This video walks you through how to install a plugin for WordPress 2.7 (self-hosted) that displays your Twitter posts (called “tweets”) in your blog’s sidebar. I’m not doing this at the moment on Remarkablogger, as you can see, but I will when the new design comes out.

PS – WordPress SEO Secrets will no longer be available after tomorrow. Last chance.

As a relative “newbie” to the social networking scene (I sporadically use facebook and myspace, but thats about it), I was interested to try Twitter, a social networking and micro blogging site that has recently become popular with internet enthusiasts.

The program began as a research and development project inside a small San Fransisco start up, and was initially used as an inter-office communication tool (think instant messenger). It was officially launched online as Twitter in July of 2006.

The best way I can think to describe Twitter is that it is basically a public chat room, only instead of reading what everyone has to say, you can pick and choose who you listen to as well as who listens to you.

Creating and Customizing your Twitter Profile

So, when you sign up for Twitter, you are given the choice of a username, and your URL becomes www.twitter.com/yourusername. Pretty self explanatory. You can customize your site by either uploading your own background image (like BBGeeks did), or by choosing from a selection of preset templates.

You can also change the color of your text, background, links, sidebar, and sidebar border to coincide with your Twitter page’s overall theme. I chose the pre set aqua-and-red flower template – i felt that it most closely matched my personality.

Once you’ve customized your Twitter page design, you can set up your profile. The information required is pretty basic – it asks for your name, location, email, (one line) biography, and your home page. It also gives you an option to receive your messages (known on Twitter as “tweets” – cute right? I liked it.) on your cell phone, which I opted not to do, considering I already go over on my text message limit every month (I also have a blackberry, so I can get Twitter on my blackberry with Twitterberry). I suggest getting familiar with the Twitter website before you opt to go mobile.

The Ins and Outs of “Following”

Now that you’ve customized your Twitter profile page, you need to find people to “follow”. To “follow” someone means that anything that they write into Twitter appears on your homepage for you to read. Then, other Twitter users have the option to “follow” you, so that everything YOU type appears on their page. Just because you follow someone does not mean that they are required to follow you, and vice versa. For example, I have seen people that have 300 followers who only choose to follow 50 people. I’ve also seen people who follow 3000 people and only have 50 followers.

Finding People to Follow

I pretty quickly found some big-name Twitter users to follow, and I really enjoyed reading the comments that people made. Twitter does have a “find people” tool to find people to follow, but it’s pretty basic – you can either enter someone’s name or their location in order to find them.

One problem that I had with the program is that if you don’t already know people who use Twitter, you can’t filter your search to find people with similar interests to follow, so you pretty much have to start following random people, right? Wrong. Hidden at the very bottom of your Twitter home page, you’ll see a link labeled “search“. Not only can you search any generic search phrase, but you can also use special search operators and even do advanced searches.

For instance, if I wanted to find people interested in SEO within 15 miles of Manhattan, I can use the advanced search to do so.

How to Twitter

You have 3 options when leaving messages on twitter. Everything that you type into the “what are you doing?” box can be seen by anyone who can see your profile page.

You can talk to any specific user whether or not they are following you by typing @username followed by your message.

There are also direct messages, which are private messages to another user that no one else can see.

Twitter Privacy Options

Not everyone wants everyone to be able to read what they say, whether it be their boss, parents, or pain in the rear younger brother. Twitter gives you the option to lock your profile, keeping your updates visible only to the people you approve. This is supposed to keep your tweets out of the public view and search results, but sometimes leaks happen, so if you really don’t want any risk that what you Twitter will be seen, don’t Twitter it. Sometimes abstinence is the only way.

Final Thoughts

Twitter is a relatively new networking device and it has huge potential (as of October 2008 it had approximately 3,200,000 users) as a social and marketing tool, but it needs to tweak some things to be a little bit more friendly to the first time user.

If you’re using Twitter purely for social networking purposes, just like anything else, all you need is a little practice. The more you tweet, the more tweeting will make sense to you.

If you’re using Twitter for professional marketing or branding purposes, you might find reading a few of the following posts could help keep you from making any major mistakes.

• Using Twitter for “Small Brand” Branding
• Zappos and Twitter; a Case Study
• Using Twitter for Marketing and PR
• The Ultimate List of Twitter Tools

If you found this beginner’s crash course to Twitter helpful, feel free to follow me. Considering that I’m still getting the hang of this myself, we can screw things up together on our way to becoming Twitter elite.

Deanna de Bara is an Account Manager at Sugarrae and contributing writer to their often controversial Internet Marketing Blog. When not poring over SEO related posts and patents, Deanna can be found snowboarding in Colorado or loudly cheering on the Jets in her native New York.

