Home Business Wins

There is no doubt that Twitter is the fastest growing social media site. Twitter grew by 1382% from February 2008 to February 2009 (according to Nielsen Online). In February 2009 alone, there were over 7 million unique visitors in the US. And if you consider that in January 2009, there were 4.5 million unique visitors in the US, then you'll see just how massive the growth is.

If you are not yet on Twitter, you will want to join. If we aren't already connected, I invite you to connect with me on Twitter.

Twitter serves many functions, and people use it very differently depending on their needs. For some it is a valuable source of information and news. For others, its a great way to stay on top of the social media curve and learn from some of the top internet marketers. Others use it as a marketing and business networking tool.

You don’t have to spend a ton of time using Twitter to get a lot out of it, no matter what your goals are.  Keep your eye out for an upcoming post on how to best use Twitter.

For now, I would like to share some free Twitter training videos. These were done by Mike Klingler, who along with Ann Sieg, launched Renegade Professional. You'll find some more valuable and free training by Ann Sieg and Mike Klingler at Renegade University.

I would also like to share some Twitter applications. There are a ton of Twitter apps that can help you leverage Twitter. Below are just a few.

Twitter Applications:

Twitter Toolbar - You can use the toolbar to access online Twitter tools, check your Twitter stats, post your updates and more. Versions are available for both Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Twollo - Allows you to discover Twitterers talking about your favorite topics or interests, and follow people talking about a hashtag. Below is a short video that explains exactly how to use Twollo.

Twitoria - This app lets you find out which of your followers has not been actively tweeting. Easily sort through your network of followers and purge the inactive users.

Monitter - Get a live streaming view at what Twitter users in your location are saying about you or your small business. Simply insert keywords you would like to search for and the surrounding area you would liked monitored.

Bubble Tweet - This unique application lets you post a short video message that pops up on your Twitter profile in a bubble shaped player. You can personally introduce yourself and/or your business to anyone who visits your profile.

Twitter Gallery - A collection of free backround themes for your Twitter account. You can use the one click installation or manually install them yourself. Lots of nice designs and colors to choose from.

Tweepler - Tweepler enables you to easily sort through new followers and accept them or ignore them on one simple screen.

Twit This - Allow visitors to your blog or website to easily post Twitter messages about you or your business. Post the TwitThis button to your website or blog pages with the instructions and coding provided on their site.

HelloTxt - Update your status to several social networking sites in one simple step. You can choose from over 35 social sites to post to including Twitter.

TwitterFox - This app lets you post Twitter updates without visiting the Twitter site each time. A small icon is added to the bottom of your Firefox status bar. The icon opens to reveal your friend's most current updates. You can add your updates from that dialog box.

Future Tweets - Allows you to schedule your tweet ahead of time for a specific date and time. You can even schedule reoccuring tweets to post daily, monthly, even yearly.

TwitPic - This app lets you share your favorite pictures on Twitter.

twtQpon - You can create exclusive coupons for your business services or products and share them with your Twitter followers.

Tweetburner - Lets you shorten URLs and track the clicks your tweets accumulate. Tweetdeck - Displays your Twitter friends and messages in a unique columned user interface. Allows you togroup people together and search across the twittersphere

Tweetbeep - Just like Google Alerts, Tweetbeep tracks Twitter conversations that mention you, your business or your products and services. Alerts are sent to you via email.

Twitter Counter - Lets you display the number of Twitter followers on your blog or website.

Twitter Safe - This free service will restore your network of followers in the event that your list is compromised.

Twitxr - Post product pictures and updates from your mobile phone directly to Twitter.

Tweet Later - This one application contains several Twitter productivity tools. You can track keywords, track replies, schedule tweets, send welcome direct messages, and much more.

Splitweet - Managing and updating multiple Twitter accounts is easily done from one screen. Choose to send updates to one or all accounts in one step.

Twimailer - Gives you more more extensive email notifications when your account obtains new followers. Instead of the generic Twitter email notification; the email contains the followers location, followers stats and their most recent tweets. At the bottom of the email, you can choose to follow the individual without even visiting Twitter.

Digsby - Keep track of everything your followers are doing at all times. The Digsby box display gives you a real time view into your Twitter account right from your browser.

HootSuite - Easily manage multiple Twitter profiles, pre-schedule tweets and measure your progress. You can even add multiple editors to your business profile.

TwitterHawk - This marketing app helps you connect with consumers in your area and related to the keywords you choose.