Eggcerpts From Natalie: Do You Twitter?

Do you Twitter? Do you even know what it is?

As defined by Wikipedia, “Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send updates (otherwise known as tweets) which are text-based posts, ranging up to 140 characters long.” When a user logs in and views their profile page, all of the updates are displayed and is immediately sent to other users who have signed up to receive the updates as well.

Pros

-Free

-Large user base and growing

-You can stay in contact with family, friends, and co-workers anywhere you go

-Instant updates can be uploaded to your mobile phone

-You can block spammers and unpleasant characters

-Can work with Facebook

-Free publicity

Cons

-Updates must be 140 characters or less

-Can spread false information

-Can run up your text messaging bill

-No moderator

-Customer service is a nightmare

Susan:

I know I’ll upset a lot of people by saying this but…I just can’t get a handle on Twitter. I’ve tried. I succumbed to peer pressure and tried it for a few weeks. It’s like IM on steroids, with multiple conversations going on at once. For me, it’s a time suck I can’t afford.

That being said, I’ve heard many people, primarily bloggers, swear by Twitter. They use it to grow traffic on their site. There are rules, of course. Nobody likes someone who just hops on to promote themselves. You have to participate in the community.

Wendy Piersall, of Sparkplug CEO, has made friends via Twitter, and even met up with her new TwitterBuddies.

I’d love to hear success stories and tips on how to use Twitter without wasting all your time. Here’s an interesting video that gives some worthwhile advice on using Twitter. Enjoy.