The growth of Twitter and how it can impact your business?

If like many others have thought that social bookmarking was all about Facebook and MySpace, then think again. Welcome to the world of Twitter.

Politicians use, corporate giants are on it and even movie stars just can not resist the temptation to send out a Tweet on Twitter every now and then.

Taking social bookmarking storm

While Facebook and MySpace continue to dominate, Twitter has suffered over to number three with 7 million Twitter accounts opened in April 2009, and a huge half-million new users are added each month.

While a number of people use Twitter to keep updated with what's going on in their world, Twitter is now used for other purposes. For example, politicians are using Twitter to find the pulse of public voting and customize their campaigns accordingly. Movie stars and other celebrities use Twitter to grow their fan base. Companies, on the other hand, using Twitter to drive tons of targeted traffic to their website and generate sales.

What's different about Twitter?

So what is Twitter all about, and how is it different from Facebook and MySpace? While MySpace and Facebook allow users to exchange information and updates, Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that focuses on a shorter version of updates called Tweets.

This means that Twitter allows text messages are limited to only 140 characters that authors can submit their profile. These are delivered to other users, also known as followers. These are subscribers to Twitter who have chosen to follow the author. This works in reverse and, with the author chooses to follow the account holders of other - this is known as follows.

Twitter also allows senders the flexibility to restrict delivery of tweets to their followers or allow open access to all subscribers on Twitter. While tweets can be sent free of charge using the online platform Twitter, another interesting feature is that tweets can be sent via Short Message Service (SMS). Send Tweets via SMS costs by having the telephone service provider.

Since its creation in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Twitter has gained popularity around the world and notability. Sometimes described as "SMS" Internet, Twitter has become increasingly popular since its creation in 2006 by Jack Dorsey.

While estimates of the number of people using Twitter vary daily, a blog entry in February 2009 Compete.com, Twitter ranked as the third most popular social network. For a rough estimate, this means that Twitter has 6 million unique visitors and 55 million visits per month. Only 40% of users are retained, however. A blog Nielsen.com In March 2009 Twitter ranked as the fastest growing site in the category of Community members in February 2009. Twitter has grown month by 1382%, Zimbio (an interactive review) by 240% and 228% of Facebook.

For many people, Twitter can seem like a waste of time, a fad for the younger generations who have nothing better to do. This is an incorrect assumption, because the average age of Twitter users is 35. Twitter is not a fad that is driven by boys.

How can Twitter be used as a tool for business?

Used systematically, Twitter can be a powerful tool for generating targeted leads and also be used as a means to communicate with a base of loyal customers.

By sending tweets about new products, special offers and upcoming events, companies can use Twitter to get the attention of their prospects and customers, extending their reach. In this way, you could reduce their advertising costs and improve profitability.

In addition to sending messages, a subscriber can follow their followers. This is useful in the form of private messages can be sent and received between two users. Even Twitter is a great way to find the pulse of the market. By sending a Tweet to a question about a product or service that the company wants to introduce the entrepreneur can get answers quickly and can make the necessary changes to the product or service before launching it on the market.

Building mutually beneficial relationships is the foundation of any business, and using Twitter to send tweets useful is a great way to do this. Even if Tweets are limited to 140 characters, using the links in the tweet, the reader may be directed to another page or website to read or download the detailed content.

Technology is changing at an incredible pace, and there is already talk of Twitter in a video format. The future of communication lies in the integration of social bookmarking with GPS devices such as mobile phones. This will allow people to communicate with each other not only based on topics of interest, or connections of any kind, but also according to their exact location.

Here are some of the solutions already growing on the network using twitter:

1. @ JetBlue gives travel tips.
2. @ Wholefoods Share links to neat things in the community.
3. @ TwijobsUK - Posting more recent work.
4. @ Getatraveldeal - Travel deals for holiday makers.
5. @ Eluminare - Real Estate Information.
6. @ Fit_coach - fitness and health tips.

These are growing on a daily basis ... What is your business idea that can be put on twitter ....