"As Facebook has evolved, it has become more and more effective as a tool to promote your blog. Twitter, on the other hand, seems to have gotten slightly less effective for blog promotion. Where Twitter excels is as a tool to promote your personal brand. You certainly can promote your blog there, but to be most effective, it should be a smaller, unobtrusive part of your activity on Twitter."

"Through Twitter alone, I've been able to connect with high-profile individuals I would never have reached had I tried to contact them via phone or e-mail. I've had interesting private and public exchanges with best-selling authors. And I've been contacted by several potential clients and joint venture partners--all while I sat at my desk wearing pajamas!"

"Would you be interested if I told you that I received two job contacts and a contract within the first week I used Twitter? I did. Do I get that response every week? No. Are there ways to promote yourself and increase your visibility? Yes."

"A personalized Twitter profile makes your short-form content seem more personable. Your audience is more likely to develop an emotional connection with you if your profile is personalized, which is imperative to building relationships with them that will lead to brand loyalty and advocacy."

"I don't have a strong opinion about Twitter either way as regards to capturing your life story. If Twitter becomes a part of your life, and you like tweeting, and you end up posting stuff, then I'd say, yeah, at the very least, back it up; and ditto. If it's a part of your life, it can and should be a source of material for gathering, so gather it up!"

"You can have direct communication with potential clients and employers. At the core of this social networking site, Twitter is a communication medium. People use Twitter to communicate with different types of users all over the globe. This is not a medium to simply share content, but to discuss it as well."

"From a personal branding point of view, Twitter offers a great way to expand the reach of your blogs, podcasts, and personal Web sites. lf you are working to position yourself as a thought leader within your area of expertise and/or industry, Twitter is another way reinforce that positioning. Simply post a tweet on your latest blog topic and be sure you add the link so people can find your blog."

"Effective Tweets clearly articulate ideas or pose questions. They pack a lot of meaning into one to three sentences. The writer uses active and clear language. When you Tweet, you're not writing a novel, but you can make dramatic word choices to catch people's eyes."

"Having a presence online ... gives you a pulpit, a bullhorn, a virtual rooftop from which to shout about all the good news and interesting insights you discover along the way. If you do this well and regularly, it is likely that people will start seeking you out for the wisdom you have to offer on your topic (as well as the unique spirit in which you share it). Over time, you will have the opportunity to establish yourself as a thought leader."

"Follow people who have interests that are related to your blog topic and your business, as well as potential clients or referral sources, and they're likely to follow you back. People who show more 'follows' than 'followers' are a good bet because it usually means that they 'follow back.' Spend some time reading, responding to and re-tweeting other people's tweets each day, and they're likely to do the same for you when you share your links."

"Social networking is the newest tool for promoting ourselves and marketing our books. The number of people you can reach out to on a social networking site is as close to infinite as you could want. Every one of these people is a connection who may, one day, give you some information you need, stop by your blog and comment, or even buy your book."

"Whether or not you are able to directly link to anyone in the children's book publishing industry, you can certainly use social media to gain an insider's perspective. Once you have the names of a few editors at the publishing companies on your list, you can begin following those people on Twitter. This will give you a clearer sense of where their attentions lie, and may even help you decide how to frame your query."

"I sort of see Twitter this way: Twitter generates energy. Like any other energy source, Twitter fuels, ignites, and powers. Twitter fuels conversations, Twitter ignites controversy, and Twitter powers innovation. This innovation occurs all over the place: in the Web development community, in the media, in fundraising, in activism, and in business marketing. If this energy is harnessed correctly, it's got a bright future."