96.

Gather Followers on Twitter

At first glance, Twitter (www.twitter.com) can seem like a toy. After all, what of importance can you possibly say in 140 characters?

Let's reframe this conversation. Twitter has more than 500 million users. That means there's something going on with it. I think Twitter's like a giant cocktail party. What you do on Twitter is “work the room,” just like you do at a cocktail party. You connect and engage with the people you meet so they remember you. Of course Twitter's room is much bigger. In fact it's as big as...the world!

Twitter is about sharing news and information and building friendships. When you tweet, you can attach music, still photos, and videos. This enables you to “rebroadcast” interesting things you've seen or heard—to everyone! If you've ever gone to a cocktail party (or mixer or networking event) and pulled out your phone to share pictures of your kids (or dog or hamster), you get the idea. It's just that on Twitter, you share interests and make friends everywhere. (Can you see the opportunities?)

The people who use Twitter skew young, hip, and urban. It's a good place to track what's on trend. (You are looking at industries and companies that are forward-thinking, yes? Just checking.)