solid "how-to" get started article. any thoughts on the relationship between your Twitter photo and people choosing to follow you?

That's an interesting question that I don't really have an answer to. I think on other social networks, such as LinkedIn, having a picture that portrays you clearly is very important. On Twitter, people like to insert some personality into their photos, or use a symbol instead of a standard headshot. Not sure there is any way you could find out whether or not it affects people decision to follow you (maybe it does anecdotally). If you're just getting started though, I'd keep it simple.
-CGL

This article did a good job of explaining how Twitter works and why it matters. One benefit I've seen from Twitter (and that I keep telling anyone who asks :-) is that it's great for networking/relationship building. I found my current job by using Twitter: I created my account, began following other local professionals in my field, we established a conversation, we met in person, and eventually when someone came to them looking to fill a position, they recommended me.

This same idea can be applied to building a customer base: you can find prospective customers on Twitter who have interests relevant to what your company does; you can follow them, and engage in conversations when appropriate; and if they have a need for your product or service, they already have a relationship with you, so they know exactly where to go.

Solid article, reiterates my recommendations. You have to know what you want out of Twitter, it can deliver real value, if you manage it the right way. Thanks for the perspective! @Nifaresgroup

Nice primer article to get business people thinking about how they can use twitter for business. I recently published a book "Twitter as a Business Tool" that goes into the nuances and best practices for many business use cases, case studies, etc.

http://www.twitterbusinessbook.com

Cheers!
Rodney Rumford

I find ironic - but true - that you need to remind people that they should think about why they are doing something before they do it.

Technology now gives us the ability to communicate almost incessantly. It seems we consume communication like an addictive drug. I suspect it is driven by an animal instinct - the innate comfort that members of a herd get by staying in contact with the rest of the herd, and has very little to do with intrinsic value of the content.

Given the resources that it consumes, I suggest an occasional retrospective questioning of "what did I get out of the time I just spent in that communication".

Our organization (high school basketball team) uses Twitter as a poor-man's Blackberry to broadcast late-breaking event changes, up-to-minute bulletins, and games scores, that reach people and fans even when they are travelling and away from the laptops for the moment.

Correct! I can't spend alot of time working with several networks. So, why should I choose Twitter over Facebook, which has so many more users? Is the smaller Twitter population actually an advantage?

I keep my trip expenses under control with the tweeterberry client on my blackberry and Xpenser (www.xpenser.com).

... it works for me.

A lot of applications like this based on tweets are waiting in our future.

Great article, and some great follow-up posts. Collectively, you answered almost all my twitter questions. Some quick thoughts:

RE: Knowing "why", having a plan is (always!) key.

RE: Using a picture, it's about branding yourself; don't you want people to know who you are?

RE: Upside, I've been a twitter proponent and user for 24 hours and I'm already thinking of new and powerful ways to use it. For starters, it's helping me think in 140-character sound bites. That's about how often you get to make a point, or get someone's attention.

Maybe I should be in politics? Or sales!

See you online, and any "follows", as they say, are appreciated.