Instant messages and Short messaging Services have given way to Tweats. While my MS Office word processor still fails to recognise the verb “Tweat”, Twitter is a new generation tool that has made heads turn and has given rise to a new avenue for people to stay in touch. While a typical employee who has nothing to leverage out of announcing his intentions and actions to people may afford to shy away from Twitter, someone who wants to promote his business online, make money online or expand his networking business, making full use of the advantages that e-commerce bestows upon the cyber man, needs to take Twitter seriously.

There could be a tendency among people who are literally bored of hearing of a new social networking site popping up every other day or hour, to paint Twitter with the same brush. However, “Following” and “Being Followed” have assumed new meanings with this online tool that keeps people informed of what others do.

For people who are desperate to make their voices heard, Twitter gives the golden opportunity of taking their words right into the home pages of people who have chosen to follow them. It’s like you can hear President Obama or Britney Spears talking privately to you in your inbox, if you follow them. It’s like your customer complaining of your services to you so that you could improve your offering. It’s as if you have sent a personal mailer to each and every customer of yours, advertising about the new outlet that you have just opened. And if you have posted a new article on your blog, your readers would automatically know of it the moment you update it on your Twitter Account.

For all the blessings that Twitter confers on you, you would be wise to take care of a few aspects that may erode your premium. While it may be tempting to log everything that you do on to Twitter, clogging it with an overload of unnecessary information could discourage your readers from following you or they may plain overlook something important that you announced, taking your updates for the usual heap of junk.

If you know whom to follow, what to update and what to look for, Twitter could go so well with your blog and add value – and cash – to your business.