It only seems like a short while ago when businesses were being told that to move forward they needed to build a website. Now it is suggested that businesses need to move into social media in order to interact with customers on the next level.

Social Media can be a little over whelming, especially since there seems to be so many different sites: Facebook, MySpace, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon to name but a few. Twitter has been the flavour of the month just lately receiving tons of publicity. It’s been in, or on just about everything, from the Daily Broadsheets to a regular feature called ‘Twitter Tattle’ on Alan Carr’s Chatty Man, (yes, I’m guilty but someone has to watch it!).

However, what do you do if you’ve managed to finally grasp Facebook establishing a fan page for your business, where you can at least understand what everyone is writing and now you are being told you need to get Twittering or should that be Tweeting? That’s fine, but if you took your first look at it and thought what on earth is everyone talking about with all the @’s and #’s and confusing your DMs with your RTs you might find this guide very handy. It’s called Twitter 101 .

The guide gives businesses a complete overview of Twitter: "What is Twitter", "Getting Started", "Learning the Lingo", "Best Practises" and "Case Studies" not to mention that they also provide a resources section and the option to download slides of the guide. It is a definite must read for any business considering or, even currently, using the microblogging service. It explains everything. Even the most sceptical will be able to see how using a Twitter account with only 140 characters can have an impact on the business.

Although it stands to reason that Twitter may be seen as a new phenomenon but, it does not usually work as a standalone business tool and should be integrated into your marketing plan carefully.

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