Facebook is Our Second Sexual Revolution

What was the sexual revolution of the 1960's? While I wasn't old enough to really be aware of it, at its essence it changed the definition and etiquette of who it was OK to have sex with, right? There's a lot more to it than that, but that was one of the most basic and fundamental things that changed in that era, and after that shift happened, the definition and etiquette have continue to evolve and different age groups and social groups have their own ideas, but the sexual revolution, which was also really a social revolution transformed culture.

When people talk about Facebook and MySpace and Twitter and other social networking sites, a lot of people talk about how those sites will monetize social networking and those kinds of things in a more forward looking fashion.

Well I am here to tell you a second sexual, or at the very least a second social revolution, has already happened, and it's as simple as what happened in the '60s.

Facebook has changed the actual definition of the word "friend" for most people under 40, and a lot of people over 40. By fundamentally changing the definition of the word friend, people are shifting their ideas about privacy and communications. It has already happened. What we don't yet know is how that will transform our social work environments when 20-somethings have one set of standards and definitions of what is OK, communicating with a boss over 50 with a very different set of definitions and expectations of what's OK, it's going to be the 60's all over again, though probably a lot less psychedelic.

There's a new movie coming out next month called We Live In Public, it already won the best documentary at Sundance this year, and it's in the running for the Oscar. I have seen it and I really think it captures some of the good, as well as the dark side of this revolution. It's such a watershed moment in our culture, I think this movie is going to wake everyone up to what has already happened and it's going to force people to rethink where we are all headed.

What is TweetAdder? And Why Do You Need It?

TweetAdder is a twitter program that automates everything you would want to do with twitter. It will maintain multiple accounts. It sets up accounts to follow, leaving you to decide what and who you want to follow, by zip code, bio description, or tweet content. It will also allows you to set up 'to follow' another person's followers, or who other people are following.

You can download a free demo.

TweetAdder then allows you to follow these people...but more than that , it automatically 'signs you up' as a follower. You don't have to do it manually, as in other programs, which can be very time consuming.

It automates your welcome messages, allowing you to rotate welcome messages, and direct messages.

Most significantly, it allows you to automate your tweets to your followers, even scheduling those tweets for a specific time. Think of it: you can assemble a list of , say 20 'tweets', feed them into the tweet file, click the mouse, and those messages go out at various times over the next couple of days. Great if you're on vacation, or away for the weekend. This feature alone allows you to update other files, compose articles, or, my favorite, take a nap!

Building an excess of unfollows? TweetAdder allows you to automatically 'unfollow' those who have not 'followed' you back.. You can set this up for 1 day (the minimum) or longer. I like to keep it at 2 days. That's enough time for anyone to decide whether to follow me or not. If they haven't followed me by then, they probably never will.

All of this is automated. Set it and forget it, and you can do it for multiple accounts.

With Twitter Traffic Machine no longer available. (Why?), TweetAdder is one program that should be in use by every serious twitterer.

TweetAdder is not a free program: the price for a single account is $55....additional accounts add to the cost: 5 licenses will cost an additional $19. but you can easily upgrade if you need extra licenses. It 's the automatic 'following' signup that I like. While there are several free 'follow' programs, they require you to 'manually' select who you want to follow. That takes time. If you're managing multiple accounts, the automatic features of TweetAdder will save you some long hours of 'follows', unfollows, and tweets. There are other programs that do similar functions, but they charge a monthly fee: TweetAdder is a one-time fee; and the affiliate program pays 50% on the first level, and you even get 10% on the second level.

Easy Secret to Get You More Followers

All strategies aside, this is a quick little trick you can do to scoop up some more followers. This is an easy trick to do that requires very little time and effort on your part. The best part about all this is the fact that once you set yourself up, there isn't much to do except watch your followers grow.

Follow the Top 100 Profiles

This trick essentially involves following the top 100 Twitter users out there. The logic in this is that hundreds of thousands of people browse over these top 100 Twitter profiles every second of every day. They more often than not follow the followers of these popular top 100 users.

For example, the Twitter user Ashton Kutcher has over 3 million followers at this point and gets thousands of new followers every hour. After you follow him your name and picture is then placed at the top of his follower list and anyone who comes to follow his followers will more than likely follow you. After following the top 100 users I had experienced a 250 follower increase literally over night.

Of course your profile eventually gets lost in the crowd as more people follow them and eventually you will stop getting followers - usually after about 5-7 days. At this time you can simply game the system and re follow the top 100 to repeat the process.

Step 1: Go to Twitter Counter dot Com

Twitter Counter is the first place you want to go to. Once here you will want to click on the "Top 100". This takes you to the top 100 most popular Twitter users.

Aside from this there are a ton of different uses Twitter Counter can provide. I enjoy tracking my following and checking in on the trends that have developed. There are a lot of different features that make this site a very powerful tool. But right now, all we want to do is find the Top 100 list.

Step 2: Follow the Top 100

Allow Twitter Counter to access your account so you can follow right from the site. Now just go down the list and follow all 100 people. These are mostly celebrities, some politicians and movements but all of them have more than 1,000,000 followers so they are pretty popular.

Remember when you follow these people, you end up on the top of their following list. This way, when someone browses past their followers your profile will appear right on top.

Step 3: Rinse and Repeat

The entire success of this trick relies on the fact that you are going to be very visible at the top of these popular following list. People come through constantly and follow their followers, if you're on that list you're going to get a boat load of followers. Eventually you will end up moving down to the second, third, forth page and your followers will come to a halt from this trick. That's when it's time to rinse and repeat.

Most of these popular users will not follow you back. Since they won't establish mutuality this means you can use Huitter to easily un-follow the Top 100 after a few days or so. Simply go to Huitter dot com and un-follow people not following you and re follow the Top 100 to appear on the top of their list again. Repeat this process as many times as your heart desires.

Conclusion: Pros & Cons

Pros: It's an easy trick to do that takes no time or effort at all to do. It's worthwhile because of the quick exposure it will get you and the hefty boost to your following it will provide.

Cons: For one thing you have no control over who you follows you. Randoms, people who have no interest in what you've got, spam profiles and the works will begin to follow you.

All in all it is a worthwhile trick for anyone looking to quickly and easily boost their following. Especially if you're new and looking to push your new website, get it some exposure then this is something you might want to look into.

Social Networking Strategy - Communication is the Key!

LinkedIn

Many professional s are using this simple and effective website to display their resume credentials with picture and interests. Have the ability to join groups and ask questions on different topics.

