Twitter What?!

Yep, I said it: Twitter.

Although some dismiss it as a trendy time-waster or a new excuse for celebrity breakups, there's a lot more to it than that. Think of it simply as another tool in your online kit - used effectively by artists, photographers and crafters, it offers leverage.

What is it, again?

Twitter offers a fun way to connect, find a creative niche and promote your work. Twitter was officially launched in May 2007, but was originally created in March 2006 as a side project with the simple idea of letting your friends know what you're doing. Rather than remaining a repository for random details of people's day, it has been harnessed to identify and build all kinds of communities.

So, how do you do, um, Tweet? Well, it's actually pretty simple and eHow outlines a 4-step approach. After you have signed up at Twitter.com, you are ready to send your first tweet. Tweet what? (Relax. I didn’t know what “tweet” meant either. I just recently got comfortable with sending email.) Whatever it is, keep it short and sweet - you've only got 140 characters.

Think about your audience

As a crafter, artist or photographer, you'll want to think about the audience - or followers - you'd like to address and what kind of information they're interested in. That's right - even if you have no followers, pretend that you do. A stream of on-topic Twitter comments - rather than "Testing? Can you hear me?" comments, will indicate that you're worthy of following. Should you mention your latest latte? No. Should you describe the beautiful new bead combination or photograph concept that hit you while waiting for the latte? Yes! Avoid sweatpants-and-slippers comments that you'd make to friends and stick to business-casual comments, which show that you're interesting and interested. And, don't forget to insert a link to a website, article, image, or video!

Stop tweeting and start listening

Great tweets alone won't attract followers. What you tweet establishes who you are, but actively following others and responding to their tweets is what makes the Twitter world go around. To find people who are discussing your topic of interest - whether it's fine art or woodworking - use search.twitter.com. Once you find a few people of interest in your niche (say 5 to 10), follow them. Listen to their Tweets, follow their links, and, if it feels right, tweet back or re-tweet what they've said. Engage, share ideas, and find a few more people to follow. Next thing you know, people are following you. Just like in everyday conversations, we click with people who are listening. Not just tweeting.

So, why do you need Twitter? The truth is, you don’t. But there are lots of things in this world I don’t need that I still want to have, like Halloween candy, a good snow day on the slopes and, of course, my iPhone. I think the better question is why not? If you're running a photography, craft or artistic business, Twitter is simply another venue to share recent information, gather feedback or promote an upcoming product or event. Remember that it's not about numbers, it's about relationships.

Now, go tweet.