IDK, my BFF tumblr?

Yet another Twitter 101 post (but this one is actually useful you guys, I swear)

I’ve had a few people notice my recently uber-active Twitter account and subsequent increase in followers. They’ve all said they’d like to use Twitter more, but don’t understand how to get from just following their friends and Ellen DeGeneres to a diverse, active, useful and entertaining Twitter account.

This topic has been covered approximately one-bajillion times already. But since people have asked me, I though I’d share a few pointers that I’ve used myself.

First, follow people you know:

• Identify all the people you know who are on twitter and follow them. Friends, colleagues, people you’ve met at conferences or networking events, etc. People you have actually talked to in real life.
• After you’ve followed someone, send them an @ tweet. Whether you’re commenting on a recent tweet they’ve made, or just saying ‘Hi, I’m following you now”, make sure they know you exist on Twitter.
• Put all these people in a list*. I call my list “People” because I am just that creative.

* Twitter lists are great when you’re new to twitter. It keeps you from being overwhelmed by all the random tweets in your twitter stream, and it makes sure you don’t miss an important tweet from someone you actually care about. 

Second, write a great bio

• Hopefully you already have an avatar and bio**, but now it’s time to spice it up. Think of 3 or 4 interests you have. What are your hobbies? What do you do in your spare time? What topics fill your Google Reader? What news items do you keep up with?
• Include these interests in your bio, so people know what they’re getting into by following you.
• If you’re stuck, check out other people’s bios, and find some good ones you can model yours on.

** If you don’t have a basic bio, stop reading right now and go write one. If you don’t even have an avatar yet, you are banned from Twitter until you do.

Third, find random interesting people

• You already know what your interests are. Now it’s time to find people who have the same interests - people who write tweets that you will want to read.
• There are lots of websites dedicated to finding people to follow. Mashable has a good post outlining some of the best.
• Again, when you follow someone, send them an @ tweet. Try to write a little something about why you think they’re interesting so they know why you’re following them***.
• It’s a good idea to also put these people into lists sorted by interest.

***Please don’t act like a creeper when doing this.

Saving the best for last, ACTUALLY INTERACT WITH PEOPLE (ie: nobody likes a lurker).

• Now that you’ve got an interesting Twitter stream full of tweets relevant to your interests, it’s time to start engaging and interacting with your followers. 
• Tweet about something cool you’re working on, or share your thoughts on some recent news. 
• Reply to and comment on other people’s tweets, retweet ones that are interesting, share links to awesome things, etc.

And there you go! You are now four steps closer to being a Twitter superstar****.

**** Note: If you actually call yourself a Twitter Superstar, Social Media Guru, or any kind of ‘Ninja’, you are hereby banned from Twitter for life.