You can also request referrals and request to speak to professionals in other networks via permission based email. Add people your network and grow you resources with your own social network.

Post updates , search for groups and connect with other in you network through existing connects ( with permission) Ask question to industry experts on different topics and join relative groups online.

Created your own online resume through easy to use template is great benefit you can update at your own convenience. There are also various types of online software that is available to upload presentations you have completed and search for answer by asking industry experts.

Have had the opportunity to locate previous co-workers and friends with easy to use networking addition feature.

Twitter

This social function allows you to type 140 characters of information from daily interests to links and website you may be connected to. Tweeting is simple and easy to do. You can have followers or follow others on the social networking journey. Many CEO, singers and actors can be found twitting on their daily happenings.

Recently many corporations have used the Twitter to keep their customer informed on company news and product and service launches.

You can also post links to other networking sites that you have posted information for followers to learn more about you in the social networking arena.

There are many other enhancement software you can find online to increase the people you want to have follow or have following you.

This is social website has its advantages in being an "connection" website to link people with other social website you are on, from posting links of articles or blog post of interest.

Facebook

Facebook has combination of resources to use. Taking approach of learning it step and step to create profile that is interested and engaging with your friends, make frequent updates and work toward building your profile.

Creating your own sub groups within the community where you can promote events to a specified inner circle of entrepreneurs and professionals.

You can add pictures of events you have attended to build you relationship with other and share what your interests. You can tie in your blog address to your profile and attach other blogs that you also read.

Promote events that you are planning to attend and share them with your group who are in the local vicinity.

The environment of friends you create will have an impact on the type of information you give and receive with you profile. Avoid playing games and participating in activities that could have potential to distract you

Connection of networks

Key goal is to combine the networks to create a strategy of interest which will lead to following.

Create interest

Share with your networks what you are doing. Do speak regularly or write articles online. Do you associate or promote people of interest who add value to people.

Promote Events

What events do you attend in your area and why. Take pictures of events and post them with brief explanation.

Create referrals

You have to create an appetite that your potential customer customers need to follow you and learn more about you. In all the above networks you can email and send message to your online professional's database. Email and ask them what they are doing and how you can assist.

Get Connected-Make it Happen

Get connected with the people who can bring value to you and your group and gradually learn and understand how you can bring value to them. Either by specific information or events of interest and in due time you can make great things happen!

We covered some simple steps to a productive and result oriented social experience is a process to being confident to try influence and understand how you deal with people online within the various social networks available above.

Great Ideas to Outsource LinkedIn

One of the important tools of any professional individual is LinkedIn. It keeps people from all sorts of industries connected. If you have exerted an extra effort to build your network, LinkedIn is sort of a directory of all the people you came in contact with. You can find updates and important information about them, especially with regards to their career. It paves way for career opportunities. Because you have a list of experts in your LinkedIn directory, it makes it easier to seek help regarding big business decisions. Currently, there are more than forty million members and the number is still increasing. These people constantly interact to share their ideas or knowledge about business.

When you want to outsource your account in LinkedIn, you have to select someone who has knowledge to create an outstanding profile and is able to create an impressive resume. It is the most basic yet significant stride in the creation of a LinkedIn account. Of course, to make certain that things are done correctly, you have to furnish that individual your resume. You have to emphasize important achievements and skills to make sure that these are incorporated in your LinkedIn profile.

The other thing that you should be reminded about your LinkedIn account is your profile photo. It should be a professional photo because this account is sort of your resume that other people are going to be reviewing. LinkedIn is one of the solutions to increase professional acquaintances. Let us cite this as an example. When you are going to organize a conference, you will be scouting for a comfortable place to accommodate it. Since you have an online directory of all your professional networks, you can just contact these people through LinkedIn. Who knows, because you are included in their list of networks, they can even provide you the place for free or at a discounted price. We all know that creating a network is two way. If you were able to give a favor, most likely, that favor can be returned.

Another thing to consider when you plan to outsource your LinkedIn account is to make sure that the person you are hiring is experienced. He could either be a writer by profession or someone who can express clearly. So if you know someone (an article writer), you may delegate this small task to make sure your LinkedIn account is flawless. That person doesn't need to have a LinkedIn account to know which specific feature to update. LinkedIn is user-friendly. It provides a step by step procedure to successfully create an outstanding profile. What you needed is that person's writing skills to market you or your business to other people.

So when you were able to outsource the task already, you also have to assess how well they did. There are times some information is missing, so you should let them know about it. Your ultimate goal here it to ensure that your LinkedIn account is precise. It is important for people to be able to read trustworthy materials.

The Rise of Social Networking Sites and Their Effects on Our Lives

Many social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have exploded in popularity over the last few years. Today, it seems hard to believe that these sites didn't even exist in 2003. So much has changed over the Internet in modern times. The avenues for entertainment are greater than they ever have been before, and I personally do not understand how anyone could ever be bored!

The debate rages on about how these social networking sites affect our health. Many people have made new friends or even met special mates on these social networking sites. Some studies suggest that Facebook or Twitter could actually be harmful to our social health. Instead of meeting people in person, we are spending more time in front of our computer screens checking out the latest info on John. I really do not see how anyone really cares when John goes to the bathroom or eats dinner. Some famous celebrities use Twitter too and use it constantly. As for me, I do not have a Twitter account because of the stupid ideas behind this site. I don't really want people to know what I am doing all day long.

There are other people who would argue that social networking sites are great for society. With these sites, we can keep up with our college friends that we have not seen in twenty plus years. We can keep up on who Keith is dating this week and where Mary parties on the weekends. There are no more questions about whether Johnny has broken up with Sally. If Johnny and Sally break up, we just see the changes on their relationship status on their Facebook profiles. This lets us gossip about Johnny and Sally without having to confirm with Johnny or Sally about their tragic breakup.

There are many other great benefits of social networking sites. We have to learn how to manage our time so we can use these sites in moderation. There is nothing worse than the person who needs to change their Twitter status six times a day, and most people could really care less about your algebra test on Tuesday.

Las Twitter - What Happens Here Does Not Stay Here

It was less than ten months ago that I re-arrived on Twitter. I say re-arrived rather than arrived, as the first time I glanced at it, it made zero sense. I was used to "simple rules and regulations" as had been set forth by facebook and other such social networks. I really didn't give it a lot of credence to Twitter at first.

