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I don’t claim to be a Twitter genius. (Even though I was flattered when Jason Hiner of TechRepublic recently ranked me #1 among tech Tweeters.) And I’m pretty sure I’m not addicted to Twitter. (Although there’s no social network I enjoy more or spend more time fooling around with.)
After spending a couple of years Tweeting, however, I do feel like I’ve learned a fair amount about how to have fun with it–especially over the past eight months or so, during which it’s become core to my daily online regimen. Whether you think of Twitter as a low-maintenance Facebook alternative or a form of micro-blogging or a hybrid of chat room and party line or something else–and me, I think it’s unique–it isn’t always instantly obvious how to get the most out of it. So herewith, a few Twitter tips. They’re not gospel–no two people use Twitter exactly the same way–but they work for me. (If you’re a total Twitter beginner, start by reading this good guide to the service’s nuts and bolts.)\

Be patient.

Folks often tell me that they’ve tried Twitter and don’t get it. My recommendation: join, read other people’s Tweets, and Tweet yourself a little as the mood strikes. And then, if it’s not working for you, stop–and then come back a few weeks later. I couldn’t quite figure out the service when I first tried it, but when I took a break, then came back with a fresher set of eyeballs, it made more sense.

Ignore the instructions.

The text box that you type your Tweets into asks you “What are you doing?” Unless you’re doing something really interesting, inspiring, funny, or strange, don’t answer it that way. (If everyone who used Twitter followed this approach, nobody could ever again bash it as a place where most of the chatter was about what people had had for breakfast.) The best Tweets tend to make an observation, take a stance, or crack a joke–none of which fall under the umbrella of using Twitter to tell the world what you’re doing.

Be a follower.

At first, using Twitter can feel like shouting into a canyon–all you hear is your own voice echoing back at you. You want people following you, so they’ll read your stuff and comment on it. The easiest way to get followers is to follow, so use Twitter’s various tools for finding your friends and other people you might find interesting. Also useful: Mr. Tweet, a service that provides custom recommendations of other Twitter users you might like.

Discuss.

I didn’t really crack the code of enjoying Twitter until I began thinking of it as a multi-way conversation–one similar, in some ways, to the message forums that got me into online communications a long, long time ago. Once you’re going, other Tweeters will comment on your Tweets, thereby initiating discussions. But at first, especially, it’s incumbent on you to read other Tweets, find conversations in progress, and dive in by using @replies to address other users directly.

Speak clearly.

I try to be pithy when I Tweet–which the 140-character limit makes easy–but I also try to avoid being cryptic. I rarely abbreviate anything, and even when I’m chiming in on a conversation in progress, I try to make my Tweet comprehensible even if it’s the first one somebody’s read in the sequence. Basically, I want to give as many people as possible as much of a chance as possible to understand and enjoy what I have to say.

Use the right tools.

An amazing array of applications and services can help you use Twitter (I wrote about some good basic ones here). Try a bunch of them, and stick with the ones that speak to you. I rely on the excellent iPhone Twitter client Tweetie, the picture uploader Twitpic, and the URL-shortener Is.Gd, among others. Full disclosure: When I’m near a computer, I do my Tweeting using Twitter.com, rather than a Twitter client such as TweetDeck. In theory, that’s a sign I’m a clueless newbie, but I haven’t found a client I love yet–and surely using the tools that make you happiest is a sign you’re an old pro.
I could go on–and probably will in future posts. But for now, I’ll end with a plug: I’m @harrymccracken on Twitter, and I’d love to hear from you there. Or just reply to this e-mail with your Twitterthoughts. Like I said, everyone uses Twitter a little differently, and if you’re a happy Tweeter, I’m positive you know things about it that I don’t.