The Comprehensive Guide for the Twitter Newbie

What exactly *is* Twitter? And why do I need to use it?

I get this question from clients a lot. The other part of the Twitter question seems rooted in misconception. No wants to read you liveblogging your lunch! Until not too long ago, I was one of the people that didn’t really “get” Twitter.

Then I transitioned to virtual business. All of my fellow Virtual Assistants lauded Twitter for its abilities to connect you with people relevant to all areas of your business. I still didn’t really get it. Are potential clients interested in my lunch?

Then I started Tweeting. It was awkward at first- I wondered if my re-tweets looked funny, or if my links were interesting. It’s like all of the apprehension when you first blog, but Twitter-sized portions.

Twitter is the kind of thing you have to just jump into to really understand. Like many web-based trends, the benefits become apparent pretty quickly, and Tweeting gets easier when you build a relevant base of following/followers.

I came across this fantastic piece from the Wall Street Journal on Twitter. It covers a lot of the basics tenets of optimizing your Twitter energy. If you don’t feel like reading the piece, these were the points I found most impactful.

But I have to admit I didn’t understand the appeal of Twitter when I joined, at the prodding of friends, in November. One answer that explains its popularity: It’s not about chatting with your friends — it’s about promoting yourself.

I’d say it’s almost more accurate to say you’re cross-promoting. Twitter gives you ample opportunity to build professional relationships that are mutually beneficial.

So I asked a few colleagues for their Twitter addresses and began following them. I also searched their public lists of followers and who they followed.

This is a great tip- it sounds obvious, but use the “Find People” function and search.twitter.com. Look for people you know, public figures you admire, trade organizations. This is where a lot of your Twitter content will stem from.

I discovered that a better way to get followers was to tweet. Every time I tweeted, I got a surge of followers.

A thousand times yes- Twitter only really works for you if you’re participating.

To understand the medium, I studied others’ tweets. Former Time magazine writer Ana Marie Cox’s tweets are a poetic mix of moments like this: “Afternoon walk. Beautiful day, I now see.”

Another good way to get going is reading the Tweets of those you admire. While you may have a different Twitter style, it’s the best way to get familiar with the <140 concept.

The article goes on to link to a blog post by the much-followed Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. Hsieh makes a great case for how Twitter can be used to strengthen your message and your brand- but an even better example is his Twitter feed.

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