Do you Twitter?

What?s Twitter and why should you care?? Well, today?s article is written by?my colleague, Shama Hyder of http://www.afterthelaunch.com.? She?s an online marketing expert and has partnered with me so I can offer my clients the latest information and tools on Web 2.0 and creating a powerful online presence.?

By the way, you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/missmerlyn

Here?s her take on Twitter:

Twitter: Why it Should Matter to You
by Shama Hyder

If you haven?t already heard of Twitter, you are probably hiding out in a cave! Twitter is the social media site which allows you only 140 characters at a time to convey your thoughts. Think of it like a huge ongoing chat room. Doesn?t sound too appealing you say? Keep reading!

1) Why Twitter?

Twitter is like having your own personal search engine. Once you build up enough followers, you can use Twitter to:

• quickly mastermind with others
• find resources and make friends
• share links to interesting articles (your own and others)
• learn what?s hot and relevant in your industry
• people watch online! (think e-cafe)
• drive traffic to your site (20% of After The Launch?s traffic comes from Twitter)

2) Get started!

Go to Twitter.com and setup an account. This takes less than a minute. Then add me as a friend by clicking ?Follow Me.? I will follow you back. This way you will have your first Twitter follower. You can follow whoever you like, but also have the option of keeping your own updates private. Meaning: you get to approve who follows your ?tweets? (or messages). Then, watch and learn. See who is saying what and contribute your own two-bit when relevant.

3) Manage your Time

It?s easy to get carried away with Twitter, but that?s not the best use of your time. When starting out, give it 15 minutes twice a day. Log on, see what?s happening, and have your say. Eventually, you will be able to find your own rhythm for tweeting. At first it can seem like noise, but over time (a few weeks), you will be able to start making connections and finding value.

Questions on Twitter ? Comments? Feel free to ask me on the blog at http://www.afterthelaunch.com.

? 2008 Shama Hyder and AfterTheLaunch.com?
Shama Hyder is an expert marketing consultant to independent professionals and professional service firms around the world. You can get her f?ree report, 101 Ways to Market your Business? at http://www.AfterTheLaunch.com.?

Source: Smart Business Owners