Ina’s Dollars From Home Blog

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Something that makes Twitter unique is that it is so current. It is both relevant and interesting and allows us to share bits of information about our everyday lives with friends, family and associates. It is like a mini blog to keep up to date with what’s happening to people you know. In other words a social networking service. This blog will tell you more about Twitter and you can even regard it as a Twitter guide for legitimate online businesses.

The beauty of Twitter is its simplicity. The sign-up procedure is very simple. Go to Twitter.com, click the green “Get Started - Join!” button, then fill in a short form and you are good to go. You can produce a brief Profile about yourself, add a link to your website and upload a photo. If you like you can change the background of your Twitter homepage.

So, what is Twitter about and what is it used for? Use this guide to help you get going.

At the top of your Twitter homepage there is a question which asks, “What are you doing?”. Below the question there is a field in which you can type your answer in no more than 140 characters. You can type anything you wish into the field. If you are commenting on something you have seen on another website you can include a link back to the website, which is one of the reasons why Twitter can be used for legitimate online businesses.

Once you have composed your update and clicked on the “Update” button, your message will appear at the top of your home page and on the pages of your followers.

So how do you get followers and build your network? One way to do that is to click the “Find People” link at the top of your Twitter homepage. You will then be presented with different choices for acquiring and selecting people who you would like to follow. For example, you can import you email contacts and start following anybody who already has a Twitter account.

In many cases, when you begin to follow somebody on Twitter they will reciprocate and so your network will begin to grow.

Another great way to find people on Twitter is by using Twellow.com. You can use keyword searches on Twellow to find and follow people on Twitter whose interests are related to yours.

Once you start following people you will be able to check out who they are following and who they are being followed by. If you want to keep on expanding your network you can start following those people too.

Every time somebody you are following post an update, you can send them a reply that will be seen by all your followers. Sending answers is a good way of fortifying your network so do not neglect of this feature of twitter. If you want to keep your reply private, click the message link in the right-hand column.

Internet Marketers have been quick to realize that Twitter offers a strong way of promoting their Internet Marketing businesses that is different from other social networking sites. However, the rules of other social networking sites also apply to Twitter. Do not bombard your followers with spam.

Make sure that your updates offers something of value, even if it is “only” entertainment value! By all means include your own links from time to time, particularly when you post an article to your website or blog, but at all times keep the accent on providing something of value to your network.

Twitter is an attractive tool for Internet marketers because it is fun to use, fast and efficient. So if you are serious about building an legitimate online business, don’t waste any more time asking about Twitter. Instead use this Twitter guide for your online business.