So you've heard either great things about Twitter or bad things about Twitter, depending on the person you're talking to at the time. I personally think it's one of the best communication and sales tools out there for entrepreneurs today, and there are way more than 100,000 in the Portland area alone using Twitter today... and between 5,000 and 10,000 people a day are signing up for Twitter accounts, so perhaps it's time to explore how you might get started with it.

I use Twitter to stay connected with colleagues, learn from thought leaders around the globe, and immediately see breaking news during the workday. Although I don’t go there every day, I spend probably 10 minutes 3x a day checking into Twitter, consuming and sharing information...

It All Begins With a Name...

Your first step is to sign up for a Twitter account. Select a short username that will represent you and your brand well. I use @janetleejohnson because that’s my blog URL and the name I want people to find for me online.

Note: If you can still grab your company's brand name, do it. Even if you don't plan on being active on Twitter today. Just grab your brand name before someone else does.

Short usernames are best.Your username will appear any time someone refers… replies… or retweets you (more on that soon). As such, your name will use up valuable characters when someone does.

Most of the people I follow seem to have chosen their own names – or a derivative – as their Twitter username. If you want to be found in search under your own name, use it if you can. However, depending on what you want people in the Twitterverse to know or feel about you, you may want to have some fun:

• @CJtheDJ has a passion for music, most of all. And she shares it with her followers in her Tweets. Her name is both clever and descriptive.
• @pdxmama is a proud mom who Tweets about being a mom and being a technology marketer. Her name is also clever and descriptive.
• @petsaretalking obviously has a passion that she’s developed that's unusual and comes across quite descriptively and compellingly on Twitter
  

The @ symbol is how people (Tweeps) refer to, or reference others. It can get unnerving when you meet in person – gatherings are often called 'Tweetups' – with another Tweep and you refer to Twitterers in your conversations as @kveton or @thisKat instead of "Scott" or "Katherine." But you'll get used to it.

When the @ appears next to a username, you’ll see an automatic link to that person’s Twitter “home page.” So when you click on a name in a Tweet you’ll go right to the person's home page, where you can choose to follow them or not.

It’s Your Personal Page… Make it Interesting

Once you have your username picked out, please fill out your Account Settings using your real name in the Name… Settings. Twitter sends an email alert to you once someone follows you, and it’s nice to have a real name associated with a username. Also, the Twitter search algorithm is now such that names will appear in Google search results, so when you Google someone, it's likely their Tweets will appear at the top of the results page!

Pay particular attention to your Bio – you have 140 characters to entice me to follow you. If your bio is interesting, it might capture me in a moment!

Fill in your location and time zone to help others near you find and follow you, and put a link to your website or blog – it’s a free inbound link, and part of the benefit of being social.

If I’ve found you or you’ve followed me, I’m going to do three things:

1. Check out your bio – do you have something interesting/relevant/funny to say?
2. Read your most recent page of Tweets to see if I can learn something from you
3. If I’m on the fence from steps 1, 2, I’ll check out your blog/website to decide whether to follow or not.
   

Once your Account Settings are complete, click the Picture… tab and please upload a photo or a graphic to replace the little o_O default picture. Part of being social is customizing your space. Even if you choose an avatar instead of a photo, it’ll give people a glimpse into your personality. It’s okay to change your photo once in awhile, too. I think I’ve changed mine three or four times in the year that I’ve been Tweeting. It’s up to you!

Your Design tab will allow you to pick a preformatted background, or you can upload a photo (mine gets a lot of comments – it’s the Cave of Figs on the Amalfi Coast) to further personalize your page and entice people to be interested in you. Next up, the Art of the Follow...