You can also go to Search.Twitter.com to search on Twitter. It helps you find your friends, celebrities, CEOs, organizations and causes. It also helps you identify specific topics, trends or news in your neighborhood or even nationally.
6. Use a Hashtag. Categorize your Tweets for added visibility or to join in on a conversation. If you are Tweeting about a popular subject (Seahawks, Seattle, Obama, healthcare, etc.), placing a # (hashtag) in front of the (one-word) subject makes it easy for others to find your Tweet.
7. Share Your Photos. Thanks to Twitter, people love sharing pictures with others around the world. Services like yfrog, TweetPhoto, TwitPic, and others, let users upload their photos, and post them directly to Twitter using a shortened URL post and with a caption.
8. List Someone. There is a function on Twitter called “lists.” If you are just getting started, ignore it. After spending a couple days or weeks on Twitter, then start playing with lists. They offer a way for you to bunch together other users on Twitter into groups so that you can get an overview of what they’re up to. Bascially a Twitter list allows you to bunch people together in a group so that you can see what people are saying in that group. For example, anyone you follow in healthcare can be listed in a health category that you establish. Then, on your profile page, click on lists, and find the health list you created. The people you add to the list will be there.
9. Find a Twitter Desktop Application that Works for You. TweetDeck, Seesmic, Twhirl, TwitterFox and others give you the opportunity to participate in a Twitter conversation in a simpler way without ever having to login. It also has search functionalities that allow you to follow conversation streams. Download one of these desktop applications, and you will never have to use Twitter.com again. It is sort of like what Microsoft Outlook did for e-mail but for Twitter.
10. Download an Application for Your Smart Phone. If you have an iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, or another smartphone, or even an iPad, download a mobile application. This is a better option that using text messages and is similar to a desktop client. TwitterBerry, TweetDeck, Twidroid, Twitterific, PocketTweets are all good options.
11. Have Fun. Meet celebrities. Follow the news. Improve customer service. Ask for help. Promote something. Keep up with friends and family. Have a conversation. Meet people. Do it your way.
Aaron BLANK 