New to Twitter? Tips for the Rookie

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.

10 Tips To Increase Your Twitter Followers

Twitter is a conversation. It is like walking into a coffee shop or a bar and sitting down next to a stranger.

My wife @LaceyYantis is a full-time wedding photographer. For the last two years she has repeatedly asked me what I get out of Twitter and why do I use it. About a month ago she created a username and password to understand Twitter’s fullest potential…and in about a month’s time she has 700+ followers. Realizing that social media is not a fad and that it is real, she now has a blog. Why did she do it?

Well, Twitter is a microblogging service that offers you the opportunity to expand your social network and build relationships. It has certainly helped me connect with people I never knew before and it has, for sure, helped me create new relationships. @LaceyYantis in one month’s time has already seen business growth as a direct result of her Tweeting effort. For me, I have developed new relationships with a variety of people in the community, including @ShaunaCausey, @GeekGiant, @PaulBalcerak, @FairmontOlympic, @SeattleChamber and @Mikulsky. If you want to increase your Twitter following, here are ways to do it:

Here are some tips:

1) In order to increase your following you must follow people. It is kind of an unwritten rule in the Twitter-sphere that if I follow you, you should follow me back. About 50 percent of Twitter users actually do this so that means you’ll just have to follow twice as many people to get 700 followers. @LaceyYantis is following about 1400 people; in return 700 are following her back. Follow as many people as possible.

2) Go to Twitter’s search tool and type in a topic. For instance, each day I spend some time talking to people that write about “Seattle”. Since @SeattleBlank is my Twitter handle, I find it relevant to talk to people that are conversing about the city I live, work and play in. After we spark a conversation, these folks usually follow me in return, and I’ll do the same.

3) Attend a Tweetup or a social media networking luncheon and meet people. Share your Twitter handles and increase your following.

4) Are you on Facebook? Update your status with a question about Twitter – ask your network – are you on Twitter? If so, leave me your @username and I’ll follow you. They’ll follow you back.

5) Get your users to RT (retweet) what you are saying. RTs pushes your Twitter username and profile into various social graphs, which result in direct push backs to your profile. People will RT what you say if it is powerful or useful. Say something that is powerful or find a news article or link that is useful and share it.

6) Don’t leave your bio and profile information blank. People want to connect with people on Twitter. If you are Tweeting for a company or organization, tell us who is behind the Twitter profile. While I want to interact with a company, I really want to interact with a person and know who I am talking to. I tend NOT to follow people who are CASHFORCARS or DOGLOVERS without a name behind the account.

7) Use your camera phone and take photos. Picture are one of the most heavily retweeted links are Twitter. If you use Seesmic or UberTwitter on your blackberry you can send pictures straight to Twitter on your phone. If you have an iPhone you should consider apps such as Tweetie or Twitterific.

8) Tweet about things that you are passionate about and # HASHTAG it. Good content coupled with a nice hashtag — or an easy way for people to find them may increase your following. Hashtag’s make it easy for people to search for key topics at Search.Twitter.com.

9) Use Qwitter and get an e-mail every time someone unfollows you. Do the deed and unfollow them back. :)

10) Just remember, Twitter is a conversation. It is like walking into a coffee shop or a bar and sitting down next to a stranger. Would you ask that stranger to purchase your product (right away) or would you engage in a conversation. Ask that person how are you doing? Who are you? What are you doing? What brings you here today? What do you do? Over time, you’ll get to know that person, you’ll have a relationship which will serve you better in the long run.

Happy Tweeting! If you read this blog post and are on Twitter, leave a comment here with your Twitter handle and I’ll follow you. I am sure others will do the same.