Okay, I’m going to do it. I’m going to start tweeting. Do you tweet? Are you thinking about it? If you’re a newbie, don’t fear Twitter. That’s some of the advice I heard as part of a panel presented by Social Media Summit.

Who to Follow…

Brian Clark (@copyblogger) suggests following people “relevant to what you are about and what your business is about.” He also suggests sharing more than just the content you have on your blog. “Sharing is a sign of status on the web,” he says.

Chris Brogan (@ChrisBrogan) suggests listening for a bit before deciding who to follow. And he strongly recommends against sucking up to the big names, such as Ashton Kutcher. It’s not going to get you more followers.

Keeping up with Tweets…

Chris says you don’t have to read every tweet. (Halleluiah!) Even if you tried, he says there is no way to keep up with all the tweets.

He recommends using tools, such as TweetDeck, which is a personal real-time browser. You can also use Twellow, a directory of public Twitter accounts. And don’t forget TwitterSearch. 

Connecting…

Twitter is more than simply sending out 140 characters. Chris says it’s about building relationships and connecting. That’s why the @ replies are so important.

Says Darren Rouse (@Problogger), “Twitter is a relationship building tool.”

Are you ready to connect?