Why Twitter?

New to Twitter? We all are.

The addictive application appeared in March of 2006 and three years later, it winds up an essential tool with which to grow one’s business.

You can type up to 140 characters, max. And it is so invaluable that I want to discuss why you should join the party.

(The last two paragraphs have under 140 characters in them. At first, the character limitation is comparable to the challenges that Haiku presents, but after a few tweets you’ll get used to the brevity factor).

But why Twitter, you ask?

Because it is no longer just a social experiment but very essential tool. It’s not a “shorter version of Facebook,” as my Twitterilliterate friends put it. It is a viable online community within which essential tool, for the sake of your business, you must partake. Ten years ago, if you started your own brand of clothing, you might have owned a retail shop in your hometown to sell your goods. If your brand was offered the opportunity for exposure at a new shopping center in another city at no cost to you, would you have turned it down? Twitter is that that new, free retail space–but it’s online and it offers worldwide exposure.

A few notes on using Twitter:

1. When you post, your phrase-under-140-characters is called a “tweet.”

2. When Twitter users want to track your posts and interact with you, they will “follow” you. Not unlike Miley Cyrus, you, too, can have thousands of “followers.”

3. What is impolite in real life is impolite online. When promoting your company, do not post 43 tweets in 29 seconds–you will turn into Crazy Eddie or some such irritating salesperson and followers will be turned off. You’ll also be interrupting many conversations and people will unfollow you.

4. When you speak directly to anyone, their Twitter name is preceded by the “@” sign. Good usage: “Hey, @MCHammer, love those pants!” Bad usage: “Hey, MCHammer, look @ those pants!”

5. Understand that if you have yet to use Twitter, much of this won’t make any sense until you begin actively exploring it. When a Twitter user tries to explain it to non-users, the explanation is akin to describing why chocolate is good. You must try it to thoroughly understand it.

If you’re asking yourself whether you should join up or keep twittering–perhaps this post has not convinced you–then please note that Sir Richard Branson, President Barack Obama, Whole Foods, The Founding Moms, Jet Blue, Ringo Starr, and NASA all Twitter.

See you online, tweethearts.