There are more social networking sites of different varieties out there than you can shake a stick at. But, if I had to choose one that is the most enjoyable, safest in terms of privacy and most effective in terms of internet marketing, I would choose Twitter hands down.
Unlike Facebook or other social networking sites where you invite “Friends” and it can become very interactive, Twitter is a one way broadcast of information. It is a micro-blog that lets you send out messages of no more than 140 characters. These messages may or may not include a link.
Some people use Twitter just for social purposes. They tweet what they’re eating for lunch and how they’re feeling right now. But, the day to day power of Twitter is in its use as a marketing tool. Acquiring a list of targeted Twitter followers is almost as good as having a targeted e-mail list.
Twitter also has a lot of unrelated third party sites that can make using it more enjoyable. SocialOomph and HootSuite are two such sites. You can also enhance your enjoyment of Twitter by designing or acquiring your own Twitter Background for your profile page.
With Twitter, you are more in control of your privacy. People can find you, but they can’t really do much to actually contact you unless you give them that information.
Because it is a little safer than some other social networking sites, it has been favoured by a lot of artists, musicians, authors and celebrities.
I follow a couple of my favourite celebrities on Twitter. One of them, Lindsay Lohan, has become famous for her Tweets. In fact, her Tweets have made the national news more than once.
Following a celebrity on Twitter is relatively safe for them, but gives fans a feeling of being in their inner circle. And, it is a way for celebrities and artists to do a little personalized marketing and public relations – just like any other internet marketer.
But, Lindsay Lohan along with a lot of other people have learned the dangers of tweeting the wrong information to the public when they publicly posted their locations, which enabled thieves to break into their homes when they were away.
You should take a lesson from their experiences when you consider what to tweet. Never tweet information about your location. Even private tweets can be intercepted. If people find out you are away from your house, you could be unwittingly sending an invitation to criminals.
In fact, it is better not to tweet a lot of personal information. In my opinion, Twitter is the most fun when it is being used by people who are promoting their websites and what they have to offer.
When you are building a targeted Twitter list, look for other people who are tweeting about your subject. Follow their followers. In general, when you look for people to follow make sure they have a fairly equal number of Followers Vs. Following. It’s good to have Twitter followers who follow you back.
Always keep in mind when you are on any social networking site, even a relatively safe one like Twitter, not to give out too much personal information either in your profile or in your Tweets.
