Twitter: How do I get followers? (Part I)

Okay, so you went and signed up at Twitter.com and all you've got is this dopey little picture that looks like o_O, and zero followers. How can you build that into a bunch of followers you can use to grow your online presence?

The first step is to modify your Twitter profile to be personal. Here's a few steps you can take to make your Twitter presence more useful:

Modify your profile

1. In the upper right corner, click Settings.


2. Enter your website or blog in the More Info URL: field.


3. Enter a good one-line bio.


4. Do not click Protect My Updates. This option limits what people can see about you. You're in Twitter to mingle and you can't mingle if people can't see what you're saying.

Create your picture

1. Create a small avatar-like picture for yourself. Your picture is better if it's you, rather than a logo. Again, this is a personal media, so you want people to connect with you. If you can make your picture more personable, you're more likely to connect with people. My avatar is me in a Mets hat, so I can get sympathy after their bullpen blows yet another lead. Note: Your picture should be more or less square and cannot be more than 700k in size.


2. In the Settings section, click the Picture tab.


3. Select your picture and click Save.

Next time, we'll talk about how to start to build followers.