By Barry J McDonald

Sometimes in order to succeed we need to learn how not to fail. There are many things you should do to succeed using Twitter, but there are also some things that you should NOT do…

Here’s 5 of the most common mistakes I see being made…

1 – Putting out too many “Tweets” on Twitter. Although the idea of Twitter is to tell people what you’re doing at any one time don’t get carried away, you’re not required to tell people everything you’re doing. By putting up too many Tweets especially if its just “fluff” isn’t going to work and don’t be surprised if some of your followers opt out.

2 – Spamming with affiliate links. Like e-mail there are some people who think to get the best results all they have to do is spam with the same comments over and over again and continue to fill all their posts with affiliate links and expect to see results. It ain’t gonna happen and no one is going to want to follow you.

3 – Trying to say too much. With Twitter you’re limited to only 140 characters so you need to think about what you type about. Don’t try to get you full marketing message in this amount of space, better to lead your followers to a blog post or an article that can do this instead with better results.

4 – Tweeting about you constantly and not chatting to others. By using Twitter you have the opportunity to get in contact with others (even some of the online guru’s) which isn’t available to you by e-mail.

Sure we could “Tweet” about ourselves constantly but why not take an interest in what others are doing, remember you’re a “follower”. Congratulate others if they send you to a great article or had a great results and answer them if they ask a question. Remember Twitter is a way to build relationships, maybe not full on, but it can be the baby steps you need to get the ball rolling.

5 - Not adding value to your followers. Twitter like everything is going to be dominated by the people who give great value to their followers. If you had the chance to follow someone who was constantly posting about nonsense or someone that was giving content and tips away, who are you going to follow?

Twitter may not have the same power as MySpace or FaceBook as you’re limited by space but it is a great way of building relationships with others online. Remember, it’s nice to feel part of a group of like minded people rather than a lonely web surfer going from site to site, this is why forums are so popular.

So, why not use Twitter today to make that connection with others?

If you still not sure about how to use Twitter I invite you to download my free report “Twitter For Beginners” for the right ways and the wrongs ways to use twitter and much more. Enjoy!

Micro-blogging is a good thing and using Twitter makes it even better. However, Twitter will never take the place of a blog. The bottom line is that Twitter is not a full fledge blog. It is simply a way for you to get your words out to the masses in a more expedient manner. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons Twitter will never replace a blog.

The number one reason why Twitter can never replace a blog is because you can only post up to 140 characters at any one time. There is just no way to squeeze 1,000 words into such a small space. Not to mention, trying to send 7.14 tweets back to back, will not go over well with your followers.

There is nothing like a person who tweets excessively. Doing so will cause you to lose followers and your goal with Twitter is to gain a friends not turn people away. You want Twitter to be tool that leads to your platform – your blog – the place where you share your story, product, or business.
Another reason why you can never replace your blog with simple tweets is because you just don’t have the same control to customize.

Sure you can create a profile that says something about you but not the way you can with your blog. With a blog you can customize the whole kit and caboodle. You can add tools, plug-ins, and even more networking opportunities through your blog. You can’t do all that with Twitter.

Then we have the website name issue. You can’t attach a domain to twitter. On twitter you will always be www.twitter.com/whateveryournameis and that is it. Your username or extension is how people will recognize you on Twitter, but it’s not the same as a domain name for an entire website. In essence, Twitter owns your profile, not you. But your domain name – now that is all yours.

If you are an affiliate marketer, you want to talk about what you are promoting and, as was stated earlier, you only have 140 characters to say what you really want to say. That is not as effective as a blog post or blog series that can send the message more effectively. That’s just one more reason Twitter can never replace a blog.

Don’t try to replace your own blog or website with twittering. Instead, learn to use Twitter as an effective tool that makes people want to learn more about you. Your blog is where you get down to the nitty-gritty and allow people to become more knowledgeable about your life, your product, service or whatever it is you are promoting.

Don’t miss out click here to download your free report “Twitter For Beginners” while its still available.