At the same time, how could I ignore it? Every television or radio interview eventually seemed to lead to Twitter, and more times than not it was being mentioned in newspaper articles as well. There had to be something to this rather benign cyber-monster that was beyond my comprehension. So I decided to give it a little more time and this time ask questions. I am glad I did so as it led me to persons, many of whom are still my close friends, and even business associates, and I tend to meet new people right away.
There are a few things to know about Twitter (or any other social network). It is not the cozy quiet, static personal e-tool that it appears to be. What you type on Twitter does not stay there. In fact, it often appears on Google, MSN, Yahoo, and other search engines rather rapidly, sometimes within hours, depending on fast those particular spiders are operating on the day one is twittering. This can be used to your advantage or disadvantage.

For instance, as of this writing, I have almost 7,000 followers. I only communicate regularly with maybe 200-300 of them. I have discovered that Twitter, like any other social network is not too unlike a microcosm of our own real life community. There are people with similar likes, dislikes, values, morals, ethics, and you name it.

A lot of twitterers falsely believe that it is "all about getting more followers", when, in fact the opposite is often true. The real key is to find like-minded followers, and, even though be spontaneous in one's conversations on Twitter, also have some prepared keyword-rich tweets with a backlink (Google and other giant search engines love this) to be tweeted on a fairly regular basis. Google likes "like"; that is, they like to "see" you conversing with others with like-minded values, causes, businesses, interests, etc. as, to the Google-bots, it is noted that you are talking to others within your realm of knowledge. This can actually help pull up your site ranking as your words leak off of Twitter onto Google (and other major search engines).

The reason for the importance of the backlink to your page or particular product or service is so that when someone finds you on Google; it will not necessarily make the Googler click on the Google link, only to take them to your Twitter page; where they will have to click yet again, if they can find your backlink on your profile, to find out more information. Most would rather move on with their web surfing than take so much time. If you include a backlink, more often than not, Google and others will include it in the indexing allowing others to click directly to your site and/or blog. If you have a keyword-rich tweet along with it, all the better, as it helps the potential client know they do not have to go to Twitter, find your link, and yet click on another one (and perhaps even another one to find the particular product or service for which they are looking.

Though Twitter has become an important tool in the entire SEO (Search Engine Optimization) process, it is but one tool. To make it one's only tool is a big mistake. Though it may "rule" for the moment, what rules better is a combination of Twitter, Facebook blogging, article marketing, PPC (Pay Per click advertising), bookmarking, blog pinging, and a myriad of other elements that are ongoing. Did you know that the majority of actual buying decisions are not made on Twitter even, if the conversation originated there? Those are made by people who found your backlink and keyword-rich tweet, after it has leaked onto Google, MSN, Yahoo, or another engine, and, even then, often bookmarked and your page visited several times (in most cases).

Alas, don't be sad that with all your hard networking conversations on Twitter that this is not where most of the actual business transactions will happen. However, if you excluded Twitter altogether, chances are, they might not happen at all as there would be nothing to leak onto the search engines.

How to Build a Quality Business Network of Friends on Facebook

On a more personal note I feel that business networking on Facebook can be used for experts and newbies to grow their business. However, as with anything you need to learn how to properly build a network of business contacts and quality friends.

Building real good quality friends on Facebook is very important for your business. When starting out on Facebook a lot of newbies, have a tendency to add people to their friends list that really serves no purpose or value for connecting.

Today, I want to give you some quick ways to build your community of friends on Facebook and I want you to share your top ways of building your Facebook connections.

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Part 1
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1. Define your goal for your business on Facebook.

2. Define and create your social networking strategy on Facebook.

3. Build a professional and appealing profile on Facebook.

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Part 2
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1. Find quality connections on Facebook.

a) Do a direct search in your niche on Facebook.

b) Do a direct search in your niche group on Facebook.

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Part 3
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1. Get noticed as an expert on Facebook.

a) Create a Facebook fan page of your expertise, search engines love this.

b) Create a Facebook group for your niche to make connections.

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Part 4
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1. Create a company blog and link to your Facebook fan pages,and groups.

2. Create articles based on your niche on Facebook.

3. Create videos based on your niche on Facebook.

4. Make sure you add your Facebook profile badge on your websites, blogs, and other social networks.

5. Invite your high school connections, coworkers, business partners, and clients to connect with you on Facebook.

6. Make sure you participate in the Facebook groups you join regularly, so that everyone can get to know you.

I sure hope this has helped you to gain how important it is to build a quality list of friends on Facebook. I'm only sharing with you what has worked for me.

How Do I Get More Notice on Twitter

Is this question of how to maximize your exposure on Twitter a question to which you'd like to know the answer?

First, let's define our terms:

By exposure we mean positive exposure. And we mean positive exposure that promotes our brand, book or business.

Second, let's go over the basics:

We can assume that you've done all these set-up steps correctly:

- Provided your real name besides your Twitter username.

- Uploaded a good headshot of yourself and not a company logo.

- Written an interesting 160-character Twitter bio.

- Included one link where people can learn more about you.

- Uploaded a custom profile background that is NOT black or so dark that your bio information can't be read.

Third, we're ready to answer the question of maximizing your exposure on Twitter:

One important step is to grow your followers organically. In other words, do not use one of the get-Twitter-followers-instantly software programs.

As you grow organic followers (in part by using the search function on Twitter and tweetbeep.com to find who you are interested in connecting with), engage in conversation with these people. Do NOT immediately try to sell them anything.

I personally dislike the automatic "thanks for following" direct messages that I get because I know a software program has done this. I much prefer a public tweet that shows the person actually looked at my profile and found something there with which to connect.

Another important way to optimize your exposure on Twitter is to share links to other people's blog posts, news articles, websites that you find valuable. that your followers might find interesting.

Inject your own personality into this shared information rather than just giving the headline and link of the article.

A third important step to maximize your exposure on Twitter is to answer questions when they are asked. If someone asks a question in your area of expertise, supply the answer. For example, someone may tweet asking what article directories are effective. If you know the answer, tweet a public reply to that person. Your answer will help that person and any other people who see the tweet.

On the flip side, you don't want to hurt your exposure by constantly tweeting what you're eating for dinner (unless you are a chef) or that you can't think of anything about which to tweet.

To maximize your positive exposure on Twitter you should plan to do several informative tweets each day plus engage in conversation with a couple of people on Twitter each day. If you are actively sharing on Twitter, people will be interested in following you.

What Are the Perks of Social Networking

Social networking is one of today's most popular activities. It is something that can be done by both the young and old. And it doesn't matter whether you're a technology whiz or not, social networking can be a fun pastime for you.

Aside from being a good source of fun and entertainment, what other advantages does it has in store for its users? Below are several examples of social networking perks that you might find truly interesting.

