I am humbly honored to have been included on the Forbes.com list of 30 Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter written by Natalie MacNeil of She Takes On the World. It was a fantastic Thanksgiving surprise! Each of the women listed provide quality content and contribute useful information on their Twitter stream. I’m sure you will find these women and their resources extremely valuable.

Natalie states, “… Twitter has been an incredible tool for connecting with like-minded people from around the world….”.  As small business owners, we can’t discard the effectiveness and efficiency of using Twitter as a viable tool to share information and connect with potential clients, other business owners and needed resources. Give. Take. Share.

Using Twitter is like telling someone a secret and seeing how you can get that secret to travel. However, there are a wide variety of other ways to make the most of Twitter.

• Ask a question, promote a sale, announce a seminar, share a tip, highlight an article, stay up to date, share your expertise, solve someone’s problem or join a discussion.  Although Twitter is free, it does cost you time. Be sure to use your time on Twitter wisely and take advantage of Twitter applications that allow you to schedule tweets, tweet from your phone or connect your Twitter updates to other social media sites like LinkedIN and Facebook.
• Inexpensive (free) research can be conducted via Twitter. You can search for keywords, schedule tweets in advance, automatically follow and organize your followers. Use Twitter to access quick information on almost anything: current events, charities, business tips, travel, software, etc. Pose a question and you can see responses in minutes, often seconds.
• Twitter is borderless. It has no boundaries. You can connect with people from around the world. Use it as an opportunity to open doors and make warm introductions. All relationships must start with an introduction. Don’t be afraid to ask people for help or their thoughts. You will certainly get a wide variety of them.

There is a caveat to using Twitter, time passes by at the speed of light. Be sure to use your time wisely. Set aside a set amount of time to update your tweets or use Twitter. Otherwise, you may find yourself on there for hours with minimal productivity.

Twitter is your friend when used properly and with a purpose. 140 characters can change your business.

Here’s a link to Natalie’s article on Forbes.com,  http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/24/twitter-forbeswoman-views-forbes-woman-entrepreneurs-natalie-macneil.html Be sure to check out the 30 women, their blogs and websites. Don’t forget to add them to your Twitter stream, especially Natalie (@nataliemacneil ).

Simplicity Mastered