So your first question is likely to be, what does twitter have to do with domain names or the DNS? The answer of course is nothing! However in my conversations with small and medium sized business owners there is a lot of interest surrounding this hot new technology, and for very good reason.

Twitter (twitter.com) has taken off mainly due to its ease of use and popularity amongst celebrities such as:

Oprah Winfrey
Ashton Kutcher
News outlets such as KFI and ESPN
And even Presidential politics

What Is Twitter?

Twitter is generally referred to as a "micro-blogging" service which allows people to post small (140 characters or less) updates to let people know what they are up to. These updates are referred to as "tweets." If you are interested in receiving a person's tweets you "follow" them. Each update posted by a user will automatically be sent out to everyone who follows them by default. A user who becomes uninterested in another user's tweets can stop following them altogether, or temporarily suspend receipt of their tweets.

In addition to posting updates/tweets there are also options to send a reply to someone else's tweet which will then show up on their home page; "mention" another user which will show up for that user as a message; and you can also send a private message to anyone you are following, or who is following you. By default twitter accounts are public which means that anyone can see your "home page," and anyone can follow you. It is also possible to set up a private account which restricts access to those that you approve to follow you.

Why Twitter?

The flippant answer to the question of "Who is using Twitter for marketing purposes?" would be, "Everyone," but it would not be far from correct. Big companies are using it both to keep in touch with their customers directly and also to stay on top of customer service issues that their customers mention in their own tweets. Because of its three key elements; one-to-many communication, viral distribution, and "opt-in;" it's also become a favorite tool of media personalities and celebrities, both big and small.

Making Twitter Part of Your Marketing Strategy

I can help your business become part of the twitter world through

1. Basic user education on what twitter is and how it works
2. Planning your twitter strategy
3. Choosing your user name, setting up your account, etc.
4. Customizing your twitter home page
5. Education on how to post, reply, etc.
6. Suggestions on 3rd-party programs to help make managing your twitter presence easier