It allows the creation of interconnected personal networks. It gives people the chance to establish contact with their family and friends, and even paves the way for some to meet other people they wouldn't have met in the course of their daily activities. Through it, relatives and friends in far away places are able to constantly keep in touch. Nowadays, there are quite a lot of social networking sites that offer free membership to interested individuals and groups. Some of these are MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Spoke. These websites are dedicated to social networking.

In today's highly modern world, social networks also serve as venues where one can establish business relationships and meet probable clients. For the business sector, this means more chances of meeting contacts. In addition to this, it is also a good place to meet people with the same interests, goals, principles, and passion as you. It opens up a world of opportunities that were never available to us before.

The networking sites can also be a good venue for you to publicized r advertise your products or your services. It is also used by some groups to gain supporters for their campaigns and promotion activities. Some groups and causes have even created their own accounts thereby allowing them to share their goals. There are also options for putting ads or banners in social networking pages, and doing this will mean being able to reach out to a greater number of people in different places/countries. This is especially helpful for those with international connections. It also makes it easier for you to get in touch with people across the globe.

Although it is true that the conventional way of communicating and dealing with business clients is still quite popular, the fact that social networking sites have become a truly reliable and ideal weapon for ensuring business and personal success cannot be taken for granted.

The Power of Twitter Twenius

A host of famous people from Larry King, Jesse Jane, Robby Gordon to Dave Navarro are making themselves ever more visible with Twitter. However, Twitter has more uses than that of just a great PR tool. It can and is being used locally to socialize. Believe it or not, your local city hall, Fire House, Coffee Shoppe, and and even your paper boy are actively using Twitter.

If not presently, in no time they will be. Amazingly, a trend is quickly spreading on Twitter. Serious businesses of all sizes are taking advantage of the possibilities.

With large companies like CNN, Travel Channel, and The Home Depot appearing on Twitter, it's hard to ignore. It is a well known fact that a great deal of business happens within social get together s' like parties, sports events, and many other places of entertainment and leisure.The possibilities are now endless and nearly effortless to participate and reap the benefits of a non-stop social club.

VP's of marketing are astounded that they have nearly replaced their PR firms, increased their website visits, and fostered strong partnerships with hefty patriarchs. Over 60% of marketers now use social media for more than 4 hours weekly and over 35% exceed more than 10 hours. With Twitter it is possible to closely measure statistics and results which in turn shows advertisers where to start with important inquiries to their market.

All of this info suggests that if you are a business owner, it's imperative that you get on Twitter immediately. It's all reasonably easy but with details. There is a bit of work involved once your on Twitter and are up and running. As with a anything you'll need a game plan to maximize your results.

The good news is, assistance is available. Dan Hollings, social media marketing expert and strategist, has spent more than a year in research and has tested Twitter business procedures. During his painstaking research period he constructed 100 very useful Twitter tips for business. He even conceived a toolbar which is compatible with PC and Mac. It includes over 235 tools and resources to maximize your Twitter ROI.

Twitter Twenius is his new training program and it is now available. I do suggest you visit Twitter and view the FAQs and Help section to give yourself a quick overview of this simple but powerful new marketing vehicle. It will probably take less than 15 minutes and will enlighten you as well as save you time as you proceed. It will assist you in becoming an expert Tweeter.

Manage Your Online Personality

Why 'Online Personality' Matters? In today's environment and culture, the online world is parallel to the real world. This is not what some people call augmented reality or virtual reality - An ever increasing part of the actual economic and social activity is being shifted to the online world, and as the old saying goes - 'If you are not there, you do not exist". One may even rephrase Descartes words, "Cogito Ergo Sum", and say "Web Ergo Sum".

OK, so the web is important, but what do you have to do about it? How can the web have an impact on you, and why do you need to bother to create a significant online personality?

Rule #1: Search Engine Presence

The story probably begins with the way people dig up information these days. Most of them use search engines, and more specifically Google. Whenever someone is trying to find out information about you, you'd better show up there. When might people look you up? Say you are applying for a job - There is just no way your future employer will NOT look you up in Google. Or try this, a different example, say you are dating someone - More than 80% of the single people Google the person that they are dating before the second date. That's a lot. You do not want embarrassing details about your past to show up there.

What to do about it? In the professional world, we call this SEO - Search Engine Optimization. Brands and website use SEO to promote their services on Google, but there is nothing stopping you from doing the same for yourself. If you are a professional you must appear on the top of the search results for queries related to your industry. If you are a regular joe - make sure you appear on top of the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) when someone is Googling your name. This is of course true and relevant for other search engines as well but the steps you will take to conquer the Google search results will probably help you do the same with Bing and Yahoo, so I wouldn't worry about those search engines specifically.

How to do it? The easiest solution would probably be to find an SEO company, but would probably an overkill for a personal SEO challenge. My tip - do it yourself. Research the subject online for a while (Google the word SEO as a first step...) and you will complete your task in a matter of weeks.

Rule #2: Your own Domain

We talked about promoting yourself on Google, but what should you promote? You can of course promote a blog or your social network profile, but your primary asset should be your own domain.

Take action now: Make sure your own domain name is not taken yet (use one of the top domain registars to do that), and buy the domain. I recommend using .com suffix to your domain name as it would help you rank up higher in Google, but if the .com is already taken use .net or .org. Try to avoid using .name or .info as Google tends to give them less priority in the index.

Domain is not enough. You also need something in the domain: As obvious as it may seem, some people just but a personal domain and leave it empty. While it does have some advantages (Like blocking the competition, other people with the same name, from using your domain), you do need some content there to rank high on Google.

So What content should I use on my website? You have quite a few options here:

1. Write a blog (See Rule #3 for more info)
2. Information page about yourself - Upload a good photo, write a few words and add links to your profile pages in social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Flickr.
3. Upload a few articles that you wrote and are relevant to what you do in life. If you are into photography, upload your best shots and a few tips about photography. If you are a bird watcher, tell about your best bird watching experiences. You get the idea...

Rule #3: Write a blog

A blog may your best chance to express yourself and establish your online personality gracefully. People blog today, they blog a lot, and there is a lot of clutter in this world. Your blog doesn't have to be the best, neither the most updated blog in the world - but having a blog matters. It gives you your own space in the online world, and that can make a big difference when people try to look you up and verify what type of person or professional are you.

What should you blog about? That's a fine question with a difficult answer -blog about your life, blog about your family, blog about your work, just blog. The more content you add to your blog, the more people will be able to find you online. Content matters online, and quantity of content matters even more. I'm not saying you just blog with no quality control - we are trying to establish your online persona here, and we don't want to make you look like a wacko, but you do need content.

