If you are fairly new to Twitter, there are probably some things about it you don’t yet know, but that you need to know. Where Twitter is concerned ignorance is NOT bliss. In fact, break a rule or two and you can get your Twitter account suspended. I have not personally experienced this, but have seen many suspended accounts in a few short months of tweeting. Just from that casual observation I can tell you I don’t want to experience it!

OK… so your Twitter account is open and you have a few followers but you would like to have a lot more. As you look around on Twitter you see people with thousands of followers. In fact, about mid-month April 2009, one Ashton Kutcher became the first member of Twitter to have over one million followers. How did he do that? I haven’t a clue, but how to get one million followers is not what this article is about. I just wanted to point out that having a lot of followers is possible, if you do it right.

There are some guidelines at Twitter that you will need to observe. The first one is to realize that Twitter forces you to start slow. You need to try to balance your followers with those you are following. I’m not talking about the need to follow who is following you, but that the number of followers and those you are following stay fairly close. This is most important while those following you total less than 2000. Until you get to that number you will not normally be able to follow more than 2000 yourself.

Start by following people you know. Follow all of them as they are likely to follow you back. Then start to add others, that you don’t know, but might like to know. You can use Twitter’s search feature to find people with interests similar to yours. Follow them, but don’t follow too many each day. You will probably be ok to follow 50 new each day, or 10% above the number of your followers, whichever is larger. Once you get past the 2000 block imposed by Twitter you will be able to step this up a bit, but in any event you probably won’t want to follow more than 15% above the number of people following you. Twitter has some sort of stop in place, but they don’t let that out. Let’s assume you get to 5000 followers. That means you can follow around 5750. Since about 1/3 of the new people you follow will follow you back, that means of the 750 above 5000 about 250 will follow you back. Having a few over 8000 following me, I am following a little over 9000.

I don’t use any sort of qualifying to select who I will follow, except I follow people following interesting people. I make the assumption there will be common ground. I try and follow all the new people I am going to follow on Friday, and stop following all who are not following me back each Thursday. That way I am covering the weekend users and giving the weekday users several days to follow me back.

OK… time for some personal bias. I don’t follow anyone who does not have a picture posted to their Twitter profile. It does not necessarily have to be a picture of them, but there must be some picture posted. My reasoning here is that if they won’t even take the time to put up a picture, they probably are not serious about Twitter and probably won’t be around very long. Most of the time I won’t follow those who don’t have a person’s name. I like to avoid the strange ones out there. I also won’t follow any one with evidence of any sexual overtones. If I see any profanity in their posts I immediately un-follow. I don’t follow anyone with any sort of title in their name line, especially Dr. or PHD. The reason is simple… my experience has been that they don’t follow back.

All you really need to do is set a regular somewhat conservative routine of following and un-following and you will be into the big numbers before you know it. Happy Tweeting!

Now there’s a new tool that’s using viral marketing to build your Twitter following… it’s called “Tweeter Getter” – Here are some things you should know about this viral marketing system.

I started using Twitter Getter yesterday, and yes, it has already started building my Twitter follower list by about a 1,056 more followers. Now let me remind you, previously to yesterday I did not even have a Twitter account. The 1,056 followers are brand new in only 24 hours, on a brand new Twitter page.

I’ve also been seeing the followers list grow for others who started to market this viral tool, so I’m convinced it is indeed working and growing. I have to say that the day also bought me my record optins for my regular website which I have listed on Twitter. So to answer the question of does it bring traffic, I can say most definitely yes.

Because of the emails I received from well know internet marketers I have know for years and some great conversations with new followers who came to me from Twitter Getter, I really like the results. That’s why today I’ve started a quick marketing campaign for it, and a Backpage.com Ad campaign.. I think this is a unusual opportunity since it is so new, and I learned a long time ago that the first one in a new market usually wins.

At first, I hesitated to share Twitter Getter because I didn’t take the time… but after studying the Viral Marketing Capacity I decided to test it for a weekend. People always ask me about marketing ideas, and my answer is, test it, if if works keep doing it, but if not, trash it plain and simple..

My Twitter Getter Test started as a test to see if I could get quality visitors to my website. Now I’m happy I did because I am seeing that the list of followers that are joining from it are my exact target audience (business or marketing minded people)–I’ve even started developing some great discussions and relationships revolving around the services I offer so these Twitter followers are as good as they come. It is a pleasure to talk with these people because they are like minded business people.

