SEO Hosting Blog

Written by: Eric Brantner on September 9, 2008 – 12:03 pm

The social media craze is at an all time high, and Twitter is at the forefront of it all. Although most of you reading this probably already have a Twitter account, I thought it’d be a good idea to help newbies get started on this social networking site. Hopefully, after reading this blog you’ll be well on your way to Tweeting to all your friends throughout the world.

What is Twitter?

Before I can help you with getting started on Twitter, it’s probably best to explain what it is. In short, Twitter is a social networking site that allows users to broadcast brief messages (under 140 characters) to all of their followers. The characters limit forces users to get to the point quickly. In short, it’s a great way to get time sensitive information out in an easily digestible format.

Your followers can then respond to your Tweets. One of the great things about Twitter is that responses come very quickly. It’s almost like a mixture of blogging and chatting.

Setting up Your Twitter Account

The first step to setting up your new Twitter account is to visit www.twitter.com. On this homepage, you’ll see a link for getting started and joining the network. Simply click this button, and you’re on your way to becoming a Tweeter.

From there, you fill out a basic form with your username, password, and email address. Consider what you want out of your screen name before you choose it. Is it for your business? Or is your account just for personal functions? Choose a name that best meets your needs.

After completing registration, it’s time to fill in your profile. Like everything on Twitter, brevity is the key. Include a link to your homepage and a short bio about you or your company. Since this is an SEO blog, I recommend placing a relevant keyword or 2 in your bio section. This will help users with similar interests find you.

Finding People to Follow

On Twitter, you “follow” people you’re interested in. I recommend following people who have similar interests. If you go through just blindly adding people, you’ll be forced to browse through a bunch of irrelevant Tweets every time you sign on.

To find people to follow, simply search for what you’re interested in. For instance, let’s suppose you were looking for fellow Houstonians who are into SEO. Search for Houston SEO, and see what users come up. When you find someone who interests you, click the “follow” button to add them as a friend.

Making Your First Tweet

At first, you’re bound to find the 140 character limit to be very restrictive. However, it’s a great way to ensure you’re not using a bunch of filler in your content. It keeps you on point.

I recommend finding good articles that your followers might be interested in reading and linking to them in some of your Tweets. Too many people get caught up in the notion of using Twitter to promote their own content. By linking out to sources other than yourself, you establish yourself as an authority in your industry. It also keeps you from looking like a spammer who is only interested in advertising their products and services.

By now, you have the information you need to get the ball rolling on Twitter. There is a lot more to using this network, but we’ll save that information for future posts. Start Tweeting, and you’ll get a feel for how great this social networking site really is.

Also, feel free to follow me at http://twitter.com/Eric_Brantner

Related posts:

• How To Add a Floating Footer Toolbar To Your Site
• How To Learn More About Twitter
• How to Get People to Notice Your Tweets
• 7 Ways to Get Your Twitter Followers to Click Your Links

Also Try Searching: getting started on twitter, social networking help, twitter tips