How to get started with Twitter

If you're just getting started with social media and the "Web 2.0" world, Twitter is a great place to be.You don't need to have any other presence on the Internet. You don't need a blog, articles, podcast,funny videos or anything to participate. The traffic is already there and the activity of Twitter is huge.There's a community of active people, and many of them are waiting to meet you. All you have to do isget started and take action.Twitter is known to some as "microblogging" but it's also very interactive and fast paced. Individual"Tweets" are limited to 140 characters so you need to be to the point and clear. It's a challengesometimes and it's also a great way to practice effective communication.As with all forms of social media, the twitter community doesn't respond to spam. If you just post abunch of messages marketing yourself, your product or your service, you'll get squelched before youknow it. Social media isn't run by a monarchy or a republic. It's a truely democratized system. You haveno more or less right to be there than anyone else, and that also means everyone has an equal right torespond to you or ignore you.This little guide to Twitter is intended to help you get started with the basics. It's not intended to be afully comprehensive guide to the entire Tiwtterverse. I am not going for a writing award here. My aim isto help you get started.So let's get started!

Create your account

How to get started with Twitter - 1

http://www.davesaunders.net

Before you can start using Twitter, you need to open an account.Visitwww.twitter.com, and click the button that says

Get Started--Join!

New account information

How to get started with Twitter - 2

http://www.davesaunders.net

In the next screen, you should see something that looks like this picture. You've probably seen most ofthis before too.Username is your account name and this is also the name by which everyone will see you in theTwitterverse. For reasons I'll explain later, you should keep this relatively short. Around 12 characters,or less, is a good target. If you're interested in promoting a business, you may feel inclined to select ausername like "makebigmoney."Resist the urge.In Twitterland, you're joining the community and your username is part of your public identity. So if youwant to show up as the guy in the ratty tweed sportcoat with the cheap tupe, then by all means use atacky username too. However, this is part of your brand, so use your own name, a simple nick name orsomething a little more creative.For example, I think

CoachDeb

(already taken) is a great username. It says a lot without saying toomuch.Doug Firebaugh uses

DougFirebaugh

as his username. Can't get much easier than that! Good choice.To finish your registration, come up with a password and enter your email address and then type theannoying characters (which I can hardly read at times) to prove that you're a super-human capable ofreading the computer equivalent of a 1 year old's writing (if that 1 year old is writing with his or her foot).Finally click,

I accept. Create my account

and you will move to the next page.

How to get started with Twitter - 3

http://www.davesaunders.net