http://twitter.com/webword

If you’re trying to get started, simply join Twitter then start asking me questions. Honestly, that’s going to be easy for you than anything else. You’ll want to follow me because I write about, and follow, the smartest UX, usability and internet marketing folks on Twitter. I also generate some good stuff.

Here are some commands and tips that will help you:

1. @username (for example, @webword) will create link to a user’s profile. It’s a great way to find someone too. If you create a twittering using the @username method, you can then click on that link and easily visit their Twitter page. Works like magic.

2. If you use a smart mobile phone, then direct your browser to: http://m.twitter.com which is the Twitter site optimized for mobile devices. (It’s an open secret, I swear.) If you’re on the go, this is a great way to post and track your Twitter page. For on-the-go internet marketers, it’s very convenient.

3. If you’re a Mac fan, consider grabbing Twitterrific. Here’s what it is:

“Twitterrific is a fun little application that lets you both read and publish posts or “tweets” to the Twittercommunity website. The application’s user interface is clean, concise and designed to take up a minimum of real estate on your Mac’s desktop.”

4. If you’re a Windows guy or gal, consider Twitteroo. Here’s the scoop: Twitteroo allows you to send and receive updates from Twitter on your Windows desktop. It has some limitations, but it works great. Don’t miss this Twitter secret tool.

5. Do not miss this “inside look” at Twitter. It’s a 37 minute video by Robert Scoble. He’s actually inside the Twitter offices talking to the folks behind the scenes. You won’t get anything better than this. You will really *learn* a lot about Twitter. I promise. If you’re an internet marketer, you know that this Twitter secret is like having a handful of gold.

6. Make sure that you update your Twitter profile. Here’s the link to your profile:

http://twitter.com/account/settings

Probably the most important field is the More Info URL. If people are looking at your profile, it’s a direct link to any URL you want. For internet marketers, this is obviously really smart to update.

7. You can send Twitter your tweets from an instant messenger. Here’s the mobile devices page, which you should take a look at. If you use GTalk, you can’t go wrong. So, to be clear, you can update Twitter via the Twitter web site, your phone, or instant messenger client. Cool, eh?

8. If you’re looking for new people to follow there are two easy things you can do. First, you can view the Twitter public timeline. I do this about once per day for just a few minutes. The second, more effective method, is to view the “Following” link on the pages of people that you really like. Then you can just subscribe to who they follow. It’s reverse logic, but it works.

For example, let’s say that you like what I write at http://twitter.com/webword All you need to do is click the Following link on my profile and you’ll see who I’m following. Then, you can just follow them.

Aside: The link will look like this “twitter.com/friends” — Notice that it says friends. That’s a carry over from previous coding they did.

9. Crazy Delicious Secret: If you want more followers, start following more people. Many people will follow anyone that follows them. Sometimes there are even bots that automatically reciprocate the following relationship.

This doesn’t mean you should go nuts and follow any old person, but if you want to get people following you, then you really ought to start following. It’s a give and take relationship.

10. If you’re nutty about showing up first on Follower lists, you should consider setting your screenname to something that starts with the letter A or maybe even a number. Twitter lists followers in alphabetical order. This is kind of a silly recommendation, but if you’re serious about showing up at the top, it is a consideration for you.

Aside: Twitter needs to add better sort and filter tools for Followers.

Bonus Twitter Secret #1 — Learn all about Twitter Replies. The smartest folks use these like crazy to network and respond. It’s really quite impressive if you do it right.

Bonus Twitter Secret #2 — Show multiple Twitters on your blog. It’s a great way to connect your Twitter updates to your blog. It’s free, it’s easy, it’s smart, especially for internet marketers.

Bonus Twitter Secret #3 — Find your Twitter RSS feed. If you’d like to see my Twitter RSS feed, simply add this RSS feed to your favorite RSS reader:

http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/7787032.rss

You will see all of my Twitter updates with no mess, no fuss. I encourage you to subscribe to that feed, especially if you care about usability, UX and marketing.

Bonus Twitter Secret #4 — Use Twitterholicto find out the Top 100 Twitterholics. It’s based on number of Followers.

Won’t you follow me? http://twitter.com/webword

UPDATED!

Based on more research that I’ve done as well as IMsimple.com reader feedback, I’m updating this entry with more Twitter Secrets. Enjoy!

Twitter Secret #15 — If you’re a Wordpress user, don’t miss the Twitter Wordpress Plugin(that’s a README). Directly download the Wordpress plugin.

Twitter Secret #16 — Use Twitter while inside Second Life. “Twitterbox is an object which enables one to post to and receive updates from Twitter, when inside Second Life.”

Twitter Secret #17 — Post to Twitter directly from Firefox. “…allows you to quickly post statuses to your Twitter account from the Firefox search bar. It is not an extension — it is a Firefox Search Engine. This means you can activate and install it in about five seconds, and start using it straight away without having to restart Firefox.”

Twitter Secret #18 — Serious Linux geek using Twitter? Try out gtwitter. “gTwitter is a Linux client for reading and posting to twitter.com web service.”

Keep those tips coming in and I’ll keep updating…