Twitter is an online social network built on a micro-blogging platform, which enables users to communicate using a messaging system, which allows 140 characters per tweet (post)
Twitter provides a unique method of communication between friends, co-workers and potential new business customers from anywhere around the globe.
Twitter provides an excellent resource for learning and study, dependant on your particular subject needs, you can follow the experts in a particular field, and keep right up to date with their latest publications, reviews or opinions.
Twitter has the capabilities of delivering “ground breaking news” in real time, which is pushed out to the user groups on a global scale.
Twitter is a highly scalable web application, which can be utilised on your PC, Laptop, Netbook, SmartPhone or IPad. The Twitter system can be accessed either directly via a web browser, on by using a desktop client for example TweetDeck.
As stated above Twitter allows users to tweet in 140 character messages. These messages can include both simple text and URL links to offsite content i.e. articles or blogs. In some cases URL links can be exceptionally long pieces of code, which can be broken. Twitter has an inbuilt system which shortens the original link, and produces a new shorter URL, which will take users to the original link content. One of the default URL Shorteners is from bit.ly, but there are many other shortening systems which provide the same services, plus advanced features including link tracking.
The facility to track user clicks from social networks can be a great analysis tool for online marketers and business owners alike. There are both paid and free versions of URL shortening systems, and in some cases the features are very much the same. The free versions are normally restricted to using one default domain for example bit.ly, is.gd, cli.gs and goo.gl.
There are paid or subscription URL shortening systems with will allow users to utilise their own domain name, for example http://short-links.com This system provides a complete suite of user tools which provide both automated and custom name shortening. The system has link tracking and graphical maps, which provide a wide range of user information including geographic location.
I recently purchase my own short domain http://c1ik.me which has been integrated by the short-links.com team, and now enables personalised shortening, which I have been using across all online social networks. For example http://c1ik.me/seo-analysis is generated via the custom naming section of the system, this individual link, can now be used anywhere online or via email. If the link is clicked by a user, the URL shortening system will track and record the action.
Twitter provides a method of sub categorising people that you may choose to follow. This has been achieved by using a feature called “lists.” Lists are generated by the user, and could be based on friends, subject, topic or work, to name just a few. This feature is a great additional as it allows high speed access to certain levels of information, which has been segmented out of the main content field.
Twitter facilitates the user with a method of creating a personal link index. Personally, I have found this extremely useful for building a list of very important links to content, including articles, video and websites that I use on a regular basis for research and for keeping me up to speed on the very latest knowledge related to online marketing and search engine optimisation.
When I find an important piece of information, which in my professional opinion is accurate and well balanced, I normally add it to my personal Twitter feed which is located here http://twitter.com/UKSEOSpecialist This provides me with a permanent record of the link, it also allows anyone who chooses to follow me, with the opportunity to learn from a valid source of information.
Twitter is not just a simple chat system, it is a platform which enables learning, sharing, advertising and communication, for business, consumer and private use.
