• Get Started on Twitter
• To Follow and Be Followed: The Basics
• Using Twitter to Land a Job

Get Started on Twitter

So you think you are ready—ready to join the fastest growing online community out there. Well let’s get you started. The set-up process is pretty straightforward as far as profile set-up goes. The actual functions of Twitter can get a little more complicated, but we cover those for you in the To Follow and Be Followed section. For now we are going to walk you through the basics of setting up your Twitter account.

1. Go to Twitter.com and click the “Get Started Now” button on the bottom of the screen.
2. This will prompt you to the “Join the Conversation” screen. Fill out your full name and username. We suggest using your first and last name with no space as your username for branding purposes. Examples of a good username are: JohnDoe, or John_Doe. After entering a password, email and the captcha hit the “Create my Account” button.
3. This brings you to the “See if your friends are on Twitter” screen. You can import contacts from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail, and MSN address books. Or you can
   “skip this step,” which is found at the bottom of the screen.
4. Twitter will funnel you through a screen that says “Look who else is here. Start following them!” This screen is just to show you a few of the bigger names/brands on Twitter and get you following people (which we will discuss in more detail later). You can also opt to skip this step.
5. Then hit the Finish button.
6. Twitter will drop you at your home page, and prompt you through the first few steps. It begins by asking you its premise question—“What are you doing?” which you answer in the box at the top of the page and hit “update.” That was your first Tweet! Congrats! You are now on Twitter!!
    

To Follow and Be Followed: The Basics

There are a number of approaches a user can take when deciding who to follow, who not to follow and how to use their Twitter stream. Some people believe in the open dialog approach, which means they attempt to follow everyone that follows them. Other’s believe in censoring the material they see in their feed, and keep the number of people they follow much lower then the number they hope to have follow them.

With that said this will always remain true—the more people you have following you is a sign of knowledge and expertise on Twitter. The main goal of Twitter really is to get the highest number of followers possible. This enables you to send your messages, links, and announcements to more people, which sets in motion the viral connections that make Twitter such a powerful networking tool.

So who should you be following? After you have entered your address books and seen if anyone you already know is on Twitter its time to—get social. You need to start seeking out twitter users that have the same interests as yourself, or possibly live in the same area as you do. Its all about building out your cyber-network. Here are a few ways to find people you should be engaging with:

Find People Function: The best way to begin this process is to use the “Find People” function on Twitter. On the top right navigation of your profile page you will see this text link. Click on it. You will see a few different options available to you, click on the far left “Find People” tab and enter a keyword in. For example if you live in Chicago, enter “Chicago” in and see what users also have Chicago on their profile, or if you are in “real estate” enter “real estate” and see who else has listed that as an interest. This is a great way to start connecting with users.

Mr. Tweet: Known as “Your Personal Networking Assistant for Twitter.” Mr. Tweet helps you easily build meaningful relationships by looking through your network and tweets. This application suggests good which of your followers you should be following back and are missing out on as well as makes recommendations on users he thinks are relevant to you.

Twitter Search:This search engine helps you filter out information you consider relevant. You can search a keyword or a phrase as well as user names and re-tweeted tweets. Twitter Search helps you filter all the real-time information coursing through the Twitter feed, and once you establish a user talking about something of interest to you, you can click through to their profile and begin following them.

Now who should you let follow you? Well the simple answer—anyone who wants to. Remember, the higher that number is, the more viral your tweets go. There are a few exceptions to this:

Spammers: Unfortunately, the spammer world caught on how to harass users. Often you will see requests from users that are either luring you to their profile page (often presenting only one tweet—a link to some scam/or legit site) or they are simply following you to get recognition. They can imitate big tweeters (twitter users with a high number of followers) or they can start entirely new accounts based off a fake alias. Either way its important to Block these users and notify Twitter of their account. Twitter has become far more proactive with their filtering of spammer accounts, hopefully someday they will no longer be such an issue.

Poachers/Harassers: Although less likely then Spammers, there are Twitter users out there with negative intentions for the tool. They are either poaching tweets or article ideas and spinning them off as their own, or they are simply picking fights by tweeting overtly controversial replies to your Tweets. Again the reaction is quite simple—just block them and go on your merry way.

Other then those examples I cant think of any reason you wouldn’t want someone following you. Instead, you should be encouraging new dialogs with members from all industries and locations in an attempt to pick up some of their followers with your witty tweets and informative posts.

There are dozens of tricks and tips on getting more followers, some of which can be found in the other Twitter Articles Worth Reading section posted below.
 

Using Twitter to Land a Job

Twitter really is one of the more revolutionary websites to come about. It may be simple in its 140 character structure, but the wealth of knowledge exchanged and the depth of relationships built is unparalleled by another social network/micro-blogging site. For jobseekers and companies looking to hire Twitter is a platform full of potential.

For the job seeker Twitter has a number of ways to help you land a job.

• One is the obvious connections you can make with people within a certain organization. You are able to use the Twitter Search function to seek out company representatives and establish relationships based on information sharing and sincerity.
• There are also a number of user/company accounts out there that host job listings. We have included links to these lists below. You can “follow” these accounts and have a running feed of the latest open positions in your specialty delivered to you.
• Lastly, you can ask for help. You can use your Twitter feed as a press release for your current job-seeking status. Simply tweet you skills and desired position and ask your followers to re-tweet in your best interest. The potential for that announcement to travel far is likely and the return of interest by those hiring may be the first step toward your next job.

For companies looking to hire Twitter holds a wealth of potential for you as well.

• You can keep a pulse on your industry and watch competitor hiring patterns, as well as follow general employment trends of those in your field.
• You can also go to Twitter search and search by keyword credentials of skill sets, to see who has tweeted that they are looking for a job that meets your needs.
• There are also user accounts set up for you assistance. Some of them have been included in the links below, but one in particular--@jobangels, is an account that posts by user, people looking for particular jobs. The goal is for one person to help another person land a job, and for a company looking for a specific candidate this is an easy screening process for you.

These are just a few specific ways that Twitter as a platform can assist people in finding their next job. However the real value is found in establishing a brand for yourself and support network of knowledgeable industry gurus around you. By broadening your skill set and pushing yourself to stay on top of the latest news and think outside the box, you are strengthening your resume, and that is an immeasurable success not often found in social networks.

Other Twitter Resources Worth Checking Out:

Twitip: The premier Twitter blog out there. Brought to you by Darren Rowse himself (aka @problogger) and covers advice, applications, and Twitter culture. By far one of the best resources out there on how to use Twitter and covers what the hype is all about.

Tweetdeck: Is a downloadable application many people use to handle multiple Twitter accounts or group out followers. It helps you efficiently employ Twitter and aims to take the abundance of information i.e twitter feeds, and breaking it down into more manageable bite sized pieces.

Great Resource List: Traffik'd put together 101 Twitter Resources that covers everything from search tools, to desktop apps to fun add-ons. Definitely worth checking out this list.