Let me clear something up before I begin; I do not, by any means, consider myself an expert when it comes to Twitter. However, I have spent quite a bit of time exploring and learning on Twitter. Recently, I have come across quite a few clients that have yet to join the Twitter nation, and are so over whelmed by Twitter terminology, that they don’t even know where to begin. If you are brand-spakin new to Twitter, here are a few tips that can catch you up on your tweets.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a social networking site where you micro-blog. You are able to post up to 140 character messages, known as tweets, these appear on your profile page and are delivered to your followers (people who subscribe to your page).

Why Tweet?

Twitter is free, and it’s effective if done right.

So why join Twitter? Why not?! I bet your friends are doing it. Well, maybe not but your competitors are.

Many store owners are using Twitter as another way to interact with customers, "Twitter adds in another layer of intimacy that marketing in general often lacks. . . . It doesn’t just remind customers you’re here, it engages them." says Ann Handley, chief content officer at MarketingProfs (marketingprofs.com).

Just ask Jen Deaderick, of Cambridge, MA, who used Twitter to promote the grand opening of her new restaurant, Tupelo, and was blessed with a full house on opening night (Boston.com).

If you are ready to join the Twitter phenomenon, here are five easy steps to get you on the road to becoming a Twitter master.

1) Sign up

The first step in getting on Twitter is to create a username. If at all possible, use your website’s name (Twitter.com/EYStudios) as it’s what customers will try first. If that is not possible, maybe try your own name, or another version of your store’s name. Just be careful not to confuse your Followers.

2)Choose a Profile Picture

Next you will get to choose a picture to display beside your username. Some people use a picture of themselves; others use a version of their logo. Anything goes here, however, if it’s your stores Twitter then your logo will have more clout. If it’s your personal company Twitter (For example, say you are the CEO of doggie-planet.com) then a headshot of yourself may be your best bet.

To ensure that your picture shows up properly, use an image that is a perfect square and smaller than 700 kilobits.

3)Customize Your Page

I would advise against selecting "tile background". Every tiled background I have seen reminds me of a poorly designed website from 1995; it’s an eye sore.

If you have some skills you could attempt to make your own or you can always get one professionally designed. If not, any Twitter theme would work well.

To fit properly on wide monitors, your back ground will need to be 2048 x 1000 pixels, and smaller then 800 kilobits.

4)Promote it

There is no point in having a Twitter account if no one knows it exists. Add a Twitter link to your email signature, place a Twitter graphic in your left nav, or a widget on your blog to help increase your number of followers. Plus, you can always invite people to follow you.

5)Twitter Language

If you are brand new to Twitter, what you really need to know is how to reply, re-tweet, and tag.@EYStudios means reply or tweet directed at EYStudios

RT @EYStudios means re-tweet (repost) EYStudios recent tweet

#ecommerce #yahoostore #design are examples of hashtags. Adding a hashtag to any of your tweets allows it to be grouped into a certain topic. For example:

Trim, relaxed Leno says he's ready for prime-time http://bit.ly/eY9lI #news #yahoo

So this tweet will be categorized under "news" and "yahoo". You can search for tweets by topics (hashtags) by visiting hashtags.org

#FollowFriday is a popular hashtag on Twitter. For regular Tweeters, Friday is a day where you find people that you feel have interesting tweets and you promote their twitter profiles using the hashtag #followfriday. For example:

#followfriday for great #yahoostore advice @eystudios @bostonscott @mikeober @thesoftlanding @mashable

Want to learn more on hashtags? View a great article by Ben Parr of Mashable at Mashable.com.

Last but not least...

This video was produced last year from Common Craft, and it does a good job explaining the whole concept of "Twitter". It’s also fun, check it out at twitip.com.

Follow EYStudios

on Twitter!