You aren’t alone. Lots of folks don’t understand what all the hype is about. So here are some suggestions for starting out on Twitter.
Like all social networking sites, Twitter is about building community. That means that people find what you have to say interesting for some reason. So the first thing you have to do is decide what your Twitter ‘personality’ is about. In my case, it’s mostly about staffing and career with a bit of writing in there; recruiting, resume construction, job leads/openings, articles of interest. It’s also about promoting *me*. I consider Twitter a marketing tool. I am using it to establish myself as a SME (Subject Matter Expert) in the areas I am concentrating on.
For people to find me, I need to post information of interest. Resume tips, job hunting etiquette and tools, articles of interest. I am selective about who I follow and who follows me. It’s about quality instead of quantity. I have a couple of hundred followers and folks I follow. Part of the ‘building community’ aspect is forwarding other people’s tweets, commenting on things I do or don’t agree on, occasionally responding privately to someone to build relationships.
Once you start tweeting enough, people that run searches will find your content and start watching you, following you, and sharing *your* posts. The more people that see you as a resource for valid and valuable information, the more you will get noticed and contacted for opinions and expertise.
It is similar to the ‘Answers’ section of LinkedIn, using 140 characters or less.
Try it for a couple of weeks. You don’t have to continue if it doesn’t seem to be netting you any success. Oh, and if you want to follow me, I’m @employeeze. />