After all, what do geeks love more than shiny new tech? Not much, that’s for sure. The farther ahead you can get on the early adoption timeline, the more of a leader you appear to be. If you get the beta invite and then invite your friends to the newest service, who is leading and who is following in that scenario?

As a tech blogger, the other people who are using the newest of the new in social media (or anything with a profile page) are your prime audience members or at least your peers. Consider this: most people don’t know what a blog is (still! I know, I know). Fewer ever leave comments on blogs. Fewer still are on Facebook or Twitter. Of those people, even fewer are on the newest of the new services, like Plurk.

These are the people who get the beta invites before anyone else (and they usually can then invite others). These are the people who write the first posts on this stuff, which get linked to and echoed throughout the blogosphere. These are the people everybody friends and follows (yes, I used “friend” as a verb–get used to it).

Tech people love new tech, so if you’re blogging about tech, you need to live at the thin leading edge of social media, because blogging at its core is social.

And talk about topic material! You could write a post at least once a week reviewing some new service or other. If the service is new enough, your post just might be the one that gets linked to and inspires other posts.

Even if you’re not a tech blogger (I’m not) you may find it worthwhile to play this particular game, simply because there are always the same highly influential people to be found in these places. Rubbing shoulders with them is certainly not a bad thing. In fact, you will find that many people using these brand new services are not tech bloggers themselves, but the tech culture is very important to them. This is highly beneficial for tech bloggers, sure, but it can be great for not-so-tech bloggers, too.

So is this some secret society of the elite, where only certain people are allowed? Heck, no. You just have to know what news sources to pay attention to, and then when they announce that beta invites are available, you pounce on them. Here are some links you should know about to keep you at the edge of tech social media:

• TechCrunch, but even better: follow Arrington on Twitter, where news often breaks first, before posting on the blog
• Plurk, one of the newest of the new social media spaces
• FriendFeed, a life-streaming all-in-one social media feed service

If you’re thinking that’s a really short list, well, it is. But that’s the point. This is the bleeding edge, after all. Using these will expose you to other new sources all the time. You want more signal and less noise. No doubt there are a few more I don’t know about. All suggestions are welcome in the comments.

Social media helps grow your blog in several important ways. With all the social media hoopla (and in some cases, backlash), I wanted to write a clear explanation for you about the relationship between social media and blogging. If you’ve just recently discovered blogging, and are still puzzled by social media, this post is for you. If you’re a blogging and social media veteran, I suggest you send the link for this post to your struggling friends and family. Now, on with the show…

What is Social Media?

I could get into trouble for this, but to hell with that. I’m going to define social media my own way:

Social media is generally internet and mobile communications services that provide a platform for messaging and other interactions between people in a selected group.

Let’s break that down, shall we?

Generally internet and mobile communications services: Most social media comes in the form of a service provided by a website and/or a mobile phone service. StumbleUpon is on the web, but Twitter is used heavily both on the web and by mobile device.

Provide a platform for messaging and other interactions: One chief component of all social media is messaging in various forms. Messaging can be time-delayed, like how comments can only be left one at a time. You can’t respond to a comment at the same time the other person is writing it. Messaging can also be live, with everyone conversing at the same time, like chat or a shared whiteboard on the web. Any social media service you look at will provide at least one or more forms of messaging. The different ways in which messaging is done are numerous.

Between people in a selected group: Social media nearly always requires that you associate yourself with a limited group. Groups are defined by users selecting other users as friends and by keywords, like robotics or Coldplay. In some cases, the entire social media network may be designed to appeal only to people of a certain group, such as gardeners. So you have friends/followers/buddy list and a series of keywords/tags/categories that you use to identify and associate yourself.

Social Media Extends Your Internet Presence

By engaging in social media, your presence online is not limited to your own website. I consider blogs with commenting as a form of social media. When you leave a comment at another blog, you’ve just created a new outlet for others to see you. If you create a StumbleUpon or Facebook account, you’ve just generated more exposure for yourself.

The recluse who stays hidden at home is never known or cared about by anyone, but the social gadfly who hangs out with friends and attends social events around the town is well-known and liked by everyone.

Social Media Provides Links to Your Blog

Not only does social media extend your brand online, each new social media profile page, post, tweet, whatever, is a link back to you. Social media is more than just putting yourself in front of others to gain exposure, it’s a portal for others to click through to you. Social media is also a lot of fun and, well, social… but we’re specifically talking about how social media helps your blog, so let’s stay on track (but you see, that’s an important difference between social media and other forms of marketing–fiddling with AdWords isn’t most people’s idea of fun).

