What’s Twitter? Google has over 194,000,000 posts to answer that question. But, instead of reading tons of blogs and watching tons of videos, I’ve researched some of the best tips on learning what Twitter is, how to use it and how to maximize its use!

The Twitter.com support page actually uses this Howcast video to explain what Twitter is. And I have to agree, it explains it quite well:

Howcast video link!
(embedded video removed, seems to be messing with RSS functionality?!)
Well, now that you know what Twitter is, now what?

Make Connections

Once you’ve set up a username that suits you, it’s time to actually find people. Twitter has its own built in “Find People” function right at the top of the page that will help you out as explained in the Howcast video. But to dig further and with more purpose, I suggest the following sites:

TwitDir
WeFollow

These are two popular Twitter Directory sites that will assist you in finding more than enough followers. Of course, once you have a ton of followers, you might start to get overwhelmed. Thankfully, other Twitter users have developed desktop applications that will help you manage all your new friends. Some people suggest Seesmic, however my Twitter desktop app of choice is Tweetdeck. While it may not have the best interface and it may even slow down some older computers (depending on what settings you use), the companion iPhone app is amazing (and is cleaner than its desktop brother.) It will allow you to set groups so you can make it easier to read the tweets of all the people you are following.

Maintain Connections

Now that you’re following hundreds of other people using Twitter, it’s time to get the conversation going. Before you even get started, you might get confused by all the symbols and sayings that are plastered all over Twitter. Twitter’s support page once again has all the answers you need, but here’s a run down of the ones you’ll see the most:

@: You’ll see “@someone’s user name” A LOT. Whenever you see that, that means the tweet you are seeing is a reply directed at someone. Sometimes they will be out of context and part of another conversation, but sometimes they could be directed at you, so pay attention! Tweetdeck and the Twitter.com page allow you to see @replys directed at you for your convenience.

RT: This mean “Re-Tweet.” A retweet is the process of passing along someone else’s tweet. Apps like Tweetdeck will allow you to instantly retweet someone else’s tweet at the click of a button. Twitter is about sharing and retweeting is always a good way to share even more information and build good relationships with others using Twitter.

DM: Means “Direct Message” which is self explanatory. You can send these from someone’s profile page on Twitter.com or via whatever app you’re using. Bare in mind, DMs are also limited to Twitter’s character count!

Now that you’re following other users and know the lingo they’re all using, it’s time to tweet! While you may feel compelled to Tweet about your observations, but it’s best to not pollute Twitter with information not worth sharing. You most likely followed a bunch of friends and maybe even some people who are interested in the same activities as you. You’re no doubt following a celebrity or two, blog or book authors, people who share similar interests and maybe even some comedians and musicians. Why not tweet something that will entertain or enlighten some of those people? Being part of a social and active community is about sharing information, ideas and experiences. Sharing funny and interesting links. Showing people what you’re working on or what you’ve been doing lately. Or even engaging in conversation.

Once you’ve followed enough people (and once you have enough followers), the uses of Twitter will become more apparent. It can simply be a soap box for you or it can be a place where you can communicate with millions and make a change! Whatever you can get out of Twitter, make it something beneficial and worthwhile! It can be a place to learn, a place to share or a place to communicate and have fun. Like most things, Twitter is what you make of it.

In the next post, I’ll expand on what you can really do with Twitter and show you some of the applications, websites and businesses that are out there that make Twitter a powerful social tool. And feel free to add me on Twitter, I’m @ohjefframos.

And don’t forget to add my Facebook Fan Page to keep up to date with all my postings, links and discussions!

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