7 Tips to Get Started on Twitter: The Deceptively Simple Social Media Platform

The problem with the microblogging platform Twitter is that it’s deceptively simple, and this is partly true because each tweet is only 140 characters or less. So while it seems like it takes very little attention to tweet, it actually takes a planned strategy to be effective on Twitter.

But before you delve into your strategy, you should join Twitter if you haven’t already. And even this relatively simple step can be fraught with danger. (Some of you may already be on Twitter and don’t follow one or more of the tips below.)

So, here are my top Twitter tips for getting started on this social media platform right:

Sign up for Twitter only when you are ready to follow these steps:

1. Post a photo with your bio summary.

2. Choose a good Twitter username (it could be your name, your company name or your brand, but not something ridiculous – try to avoid using underscores and numbers – whatever capitalization you enter with the username, is the way your username will appear, although people can type with or without capitalization).

3. Put your real name in the NAME box in settings/account information. (Your Twitter username goes in the username box.)

4. Start slowly seeing what other people are tweeting instead of trying to amass 1,000 followers in a day and getting kicked off Twitter for “running spam.”

5. Include a URL if you have a website.

6. Write something interesting in your short bio instead of something silly.

7. Tweet at least two updates as soon as you upload your photo and write your short bio (160 characters).

Of course, there are many more tips for using Twitter on, but this will get you started. (If you’re a blogger, note that you can use third-party apps to automatically post your blog feeds to your Twitter account.)

And no matter what others say (and I’ve read the naysayers too), if, and I mean if, you learn how to use Twitter correctly and effectively, you’ll come to appreciate just how cool this online tool is.