What is Twitter?
More and more people are asking this question, as they hear about their friends sending tweets, celebrities accumulating hundreds of thousands of online followers and the exploding industry of Twitter apps.
In simplest terms, Twitter is a “micro-blog,” for people who want to blog without composing and developing detailed posts. Twitter’s most basic use is to send updates on your status to people who are “following” your micro-posts, known as “tweets.” A tweet is limited to 140 characters, so you need to get to the point rather quickly.
While the basic application is very simple, the purposes and goals for tweets are expanding almost as quickly as the number of people who are registering accounts on Twitter. One big reason is the ease with which tweets can be sent and received via cell phones and mobile devices. Here’s how:
If you haven’t already signed up for an account, go to http://www.twitter.com and sign up. It’s free. Then, click the “settings” link at the top right of your page, and then look for the “devices” tab. Click it, and you will be prompted to enter your mobile device settings. You have the option to receive mobile tweets from all of the people you are following, or just selected followers. This gives you the option to use the service as a mobile text messaging service – communicating with a group, with the only cost being what your mobile service provider charges for text messages.
What is Twitter for a news organization? It’s a headline and update service. The 140-character limit is ideal for a headline and a hyperlink to a story page with more information for the reader. Many news organizations are using Twitter as a new way to drive traffic to their Web sites and increase reach and market share.
What is Twitter for an Internet marketer? It’s a way to increase audience for the product or service you are trying to promote. It’s easy to accumulate followers, because there are many people out there trying to build Twitter empires. The key for effective marketing through Twitter is to get followers who are actual people instead of accounts set up as “bots” for businesses. Most of those accounts are not checked or monitored regularly, meaning that any message you send to a “bot” basically falls on blind eyes.
How do you find quality followers? There’s a quick two-step process: 1) Sign up for an account with a Twitter service such as TweetLater, that helps you search for people in the Twitterverse by keywords in their tweets. This gives you leads on people who may share the interests with which you are trying to connect. Second, find a Twitter user in your same niche, be it interest or geographic, and start following the people who he or she is following. About 20 to 50 percent of those people will follow you back, building your base.
What is Twitter for a small business? It’s a new way to reach “hyperlocal” customers who are close enough to be able to respond to a product sale or a lunch or dinner special. OurNewsCafe.com is the leaders in this new, affordable way to laser-target your advertising. OurNewsCafe.com will create an optimized Web site, set up your social networking accounts, and find the “hyper local” followers in your niche. Visit OurNewsCafe.com for more information on what we can do for your business or organization.