OK, I want to blog - how do I do that - There is a range of possibilities. The easiest would be to open a blog with a free blogging service like Google's Blogger or Wordpress.com. A bit better would be to use a premium service like Live Journal or TypePad that feature a few more option and are somewhat more flexible. Lastly, the most expensive, but also most flexible option would be to use your own hosting and blogging program (Go for Wordpress.org or Movable Type). This way you can make sure your blog is super-customized, looks exactly the way you want it to, and it is very personal.

Make your blog rock: Without going into much detail, use web services such as Technorati to make your blog more successful. It is also important to track your blog's success with programs like Google Analytics to know just how many people actually visit your blog.

Rule #4: Social Networks work for you

Social networks are today's equivalent to yesterday's village square. You need to be there to tie connections with peers, clients and potential employers. It is important to make sure your profile is up to date and professional looking. Try to avoid stupid Status messages: "Joe is so Drunk Now" or "Derek is thinking about Vodka". These probably wouldn't bring you too far in terms of social network personality building.

Who should I friend? Obviously not everybody. Create a tight group of friends which include your actual RW (Real World) Friends, Colleagues and people that you do not know yet but do want to get to know in the future. Think about the way you approach these people. You should leverage your other relationships to find ways to get know people who will be your future-social-network-friend. Try something like this for your friendship request:

"Hi Dan. My name is David. I am a friend of X. He told me so much about you, and I think it would be great if we can keep in touch. Thanks, David".

Making personal friend invites almost guarantees the success of your request, so don't just try to befriend everybody with the default invite. Be personal. Be creative.

Which social networks should I go for? There are literally hundreds you can chose from. It mainly depends on where you live, and what are you into. Professionally - go for LinkedIn. In the UK - Bebo. In the US - Facebook. Music Lovers should go for MySpace, and Graphic Designers for DeviantArt. The list goes on and on. Do you research and explore. By the way, it never hurts to be on more than one social network. Just make sure to find the time for each and every network you decide to build your online personality in. Remember, a ghost profile never helps. On the contrary, it might even damage your efforts.

Rule #5: Be active in Web Forums

Social networks aren't enough when you want to make a true digital impact online. The places people actually look for info and make ties are actually the web forums. Is it super important to find the forums that matter to you, your clients and your peers, and leave a significant footprint there.

How do I find these forums? Super simple. Google them. Find the industry of your choice (let's say gardening). Now Google "Gardening forums" and scan the top 10 results. Open accounts in a few of them and engage in the conversation.

Few things to keep in mind - Be active but don't be pushy. Contribute useful information but don't overdo it. Be funny. Use cool smileys to make sure you are being heard in the conversation.

Last and most important - Be consistent

Building an online personality is not a one-off. It takes time (and some money) to do a good job here. Remember that you need to do this over time or your Google Ranking will be hurt. Use your personal domain as a hub for all your online activity, and link to articles, blogs, forums and discussions that you engage in.

The Advantages of Using Social Networking For Businesses

Social networking has become extremely popular in the past years as sites like MySpace and Facebook have become favorites worldwide. However, if it is used to be just a place where teenagers meet, things have changed now. In the past months, more and more businesses have discovered how these networking sites can help them communicate with potential clients/customers, employers, and even suppliers.

Somehow, from being mere tools of social interaction, social networks have become effective advertising alternatives. Facebook, for example, advertises a lot of products and services through the different applications it offers its users. Facebook users can also interact with other users either publicly or privately, and users are allowed to post video materials. Because sites like Facebook can keep you connected to as many people as possible, in any part of the world, your business will significantly improve its reach and its network. Therefore, you will have more chances to introduce your product or service to a diverse group of consumers.

These networking sites also provide a better alternative to big budget marketing. You won't have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to make your product known to the public. All that you need to do is get registered with a social networking site, invite people to add you up, and then voila!, your marketing strategy is at work!

Getting in touch with people through social networking sites will also help you save costs because you can contact potential clients or business associates through their email, or by leaving a message on their page; or you can give them a link to your website.

There are also forums and discussion boards where you can talk about your products and services. You can check on replies or messages from potential contacts anytime you want to.

Some social networking sites like Twitter allow users to communicate with each other faster, thereby saving significant time.

One of the best reasons for you to consider social networking for your business is that it allows you to establish a personal relationship with your contacts. Constant communication with them will help you get to know them better, and when this happens, you will be able to find out what their needs really are. Since you now understand your contacts better, you won't have a difficult time thinking about how you can satisfy them. The answer will be available with just a click of the mouse.

So whether your business is something that's relatively new; or one that is already well-established, social networking is one element that you will need to consider if you want to truly achieve success.

Twitter by Design

"The qualities that make Twitter seem inane and half-baked are what makes it so powerful" - Jonathan Zittrain, Harvard law professor and Internet expert

If someone asked you to describe to them what Twitter is, what would you say. It's probably one of the most misunderstood mediums of social networking ever invented. Once you learn the ropes, it's easier, but it's a difficult concept to grasp at first.

So how do you learn Twitter by just hanging out and posting. You don't, really. You have to understand some of the basic principles and really know the tools to use to be able to create your Twitter By Design empire.

So lets start by talking about some basic tips on posturing your tweets. Think about someone whose tweets you enjoy reading. What traits are contained in their words. Chances are they will be at least a few of the following:

* Always be friendly and engaging.
* Tweet in real time. Talk about things that are happening now.
* Know your followers. Ask questions. If you ask, they will answer.
* Find your voice. Don't try to be like someone else.
* Go back to when you were small and use that kind of language.
* Never try to impress with big words! (This is so important)
* retweet liberally
* Always be thinking about the needs of your followers
* . Most Importantly, NEVER EVER SPAM

Let's talk about RT's (Retweeting). Are you doing it. If not, maybe it's because you just don't understand how.

Retweeting is simply taking a post that someone else did and "retweeting" it, or broadcasting it, to your followers because you think it has value.

The proper form for a Retweet (RT) is this:

RT @original tweeter: Their original post - some words of wisdom from you about the post

(The extra words aren't necessary, but they add a little extra credibility if there's room).

If you're using the TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com) you can just click on the retweet button and add your own little words of wisdom at the end. It puts the whole tweet in proper form at the top for you.

What good is retweeting and what will it do for you and your branding process?

Retweeting content from another poster will help you create a bond with that person, which may ultimately lead them to retweet you, provided you are posting content worth retweeting. (It all comes down to value and content).