Here’s What I Told My Computer Webmaster — If You Share This Tool Make sure it adds value to people’s lives and helps them to promote their passion. It’s an exciting opportunity to use a viral building tool like Tweeter Getter to help build an audience more quickly using a social site as new as Twitter .

This tool does have the potential to give you a short cut to building your Twitter follower list if you use it and share it. But, like anything else you have to promote it for it to work. You can send it to your list for them to test, you can buy pay per clicks, you can run ezine ads, you can write an article based on your experience of your test, and you could also post ads letting people know about your test results.

It is important to point out that as people join your list through Tweeter Getter, it is worthless to you unless you learn to create value for the people that are following you. As long as you do that, you’ll build long term quality relationships and generate business with Twitter Getter. I have found that those who join through Tweeter Getter are most likely business or marketing minded people who are open to improving their web presence. If that fits your business’ target market it is a good fit, and I always say to test it and let the results speak for themselves.

Brent is not alone; Barack Obama has been at it for ages…

Right now it is the place to be, it’s got the PR and the momentum but it does not have the revenue model at present and it’s purely venture capital funded.

To the uninitiated, messages are known as tweets and people who read your messages are called followers. Then there is the particular Twitter culture and mode of behaviour: sociability is enhanced by retweeting messages you find illuminating by rebroadcasting them to your followers. Among hardcore users, gratuitous self-promotion is frowned upon.

Twitter has stumbled upon a formula that a whole generation of internet start ups has been searching for: a way for people to connect with friends, express themselves and find information that stands a chance of one day becoming as popular as other mass online trends such as blogging and social networking.

Three years old, the Silicon Valley company only has 29 employees whilst the basic service will remain free, business users as on Linked In may be charged for extra functions. Meanwhile there is a viral network effect which is giving it great growth. The Twitter phenomenon has much to do with the fundamental simplicity of the idea. Operating at a juncture of blogging, texting and social networking, the service defies easy categorisation. “Because it is undergoing such rapid evolution, it’s hard to slap a label on it” says Peter Fenton a partner at Benchmark Capital, who has joined Twitter’s board.

Businesses have been keen to tap into a rapidly growing network like Twitter. The fact that users can choose which messages they want to receive could open the way to a new “opt-in” marketing says Bob Pearson of Dell. The computer maker for instance , issues a stream of tweets about new discounts on its products.

In summary Twitter’s six secrets of online success:

* Immediacy: Real-time flow of comments and adaptability to mobile handsets makes it more immediate than blogging.

* Brevity: Limiting messages to 140 characters makes it easier to produce and easier to digest.

* ‘Pull’ not ‘push’: The ability of users to choose whose tweets they follow makes it less random than email.

* Searchability: Messages can be searched, making the content more accessible than the comments on a social network.

* Mixing the public and the personal: A user’s personal contacts are on an equal footing with public figures.

* ‘Retweeting’: By copying and retransmitting messages, users can turn the network into a giant echo chamber.

* This past week Twitter has been in the news several times:

* Life or death – A snowboarder was found dead but Twitter had been used in the search and kept searchers up-to-date.

Twitter has been used very effectively to raise money for Comic Relief, after the Twestival and the current hitchhike of Twitchhiker, the TwitterTitters have compiled new book of comedy all this raising well deserved funds for Comic Relief.

On the commercial side-a US based IT company has developed a network of sensors that measure the amount of moisture in the soil and compares it to the optimum moisture level. This data is sent to a local network. The data is then turned into a text or Twitter message, to tell you when you need to water your plants. So how cool it is that your plants can now Twitter you to tell you they are thirsty!

Give it a go….

Find out which UK and US politicians use Twitter the most:

www.ft.com/twitteringclasses

and some well known Twitterers….

Will Carling

Russell Brand

Demi Moore

Chris Moyles

Britney Spears

Lance Armstrong

John Cleese

Snoop Dogg

Noel Edmonds

Bill Gates

Richard Branson

Jamie Oliver

Toby Young

Boris Johnson

Over to you, can interim management professionals afford not to join the Twittering classes?

Inspiration for this blog from the FT, The Observer, Computing and Metro, thank you.

To read the original post, go to Clive’s blog

However, for the savvy marketer Twitter offers an impressive opportunity. Consider this, you want to tell new customers or inform existing customers about what you have to offer. Many potential clients will only respond to an eye catching opening statement.

Twitter provides a unique way to provide a human touch to your marketing. If you want to direct potential readers to a new blog then provide a link in your Twitter post. Many bloggers and news organizations will Twitter their latest news for quick access by those who have signed up to follow the organization.

