What Exactly Is Twitter?

Twitter is the 140 character messaging service that was originally developed for cell phones.

That’s the reason for the 140 character limit.

Today, the site has morphed into more of an online service that puts you in the virtual room with a large potential audience.

But what you’re probably wondering is how does this thing work?

Imagine a giant cocktail party

Who’s at the party? Everyone. There’s the punk kid from down the block, CEO’s, entrepreneurs and yes, even U.S. President Obama is there.

According to Compete.com – a site that analyzes U.S. web traffic – Twitter receives over 20 million unique visits every month. Collectively, people send approximately 50 million daily updates, and the number grows more and more with each passing day.

What will Twitter do for you exactly?

This depends on your specific goals. But in general terms, it gives you ACCESS, both on a personal and professional level. Twitter allows you to connect with people quickly and easily, people that you would never have been able to reach before. Most importantly this tool allows you to LISTEN. You’ll find out exactly how to cater to the needs of your audience.

And no, it’s not just people blabbering about what they had for dinner and their cats. Or what their cats had for dinner. It’s people sharing links, news, photos, ideas and directly and indirectly selling their stuff. Yes, those blabbering dinner and crazy cat people are there too, but you don’t need to worry about them.

Focus only on the people you want to know more about, that bring value to your network and the people you want to connect with down the line. These are the people whose messages, or updates–or tweets as they’re known on Twitter, you are interested in. This also includes people who would be a potential audience for your stuff, whatever that may be.

Back to how this thing works like a cocktail party

Imagine walking around the party listening in on everyone’s conversations. At first it’d seem pretty noisy until you zeroed in on a conversation you found interesting. Then you’d introduce yourself and join in. Once that conversation fizzles, you’d move on to the next.

That’s what it’s like on Twitter. There are people chatting away, sharing ideas, opinions and links to websites and blogs. You seek out the people talking about topics you’re interested in. Then you follow those people. ‘Following’ is Twitter’s fancy word for what you do when you want to see a person’s updates regularly. When people are interested in your updates, they become your followers.

With each new connection you make, you extend the potential of your network. These Twitter connections can lead to deeper conversations in other mediums, such as connecting through email, blogs, phone calls or face-to-face meetings. As with any relationship there’s always the possibility of adding a new customer, client, audience member or some other unforeseen benefit.

“This sounds like a giant time suck!”

The amount of time you spend on Twitter is entirely up to you. There are tools available – which we’ll discuss in the Advanced Twitter Strategy Guide – that’ll make your life much easier. Realistically, after some preparation, you can spend as little as 15-minutes a day on Twitter and start to see the benefit. But as with any endeavor, the more time you put in, the more benefits you reap.

If you do one thing after reading this guide…

If you haven’t already, go to Twitter and at least register your name and your company name. Because once it’s gone, it’s gone. And wouldn’t you rather have “you” be “you?”

Once you’re all set up and ready, you can get out there and mingle. You’ll find most people are friendly and welcoming. And, heck, you may even make some new friends!

“Is Twitter really worth it?”

Twitter holds potential. If used in an intelligent way, you can build an audience of people you may have never met otherwise. The only real limit is your creativity.

Personally, I’ve made connections that have turned into newsletter subscribers, people I’ve either met in person or have spoken with on the phone and of course, clients. These people have also started promoting my services for me. This spreads my work and my ideas to their followers.

Overall, it’s an easy way to connect with a targeted audience and also drive traffic to your website or blog. And as you’ll see in the Advanced Twitter Strategy Guide, there is a complete strategy for getting your work in front of the right eyeballs.

“Is there a wrong way to use Twitter?”

Some people think it’s a place to talk about what you’ve had for lunch. Others think it’s a touchy-feeling we’re going to change the world type of atmosphere. And yes, there are those who even want to show you how to make millions of dollars from single tweet. Who’s right?

They all are. That’s the beauty of Twitter.

Just like in the offline world, you seek out like-minded people. If you don’t like what someone else is doing, that’s okay. One click is all it takes to keep someone from bothering you.

If there’s no wrong way to use Twitter, is there a right way?

The platform is still new to everyone. There are no experts. Everyone is figuring it as we go along. We’re learning from each other. Failing, succeeding and having a good time. But just like anything that’s new it’s nice to get a little perspective. Which is why the Free Beginner’s Guide to Twitter will help ease your nerves.

Summing up

• Like a world-wide cocktail party, Twitter gives you access to people you otherwise may not have been able to reach.
• It may seem like a time waster, but there are tools that allow you to spend as little or as much time as you want making connections, driving traffic to your website and learning about your audience.
• Don’t be intimidated. Everyone is new and learning from one another.

Now grab yourself a cocktail, then download the Free Beginner’s Guide to Twitter. It’s time to get this party started.