Twitter has fast become a cool, exciting and profit yielding networking site. Millions of people tweet everyday on a myriad of subjects. It is indeed a micro blogging site for people who can’t stop “tweeting” or chatting. However, there are a few common mistakes that many first time users of Twitter commit. Before you join Twitter, it is good to know them and avoid them.

Having a picture other than yours as your avatar is the first and most common mistake that many people make. Most new users post funny picture company logos, or their pet’s pictures instead of their real picture. Even if your avatar picture is very cute, most people would find a real picture of you more personal and friendly. A real picture of you makes you seem real and confident in other’s eyes. If you’re going to upload a photo of yours, then choose the one where you are smiling, because a smile is the most appealing facial expression.

Direct messages sent through the autoDM tool are generally impersonal and assertive. Avoid using them, as they may lower your follower count. TweetLater is another such tool for automatic messaging, which sends messages automatically to those who follow you. A message which says ‘thanks for following me’ is good enough but sending impersonal and automated messages promoting your product will usually only generate a frown from others.

Do you have any followers over the network? If you want to have followers, create an interesting profile page that will charm people. Some other methods can be to follow others and to post updates frequently. If you keep following other people but fail to update your page, you won’t get many followers.

The answers and replies should be short and within 140 words. Answering even one Twitter question in a day will let others understand that you are paying attention to the community. You can even post trivial things, for example, your plans for the day or the night. Tweets are excellent tools for starting conversation, re-tweeting others, or to comment on others.

Check your numbers regularly. It’s not a good idea to follow many people if you have very few followers. Try to establish balance between the two. Follow the people who follow you, and try to make the people whom you follow your followers. This is a sure-shot way to establish friendship.

By using Tools like Tweetdeck, you don’t need to stay online round the clock. By using such tools, you can divide your followers into groups. This makes tracking them easy, especially if you receive a direct message or reply.

Using the site absolutely for marketing purpose will lead to a loss in followers. Twitter is a social network, and no one will be interested in a person who keeps talking about his business all the time. Respect others and their views too.

Before you start promoting your product, strengthen your relationship and learn the art of communication.  Don’t bombard people with promotions even if you have a good list of leads. Send marketing tweets only once in a while.

These are a few of the common mistakes that many tweeters, both old and new, make. Go through them, and try not to commit them yourselves.

Capitalizing on Twitter’s Popularity

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