A social-networking website similar to Facebook and MySpace, Twitter.com allows you to follow and be followed by other users. The Twitter homepage also lists Trending Topics, items of interest you can read about, follow, and discuss with others. These real-time blogs allow you to chat with your buddies, colleagues and the world. Just type, click Send, and voila: Your post is live and can never be taken down.

A Marketing Resource

Not just for techies and teenagers, businesses are realizing the velocity of marketing advantages Twitter can offer, as well. Because anyone 13 years of age and older can create an account in seconds, any business can get on Twitter and send out messages. Some business usages include:

• Retailers can post last-minute sales or deals.
• Communicate in real-time with your customers.
• Send product updates to your customers.
• Twitter is location-specific: You can send messages to people in locations you specify.
• No computer necessary. Messages can be sent directly to a mobile device.
• Post customer testimonials or recommendations.
• Directions to store or event locations
• Request feedback from restaurant guests.
• Show pictures of items for sale.
• Recruit for new job positions.
• Offer deals to every 50th person that signs up to follow your company.
• Give away bonuses for followers referred to you by others.
• Post links to virtual tours of real estate, etc. for sale.

Tweeting for Business

Twitter is also running features on businesses to introduce them to the Twitter world. What better way to reach out to thousands of people whom you've never met and introduce them to your business? Some businesses, such as Comcast, are even using Twitter to monitor the happenings of their business before customers even contact Comcast Customer Service. By reading the blog posts on Twitter, Comcast was recently able to identify and resolve a field issue and even posted a public apology on the website.

Other users have made terrible mistakes with their Twitter posts. As reported by MSNBC, one individual, who the world now knows as "theconnor," made the recent post to the site: "Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work."

Soon thereafter, a Cisco employee, who was monitoring Twitter, responded to theconnor: "Who is the hiring manager? I'm sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the Web."

Oops! Theconnor tried to hide from the world as fast as he put his foot in his mouth. Unfortunately, it was too late - the damage was done and his reputation was marred.

Think Before You Tweet

Be careful when using Twitter or any social-networking website, especially during the workday. The key words here are: "social" and "networking." Social doesn't necessarily equal professional and networking doesn't necessarily mean networking relevant to your day-to-day job. Therefore, before you jump on Twitter, think about the ramifications of visiting this site during your workday. Would your company be OK with paying you to develop your social network?

Using common sense and testing the waters will let you know if an online social-networking site is right for you. These sites can offer many benefits that weren't possible before the Internet, but be smart about the time you spend there. As a rule of thumb, remember that anything you post could potentially be viewed by the entire world. Use that same fact to your advantage as a business owner, and your customer base could skyrocket overnight with the proper Twitter marketing plan!