How do I set up a Twitter account? Sometimes those of us who have been using Twitter for a while forget what it was like to start out and work out how to get going. So when Nate Moller of MollerMarketing (follow him at @MollerMarketing) asked if he could write a beginner post on how to set up a Twitter Account I thought it would definitely help those starting out.

What is Twitter?

“Are you in to bird watching or something?” asked one of my Facebook friends once as I made a Twitter post about my 1,000th “tweet”.

Twitter is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time.

Wikipedia describes it this way:

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service, that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

Before I get in to too much detail on why twitter is such a great part of online marketing, I want to teach you how to set up a twitter account.

Step 1: Go to http://twitter.com.

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When you get to Twitter.com, you’ll see this page:

Step 2: Click the Join the conversation! Green Box

This page will appear:

Step 3: Create a Username.

If you are using this twitter account for brand management for your business, I’d recommend using your domain name minus the dot com/net/etc. (ie. http://twitter.com/mollermarketing) If it’s just for fun or personal use, use whatever you want as the username.

Add your email address, personal or business.

Type in the security code then click “I accept, Create my Account” (if you want, you can read the Terms of Service too).

Step 4: Start connecting!

As you can see by the picture below, Twitter asks for your email information. They state very clearly that they don’t use or share your information anywhere:

We don’t store your login, your password is submitted securely, and we don’t email without your permission.

I get plenty of spam in my email inbox, but I’ve never tracked it back to Twitter so don’t worry about giving up “personal info” (this is just my advice, not legal mumbo-jumbo so don’t blame me if you get your identity stolen or something ) If you’re really concerned, set up a new Gmail email account that’s just for your twitter account (I feel like you’d be waisting lots of time doing this).

Here’s what the next page will look like:

What’s cool is that Twitter goes through all your email addresses to see who is already registered with a Twitter account. You can hand pick which of your new “Twitter Friends” you want to add.

There’s also an option where you can invite non-Twitter users to set up Twitter accounts – it looks like this:

If you plan to use Twitter for business and you already have a pretty big database of names and emails, this could be a great opportunity to show your clients you care by connecting with them in a new way. Twitter can be a great way to communicate and deal with Customer Care issues too!

Step 5: You’re now an official Twitter User!

Important questions to ask at this point: Do you need a Tweet Plan? What about setting goals for Twitter?

Darren Rowse from TwiTip.com has this to say:

Being successful at something is very hard if you don’t know what you want to achieve. It’s much easier to hit your target…. if you know what it is.

I really do think the sooner you have a purpose for Twitter, the better, but since this is a “Getting Started on Twitter” tutorial, just add some friends!

The easiest way to get started with Twitter is by interacting with people you already know – aka: use your email list and see who’s already using Twitter.

The best thing about this is, if you have friends that have a lot of experience “tweeting”, they can give you tips, tricks, and even connections that will help you grow your reputation on Twitter.

I’ve been using Twitter since April of 2007 and it’s been a fun ride so far. I’ve found that, the more direction and focus I have, the better use I get out of Twitter for business networking.

Article by Darren Rowse @problogger