Each interaction with others on social media gives them an opportunity to click through to your profile page you have with that social media service. On that profile page, invariably, is a link back to your website. If what you’re doing in the social media space is valuable and intriguing to others, they will click through and visit your blog. And if your blog is then providing valuable content, they will subscribe. See how that works? Pretty cool.

StumbleUpon and Twitter are two of the highest sources of traffic for Remarkablogger, as seen below in this Google Analytics screenshot from March of this year to the present:

Social Media Puts You Where the Action Is

The conversation is taking place, with or without you. Which do you prefer? Social media (along with blogs) is where the people are online. If you’re not at the party, you are missing out. You are missing opportunities to put yourself in front of others, provide links back to yourself, and have interactions with others that could lead to opportunities. In many ways it’s a lot like in-person networking events.

Criticisms fired at people heavily involved in social media include: ” it’s just a popularity contest” and “all those thousands of friends aren’t your real friends.” There is some truth to those criticisms, but like much of life, it’s not that simple. What is simple and irrefutable is this: if you’re seen, known, and provide value wherever you go online, you (and your blog) will benefit in visitors, subscribers, links, and opportunities.

If you didn’t subscribe to my blog or if you’re not following me on Twitter, you will not know if your number was drawn! Too bad for you, great news for somebody else who’s paying attention!

If you’re a winner, please contact me or “@” message me on Twitter.

Twhirl is a rockin’ desktop program for Twitter, the part micro-blog/part chat web service started by the guys who created Blogger. Twitter is taking the blogosphere by storm, but using it over the web is not without its hiccups. It’s difficult to really keep up with a conversation over the web, as you have to keep reloading the page.

As you will see in this 20-minute video tutorial, Twhirl makes using Twitter much easier (and even more addictive). Enjoy!

You’ll want to watch this one full-screen — click the arrows at the upper right of the video.

I’ve had some interesting conversations with clients and others who are having a difficult time really understanding how to use Twitter–even some basic things like what is all the stuff on the screen.

I realized there’s some assumed knowledge and background experience that gets taken for granted by many people. Even the folks who created Twitter probably had in mind that it was going to used by people who are comfortable and experienced on the Web.

So I made a video tutorial on the basics of how to use Twitter. Here’s what you’ll find in the video:

• What’s on the screen
• Twitter terms like “tweet” and “timeline”
• How to post on Twitter
• How to favorite a post
• How to reply to another person
• How to direct message another person

Coming Up

Here are some other videos on Twitter you’ll see here on Remarkablogger:

• How to create a Twitter account and add follow others
• How to customize your Twitter profile page
• How to download and install Twhirl
• How to get the most out of Twhirl

Be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss them!

What do You Want to See?

If you have any requests for a video you’d like to see (Twitter or otherwise) let me know in the comments below or you can contact me.

This is a guest post by AJ Vaynerchuk. Go visit his blog when you’re done reading it and show the man some love!

Twitter can be a great tool for keeping up with friends, hearing the latest news, and self-promotion. There are a ton of “big-name” bloggers using twitter, but not all of them are optimizing their experience. These same big-name bloggers need to realize that their brand is searched often, and more often than not Twitter ranks highly in Google for these terms. That being said, here are 8 common mistakes some bloggers make while using twitter:

1.) Some Bloggers Misuse the Avatar

Twitter gives the user an option of adding an avatar. The avatar may be small (48px by 48px) but it still holds major branding opportunities. Just today, Chris Brogan stated, “our icon, our avatar, our little square to show who we are matters too.” The most important function of the avatar is the fact that many users use avatars as a means of scanning through tweets. Rather than reading the user name, it is much easier for an individual to associate a tweet to a visual. Instead of choosing a random picture for your avatar, consider using a picture that best represents your brand – either your logo, or a picture of you.

2.) Some Bloggers Under Utilize the Bio

The right sidebar on Twitter provides viewers with some basic information of the user. First comes the name, then the location, then the website, and finally the bio. Most bloggers get the first three parts right, but more often than not, these same bloggers botch the fourth part. Rather than using all 160 characters on a short description about yourself, you should use no more than 5 words to describe yourself and then provide a link to the about page on your blog. To make sure you have room, use a URL shortner such as tinyurl or is.gd for your bio link. As an example here is my bio section on Twitter:

A perfect gentleman. Learn more about me: http://tinyurl.com/696c8n

3.) Some Bloggers Fail to Brand Their Background

Even though most of Twitter’s active users use clients such as Twhirl and Twitterific, there is still a large portion of users who will see your actual Twitter profile. When these users land on your page, the aspect of your profile that sticks out the most is your twitter background. If you want to reach these eyeballs, make sure that your twitter background has your brand all over it. If you don’t have a logo, or some text regarding your brand on your background, you are missing out on a huge branding opportunity.