Retweeting content to your followers will lead them to good content from other tweeters. This will build your credibility with your followers also.

On that same topic, don't ever feel like sending your followers to another tweeter's site or blog will lose followers for you. You can only hike yourself up a notch in their eyes and position yourself as more of an expert to them.

A word of caution, don't ever retweet content that you don't believe in or find interesting yourself. Like attracts like. You don't want to start putting out content that's not truly "you," simply because you will begin attracting followers that are not on your wavelength. Keep it real and all will be good.

Most important, JUST HAVE FUN! Join the party and have a blast!

Debbie Wood is just an average, ordinary person who is creating an empire using the Power of the Internet, and showing others how to do the same.

Social Networking - The Top 3 Do's and Don'ts

In the world of marketing, social networking is an infant, a new frontier still being explored. But instead of a network of dusty trails, this frontier has fiberoptic highways carrying a stampede of electronic covered wagons hightailing it to the likes of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with the fervor of the California Gold Rush!

Whooooooaaaaaaa, Nellie. What's yer hurry? There is plenty a gold fer everybody and unlimited cyber real estate fer ya ta stake yer claim on.

While I firmly believe you need to get in the social media game and stay in it. I also believe it's best to do so according to your own plan and resist the temptation to follow the wagon ruts of self-anointed gurus touting the strategy du jour.

That being said, there are some basic ground rules that make sense to follow if you want to get positive results. Here are my recommendations for the top 3 do's and don'ts to incorporate into your social networking game plan.

Do

1. Start slow: Pick no more than three places for starters. The big three - LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter - are common choices, but a little research specific to your industry may reveal some equally viable substitute for one of these.

Hint: Twitter and Facebook are the hot tamales in terms of runaway growth right now so it makes sense to be there just to be in touch with what's happening on the cutting edge of the frontier.

2. Fill out your profiles and include a fairly recent photo. Give people the information they need to decide that you'll make a good connection for them.

3. Show up and be social. You don't have to be a slave to any of these sites. But you should commit to showing up at least a few times a week for 10 minutes.

Don't

1. Fall into the time warp hazard. In the beginning it is easy (and pretty common) to get a little addicted to tweets and updates. Once you get the hang of how it works, even social media skeptics report having fun. But before long, you may begin feeling enslaved by the endless stream of chatter and have second thoughts about this being a good idea. This is part of getting the hang of finding your comfort zone. Stick with it and I promise you'll find your sweet spot.

2. Succumb to the "Shiny Happy People Syndrome." I haven't heard anyone else talk about this, but it's real and I've seen it throw some people for a hefty loop. It happens when you start comparing yourself to the success that others are projecting. Remember, everyone is striving to put their best foot forward and that's a good thing. But please, keep it in perspective and resist the urge to measure your progress against someone else's yardstick.

3. Update hastily. The internet is forever. One rant or snipe posted in the heat of frustration or anger can undo weeks or months of trust and relationship-building. Once you tweet, there's no going back - you can't delete a sent tweet. Facebook and others do grant delete power; but even if you're quick on the delete draw, it may be too late to undo the damage in some places.

Follow these basics coming out of the gate and stick to them for the long haul and you'll be harvesting gold nuggets from your social networking efforts for a long time.

How to Get Followers on Twitter to Make Money

First of all, you need an automated system designed to get followers on Twitter to make money. By leveraging the power of an automated affiliate referral system, it's possible to grow a passive residual income virtually hands free!

All you need to do is work with a system that will do the work for you to put cash in your pocket.

Using a proprietary algorithm, you can seek out only the most interested Twitter users - People who have shown through their tweets and profile info that they are interested in increasing their followers and making money with Twitter.

Then, you can use a system that will automatically follow them for you and send them one of several variations of a personalized message.

It should be something like, "Hey (Twitter screename), I have been referred to follow you! I'd love a follow back!"

These messages are non-threatening and won't come across as a pitch to try and sell them something. It's just an invitation to return the follow. This type of non-threatening message is 99% more likely to work on Twitter with your potential followers!

First, it gets the person to follow you back, getting you more followers on Twitter and second, they will check out your affiliate link, getting you more cash on auto-pilot!

That's How To Get Followers On Twitter To Make Money!

People hate to be pitched, but they will be flattered and curious as to what your automated system is and why you are recommending it to them.

Following these targeted people and sending them a personalized message will do three (3) things:

1. It will get you more followers! A Twitter user will be substantially more likely to follow you back when you send them a personal message letting them know that you followed them.

2. It will make you more money! This type of personal message cannot be ignored. It will convince a very large percentage of these people to check out your affiliate link and then sign up under you, making you more money every month!

3. It will get every member who subscribes to the automated system more followers! As you all work together to spread the word about the system, more people become members and everyone in the network will get more followers.

In order to avoid spamming people, the automated system should be designed to follow and send messages to the number of people per day that you specify - only up to 20 per day. Additionally, because you will use several different variations of the personalized message, the system should never send the same message twice in one day from your account.

Even more powerfully than all that, if you create a public commission notification option, every time the system makes you money, a message similar to this should be sent out to Twitter with a public message to all of your Followers:

"Hey, everyone! I just made another $10 on auto-pilot using an automated system! Get more followers and earn cash on auto-pilot!"

Once the system is posting these messages for people all day long, their followers will not be able to stop themselves from wanting to know how they can make cash on auto-pilot. They will check out the affiliate link and sign up, which will create more revenue!

A viral Twitter Marketing System is by far, very powerful!

That's How To Get Followers On Twitter To Make Money!

New Social Networking Sites - They Can Help You Build Your Local Business

Unless you have thousands or millions of dollars to spend on a marketing campaign to start a business, or grow the one you already have, you must take a serious look at how to drive traffic to your website through new social networking sites and get on board the social media bandwagon. Don't limit yourself to outdated methods and old fashioned thinking.

Many businesses have an online presence. They build a website and hope that customers will come to them simply because they are on the internet. Things just don't happen that way. If you have name recognition the people who know you will find you, but if your idea is to build a new business or to expand the one you already have you must take steps to ensure that new customers will be able to find you. In order to do that you will have to learn some online marketing techniques and to create a marketing campaign that will not cost you anything more than the time you invest in applying what you will learn.

Did you know that you can upload videos to YouTube using a web cam built into your computer or you can buy one and attach it? You can then use search engine optimization keywords (popular words or phrases that people search for related to your business) to get the best available spot on Google's page rankings. This may sound complicated at first but it really isn't. If you learn to use and develop modern technology to your advantage you will be huge steps ahead of your competition. No one will do this for you, however.