It’s amazing how much you can actually say in the condensed environment of 140 characters. You’ll have to think in headlines. Make the phrase interesting and engaging. Provide the direct link.

If you are working on something specific for your blog you might even consider progress reports or teasers that describe a small window on the topic you will be covering in a future blog post.

Many marketers have found that if you Twitter your blog entries immediately you can actually access potential site visitors faster than using Real Simple Syndication (RSS). You can Twitter by phone (either text or voice) and even set up your blog to automatically post a twitter when you’ve published.

The primary way to start Twittering is to sign up (it’s free). You may find immediate followers or you might seek out a few existing customers. As your Twitter traffic grows you will likely find that you will have more ‘followers’ than those you are following. For the marketer that’s exactly what you want. It may be difficult for you to follow everyone interested in what you have to offer so be happy to gain a large following and limit those you follow to those you are actually interested in knowing more about.

Twitter is casual, human and consistent. This allows you to keep in touch simply and pointedly. Customers may even welcome multiple short messages as opposed to something the size of an ezine.

When interested parties check on your profile they can see immediately several of your most recent posts. This will provide the impression needed to determine if they want to be followers.

Many websites will have buttons that allow visitors to share that page with others. This is also true with Twitter. You can add a Twitter button on your page and allow other users to send your information through their own micro-posts. It’s simple and viral. One visitor who takes your Twitter link and runs with it can turn your information into hot property in a short period of time.

Twitter is a microscopic add on that can have a profound impact on your marketing objectives. It can change the dynamics of site traffic and appeals to the fast paced media saturated culture that seems to live and die by sound bites.

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users updates known as tweets.
Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.
Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have joined up to receive them.
Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends .
Some smart folks have taken this to a higher level, A VERY profitable level.

One of these smart marketers is Bill Crosby.

So How Does Bill Profit From all these Followers? Well it is simple.
Bill says whenever he sends out a link to his disciples by Tweeting, he is getting 2% of his followers clicking on it immediately.
That is 400 FREE clicks within minutes!Imagine What thatt will do for your own business.

What Is The Twitter Traffic Machine Made Up Of?
The Twitter Traffic Machine is a collection of videos which may show you the way to automatically duplicate Bill’s success, using Twitter to explode your disciples thus your traffic.It is a completely automated twitter growth and cash generating system for folks who want to set up a system ONCE, forget it, and have it grow and make cash everyday.

From opening your twitter account to his automated traffic system.

I have applied the system to my twitter account and it’s working amazingly well.I myself was formerly not using twitter in my financial and it pains me how much traffic and moneyi could have had prior.
That is changing now that I have this product and am putting it to use.

You can find out more on the product at the main site.
Please Checkout Twitter Traffic Machine If you want to find out more about how you can easily Dominate in Twitter for Explosive Income Quickly.

Though money is the ultimate aim of building any website or settlement of any profession, the establishment of Twitter was not for this reason. Now it’s a common eagerness in almost everyone to know how Twitter can earn funds easily. Nowadays, everyone wants to make on the universal arena, the main question takes place “Can we get good friends through paying for them?” “Would Twitter charge from us for friends?”

Now Twitter is going to offer its wonderful services to make friends from all over the world through paying for them procedure. To begin such an excited service, Twitter is firm to build some suggestions adequate high-flying in the user knowledge. Moreover, it’s going to improve the excellence of free-of-cost references. Though these references are not able to attract all users in present conditions, they would prove amazing for them with the passage of time. The concept of providing service to make friends on behalf of some charges lets user think what is special in this offer?

In fact, folks don’t have so much time to stay anymore to find out the reasons why they should go with Twitter to make friends on a charging process. However, Twitter can prove a good platform for bloggers to search new friends for new scopes. In present times, Twitter has become more and more popular and so, the idea of making money through paying for friends doesn’t look a source of riches. In fact, people should think differently and special about this wonderful step of Twitter that is taken for sake of people.

Moreover, time will disclose what the new step of Kevin Thau brings for users! We can only hope for the best and expect something an exciting model in coming time that is not far from us. It’s also a great point to think whether people would like to spend some money in seeking friends while they can make friends without paying anything. Since the twitter is a renowned service provider, which takes care of users’ interests rather than its own. It can be anticipated that new launch in friendship field will also be rocking and advantageous for people who are regular visitors of the site.

Lastly, it’s not a good idea to pay for friends and I don’t think that Twitter has any sense of making money behind the new plan. So, it would be better to wait and watch the results that would be visible for everyone in coming times!