4.) Some Bloggers Don’t Advertise Twitter Enough on Their Blog

Twitter is quickly becoming the best way to communicate with your readership. Rather than separating the two, you need to make a stronger effort promoting your twitter account. Most bloggers do a great job promoting their RSS feed with large graphics that stand out; these same bloggers need to dedicate a similar amount of space on their blog towards promoting their twitter. Some of you may say, “but there is no money in twitter!” Twitter isn’t about making money, Twitter is about connecting with great people.

5.) Some Bloggers Aren’t Following Enough People on Twitter

Twitter has so many brilliant minds that it is essentially a sin if you are not following enough people. Sure there is a lot of unnecessary noise but you never know when one of the people you are following inspires a thought or a blog post. At the very least you should follow the people you know well outside of Twitter, and then an equal amount of interesting, active twitterers.

6.) Some Bloggers Lack the Proper Tweet to Promotion Ratio

When someone follows you on Twitter they want additional value away from the blog. If you simply post tweets regarding blog posts you made, then you are not providing your followers with what they want. Make sure you add other interesting tidbits here and there to keep things fresh and interesting. Even adding other personal thoughts will humanize you to your followers. If you only tweet once a day, and that tweet revolves around a blog post, then you aren’t using Twitter effectively.

7.) Some Bloggers Don’t Interact With Their Followers

This point builds upon the previous two following the idea that you need to provide additional value to your followers. Twitter is a great venue for you to interact and learn about your readership. If you can relate to your followers on a different level away from the “blogger + reader” relationship, this will not only make your reader like you better, but will enhance your life as well. Someone who does this very, very well is Robert Scoble.

8.) Some Bloggers Fail to Use Their Followers for Data

Twitter provides you instant access to hundreds, if not thousands of people at a time. If you are working on a blog post, and could use some individual opinions, tweet out a question to your followers. You will be amazed to see how many of your loyal readers will be thrilled to answer your question. I’ve seen the most popular bloggers receive hundreds of replies to any and every question asked.

Final Thoughts

Twitter is a wonderful tool that if used properly can not only increase traffic, but improve your brand. Following these eight easy steps takes little to no effort and will surely help you tweet more effectively. If you decide against these steps, thats great, always remember that Twitter is all about what you want it to be. You define your own experience.

AJ Vaynerchuk is a 21 year old blogger who also dabbles in SEO and social media. He spends most of his time on twitter(follow him) and is excited for his internship at Revision3 this summer. If you’d like, learn more about AJ.

And once you’ve had sex, you know you could never hope to really explain it to someone else. You will sound like a complete idiot if you try. If you’re trying to explain it to your kid, you will sound even worse than an idiot, but that’s another matter entirely.

Twitter is the same way. Saying that you write short missives of less than 140 characters in answer to the question “What are you doing?” except that nobody really answers the question sounds about as awe-inspiring as saying, “Well, when Mommy and Daddy love each other very much, um… well, there’s a penis and a… a… why don’t you go ask your mother?” And even if you manage to describe the mechanics of the act, it doesn’t exactly leave your rapt listener with any notion about what all the shouting’s about.

This is why I say you just have to give Twitter a try for a couple weeks and there’s no way to really explain it.

Sex is not about just getting something from others. You have to give. In fact, giving can be just as good as “getting,” right? Twitter is like that (I’m going to uh… pump this analogy for all it’s worth). If you just show up and say “where’s all my opportunities at?” you might as well just stay off of Twitter. But if you go looking to give to others, you will have plenty of friends and you’ll grow your network.

You know that desperate person at the party who will sleep with just about anybody, but nobody ever wants to take them up on it? They’re on Twitter, too. You will recognize them by their tweets (that’s what you call a post on Twitter, and yes, I know it’s silly). Their tweets will consist of only links to their own blog posts. They are following thousands of people, but nobody is following them (instead of “friends”, Twitter has “followers”). Stay away from the easy, cheap & sleazy.

Stick with quality. How will you know? They’re the people that just about everyone else is following. They’re the ones providing value in one form or another: cool links, humorous tidbits, and lively conversation.

Now, I know that not every social media site is for everyone. Twitter is technically micro-blogging, but the social component is it’s strongest feature. I don’t care for Facebook, for example. There’s something for everyone. I’m not saying you should be on Twitter even if you hate it.

I’m just saying that Twitter is about as explainable as sex is.

For a good time, follow me on Twitter.

Photo credit: LOVE