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ILLUSTRATION BY TRAY BUTLER

Starbucks is doing it. Home Depot is doing it. Countless other businesses are, too. Sure, much of what gets shared on Twitter may seem pointless, but the micro-blogging site has proved to have bottom-line value.

THE BASICS
Twitter is a social network that lets users post messages (or "tweets") of 140 characters or less, which can be composed on a computer or mobile phone. Other people "follow" you, meaning they subscribe to your updates, which they see on their Twitter homepage, viewable on a computer or phone. Users can also comment on others' tweets, fostering a dialog. It's sort of like blogging meets instant messaging.

HOW BUSINESSES USE IT
Michelle Pratt-Lienhart of Just Be Products tweets to alert customers to new shirt designs and promotions. She also got her products into celebrity gift bags for the Oscars because she read a tweet that a company was looking for swag. "[With Twitter] the information comes to me. I don't have to go looking for it," she says.

Lorie Marrero, author of The Clutter Diet, sends daily organization tips. She also scored a personal connection with industry heavyweight Rubbermaid. "I have tried communicating with them in the past and it was difficult. Twitter gives us a way to reach this large conglomerate in a very personal way," she says.

VistaPrint and Comcast, among others, use Twitter for reputation management. Says Jeff Esposito of VistaPrint, "It allows us to give real-time responses to customers who may want to vent, ask questions or praise us in a non-traditional outlet." Twitter can be used on its own, but he recommends using complementary products such as CoTweet, twhirl and TweetDeck, which add greater functionality and improve the use and management of your Twitter business account.

HOW TO START
Sign up for a free account and start posting. To get people-potential customers or partners-to follow you, promote your feed through your website, blog, business cards, etc. Joel Comm, author of Twitter Power, suggests:
• Search for people and businesses that are tweeting about things related to your business (e.g., real estate, pet supplies, IT, etc.). Add comments to what they're saying; think of it as small talk with people you'd like to meet at a conference.
• Update constantly (even while you're on a plane) about where you are and what you're doing. This can increase the chances of meeting a "follower" if you're at, for example, an industry conference.
• Post about industry news (a product you're working on) and the mundane (you're walking your dog). The goal is to get others to know the person behind the feed.
• Don't pitch too many products and services. It will alienate followers.
• Ask questions to draw in followers and net actionable data.

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