To be successful using new social networking sites to build a business you must spend some time learning how to use YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. These sites are filled with virtual world communities of people who are looking for the things you are offering. They just need to know that you exist.

Why Twitter Software is a Good Investment For Your Business

Over the past year or so as I've learned more about Twitter and how it can help to grown a businesses, I've also learned about how time consuming the whole process of Twitter can actually be. There are only so many hours in the day to sit there and Tweet and add relevant and interesting followers!

While all the effort has been worth it, especially since I have added thousands of followers and and met many interesting people along the way. However, had I automated the process from the start I would have had more time to focus on content creation and on my actual business, which is kind of important.

If you could find a set it and forget it program that gave you access to over 20 million potential customers and gave you the ability to focus on other things, you'd be crazy to not take full advantage of these programs, right?

Many programs available today allow you to, with the click of a button, begin to follow thousands of targeted customers, many of whom will in turn follow you back. Also, there are several programs available that allow you to set up your Tweets ahead of time, so that you don't even have to be near a computer to reach thousands of potential customers.

So why aren't you using these programs? Is it because of the cost? If this is the case, please rest assured that after buying Hummingbird, I made back my investment in the program in less than four hours.

Stop wasting your time and invest in your business' future!

Separating Your Personal Life and Your Business With Facebook

Many people that have online businesses have climbed aboard the Facebook bandwagon as a means to web success. Plus, you probably have several friends and family members on the network that you share messages and photos with on a regular basis. Facebook makes it remarkably easy for you to share a wide range of content from the these photos to videos, and even use specially written applications to communicate in unique and interesting ways. As you can imagine, this can be a tremendous business aid in your online marketing and social media marketing efforts.

Creating Your Personal and Business Profiles

Unfortunately, this convenient access also makes it easy for certain parts of your account to be seen by people you don't really want them to see. One of the common challenges regarding Facebook usage is keeping your personal life separate from your business, and it is a concern facing more and more people who use the service for business.

Interestingly enough, it really isn't all that hard to keep the various aspects of your personal and business lives separated on Facebook, and there are included features such as friends lists and privacy settings that allow you to manage your different Facebook persona's more effectively.

The first step is to segregate your "friends" contacts into different lists. As you can see in the example above, you could create a custom group under which you could set up more specific groups. Of course there are many ways by which you can use the Facebook friends list, but one of its best features is the ability to label your contacts for ease in setting privacy options.

The Importance of Privacy Management

You may have two or more different Facebook friends lists (for business or personal use) depending on how extensively you use Facebook. You may have a list for people you don't know personally for instance, and another for friends that you know in real life. You may also assign contacts to lists for work relationships or business contacts. As you can see, you can get very detailed about the different categories that you place your contacts in.

The purpose of all these different friends lists is to be able to set access levels for each of these groups easily. While you may want to create smaller and more focused lists for contacts that you plan to message or tag regularly, you are pretty much able to make your lists as large as you want for privacy settings.

Friends lists can be created right from the Friends page, or you could select names while setting up your privacy options. You first choose the feature that you want to restrict access to and select the "customize" option from the menu. You could enter the name of the individual or the friends list that you want to block, or you could type in multiple names, upon which you will be asked to create a list. The Privacy settings for each list can then be changed by clicking on the appropriate link on the upper right of the Facebook page.

The beauty of this business solution is that no one on any of your lists will be able to tell that you have made changes to your access settings. You don't have to worry about any of your business contacts finding out that you have blocked them from certain parts of your account, nor will you have to worry about your personal details being seen by anyone other than the friends you select.

A Powerful Marketing Tool for Your Business

Another way to keep your business separate from your personal is by creating a Facebook Fan Page. The Fan Page is a powerful marketing tool that enables you to help build your business online. You can share your business and products with your customers and your fans, as well as post relevant links, news, updates and specials for your company. Once you get a fan base they will interact with your page and their comments and posts will be shared by their connections, giving you a very broad audience and a quick and easy way to market your services and products.

You may want to start by creating a page for your business so you can use this to promote and share your products and services. You may then want to create a Page Badge or a Page Feed to place on your website or your blog to further promote your services and capture a fan base.

Facebook can be an effective business solution for your online social marketing needs. It is always advisable to keep your business separate from your private life. That is not to say you can't personalize or humanize your business face for a more well-rounded profile.

How to Get Positive Results on Twitter by Being Authentic

Yeah, I know I know, you have this look on your face saying, "here is another self-styled guru, telling me to be authentic, yet once again, especially when taken in the context of Twitter and social media." But one has to admit that the self-styled gurus have something here. And that is what you are going to know, the moment you finish this article. Apart from that, you are going to know exactly how you can achieve this particular authenticity without looking like a grade A hypocrite and phony.

Now let us take this particular word authenticity, so the dictionary says that it means genuineness and accuracy. But according to me, it means you being just your suffer nobody else. The idea is that if anybody who you meet online meets you in real life, he does not go back disappointed thinking, "I quite expected something else. Man, what an unreal picture this guy gave of himself, online." That is exactly what the gurus mean when they talk about your being authentic.

Perhaps, you would just want to ask why would people want authenticity in you? You mean why would people prefer no-frills and no fancies, when they want to know about the real you? The reason is clear, a person is subconsciously going to buy from another person, who he trusts and likes. If you do not give people a chance to know you and like you, they are definitely not going to see you in reality. Many of us want to say, "I vant to be out alone," like the mysterious Garbo but it does not always work that way in business. Once you show people that you are real living breathing human being like they are, you are going to create a bond between them and you. That is the reason why they are going to click upon the links posted on your blogs. They are also going to respond to any messages posted by you.

So alright, this means that I have to show that I am real, I am authentic, and this is the way in which I can make people get to know me. But how do I go about doing exactly that? Just imagine that Twitter is a party where you just walked in without an invitation. Your job is to make friends and influence people. You listen to some conversations and join in them, after introducing yourself politely. Add your own witty bon mots to the conversation and make them laugh, cry, think, and generally leave a good impression behind. This is exactly what you are going to do on twitter. People who are really interested in you can be contacted personally by just contacting them with an @ sign before their username. Once you have a complete network, you can start telling them about your product, your business and services.

Self-promotion comes only after you have promoted someone successfully on Twitter. It is going to take some time before you see some really good results coming in on Twitter, but once the traffic starts, you are going to see profitable sales, and the sort of traffic you want, through twitter. So what stops you from jumping on the Twitter bandwagon and twitting right away?

