Getting Started and Navigating Twitter

With the advent of the internet, social networks have taken over almost every aspect of our lives. They have been used not only in linking individuals to their friends, but also by businesses in linking them to their customers - both prospective and existing. One of the most popular social or micro-blogging networks is Twitter.

Author: Annetta Powell

With the advent of the internet, social networks have taken over almost every aspect of our lives. They have been used not only in linking individuals to their friends, but also by businesses in linking them to their customers - both prospective and existing. One of the most popular social or micro-blogging networks is Twitter. This micro-blogging network gives you an opportunity to connect with potential customers, new friends or anyone else. It has undergone tremendous growth, if the number of people on the network is anything to go by. More people are getting into the network and therefore it is imperative that you know how to get started navigating Twitter.

The first thing that you would need to do is to sign up with the network. At this stage, all you have to do is visit its website. The web page has easy to follow instructions and therefore you will not have problems at this stage. One thing that is of particular interest at this stage is the user name. You creating a user name that is in line with your particular branding message is very important.

Once you have filled in complete information on this page, you will be taken to the subsequent step which will help you to find friends. Bearing in mind that this is a social network, you can always import your list of contacts from the different email services just in case some of your contacts are on Twitter already. From this, you will be able to follow them and, if they are not in the service, you can invite them.

Once you have found some friends, Twitter will offer suggestions on popular users of the service that may be of interest to you and therefore it will give you the opportunity of following them. It is important to acknowledge that you are under no obligation to choose anyone from the list.

Once you have completed the set up, you will be directed to the Twitter stream from where you can join in the conversation and start tweeting. However, it is important that before you start tweeting, you ensure that your profile is in order. You need to click on the settings options in order to streamline your profile bio. Change your profile picture, because if it remains brown other users will misconstrue your tweet as a spam. The settings tab comes with numerous options and therefore it is important that you take your time to set it according to your likes and preferences.

Once you have customized your profile according to your likes and preferences, you are good to go as far as starting to tweet is concerned. Sending the first twitter may be confusing at first, but with more use of the service, you will find it easier. The message can be comprise of a maximum of 140 characters, and may be viewed by any person in the service. However, it will be directly broadcast only to your followers. You definitely will not have many followers at first, but the following gets bigger as time goes by.