How to Make Money Now With Social Networking

How does social networking work With SEO? This is an important part of the puzzle that will help you answer the question, "How to make money now online?" This is a question millions of entrepreneurs are asking themselves each day. We have the answers.

As more and more web users begin to use tags to find information (a tag is a keyword that a user associated with a website or blog, vs. a keyword that a search engine attributes to a website), SEO professionals cannot ignore the increasing dominance of the social networks.

However, you need to view the correlation between social networks and search engines as an effective and balanced union. Social networking gets you in front of people in ways other than through the typical search engines. People are locating their information through referrals or bookmarks/tags.

But the added, and perhaps more beneficial bonus, is that while you grow in popularity with social networks like Digg and MySpace, your search rankings will continue to increase as a result! Your popularity signals Google that you are an authority in your market according to your human audience. Adding the human touch will allow you to make money now online.

Three key elements come into play:

1)Article or Blog Promotion- Try and manage several blogs for your site (as well as article pages) that contain posts written purely to capture the imagination and interest of your niche market. For instance, if you sell dog beds, gifts, and items, develop a series of blog posts or articles that talk about a controversial or hot off the press topic that pet lovers either find highly valuable as an information resource, or highly intriguing or emotionally stimulating. Then promote it to various social bookmarking and blogging networks, as well as popular bloggers " who will then circulate the story and generate traffic back to your website.

2)Social Promotion- This is super effective for people who target teens, young adults, musicians, or other highly active social groups, You need to implement social promotion campaigns on networks like MySpace, FaceBook, Catch27, and CraigsList to spread the word about your business. Even if your niche does not target the myspace crowd, you can almost always devise a creative campaign to get the web buzzing.

3)Video submission- The importance of Youtube cannot be missed. Youtube is not just for teenagers seeking the latest SNL or stupid pet trick video. Many savvy marketers are using Youtube for promoting their business website. You can post a daily, weekly, monthly video crammed full of valuable information that your target market seeks. The videos can be very short but full of important information. The video can be as short as 3 minutes and as long as 30 minutes.

The content is the most important thing. Also, you are creating a following, so make certain your posts are consistent. If you say you are posting daily, post daily. Miss a day and you may lose a prospect or follower.

How to make money now?

You can make money now by using as many marketing aspects of the internet as possible at the same time and for an extended period of time. The duration of time your marketing efforts sustain is possibly the most important part of the puzzle.

Most people try several methods of marketing online and stop, only to see all their hard work getting thrown away time after time by the search engines. Try multiple marketing strategies, but continue the old ones so they have an opportunity to work. It takes time for the search engines to pick up on what you have done. These are important factors for new and seasoned marketers.

Twitter and Metcalfe's Law - Why It's Going to Keep Growing

Twitter and Metcalfe's Law don't seem to have much in common, at first. Metcalfe's law describes how the value of a network is affected by the number of nodes it has (specifically, how the more users a network has, the more connections are created by each new user), and the whole point of Twitter is that it isn't a network. It's just a way for people to communicate.

But Twitter has turned into a sort of network of its own. People use Twitter to talk to one another, or to search for new trends, and they integrate other services with it. Metcalfe's Law comes into play when you look at what happens every time Twitter adds a new service, or a new user.

At that point, Metcalfe's Law and Twitter come into collision: a new Twitter user can use any of the new services, or contact any existing user, or be contacted by any existing user. If there are ten million users, each new user creates ten million potential conversations. This means that each new user increases the value to the next user.

The math of Metcalfe's Law and Twitter gets even more complicated when you look at applications that use Twitter. Take Foursquare, for example: every new users of Foursquare makes Foursquare more popular within Twitter. And when that happens, Twitter becomes more attractive to new users-some of whom may end up using Foursquare! Twitter and Metcalfe's Law interact in an unpredictable way to make Twitter grow even faster than Metcalfe's Law would predict.

You can't analyze a phenomenon like Twitter without think of Metcalfe's Law. But just running the numbers isn't enough. You also have to understand the reasoning behind them, which shows that the numbers only tell the whole story if you know how to use them.

Byrne Hobart is a New Yorker with widely, perhaps even bizarrely varied interests. He writes from time to time about topics like SEO, social media marketing, Twitter, and Metcalfe's Law.

How Twitter Can Help You Grow Your Business

Twitter has quickly grown into one of the most important tool for almost any business that markets itself online. Whether it is a multi-billion dollar businesses like Comcast, Home Depot or Whole Foods, or typical "mom and pop" small businesses, it has become very apparent that Twitter is something you must take advantage of if you're looking to gain new customers and grow your company's bottom line.

The reason Twitter has become so popular with business owners and within social media circles is pretty obvious. With a user base of over 20 million people, and growing by hundreds of thousands each week, any business is sure to find tens of thousands of potential customers on Twitter, as well as many current customers.

The reason this is critically important is because Twitter allows your business -- again, no matter the size -- to begin to build relationships with new customers as well as keep old relationships going. It gives your customers a chance to learn more about your business, your offerings and what it is you're going to do for them.

Think about it: by using Twitter, you can send out a simple message stating you're having a sale, or announcing a brand new product, and have that message get out, for free, to potentially millions of people. That's some powerful stuff!

So, if you're looking to grown your business, make sure that you are harnessing the power of Twitter. If you're not, you're leaving thousands of customers and millions of dollars just sitting there for someone else!

What is Twitter Exactly?

Over the past year and a half, it seems no matter where you go someone is talking about Twitter. Whether it's some celebrity like Aston Kutcher, a big company like Whole Foods, or a little person like you or me, it seems as if everyone and everything is sharing themselves on Twitter.

But what is Twitter Exactly?

Twitter is a free micro-blogging service that allows its users to post short messages, called Tweets, which let the Tweeter communicate quickly with their friends, family, co-workers and business associates, or whoever happens to be following them. Oh, did I mention that these posts must be must be 140 characters or less?

Twitter is one of the fastest growing sites on the internet, with over 20 million current users and hundreds of thousands of people joining every day worldwide. In fact, according to recent data, this past February, Twitter was growing at over 1000% per month. That's pretty amazing!

People have found many uses for Twitter and their Tweets, using the service to do things ranging from letting their friends know what time to meet up for a movie to sharing a website with family members to staying in contact with customers.

Twitter has become a very powerful tool for business owners and internet marketers to find potential customers in their target niche and begin forming a relationship, even prior to making any sort of sale.

In fact, Twitter has become so important and so powerful that many active Twitter members even use professional software and services to grow their follower base and send out their Tweets.