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I’m sometimes asked if using social networking tools like Twitter can help build a Global Resorts Network business. Twitter is an amazing tool and, like all social networking sites, it can be a wonderful tool to build your business or it can suck the life out of you. Used improperly, it can also hurt your reputation online…not a good thing!

An enthusiast of all things that add “high-touch” to my “high-tech” websites, I started using Twitter just a short while ago. In the process, I have connected with some amazing people and have begun to get a feel for how things work in this very lively social network. If you’re serious about making money online, you need to try Twitter.

I’ve been active in various forums for years and have enjoyed getting to know people there. Each forum has a different emphasis, a different blend of peeps and a different set of unwritten rules you really have to learn as you go, in addition to each forum’s policies and rules.

Twitter is like a global forum, on steroids. You only pick who you want to “follow” and, as time goes by, you learn the value of being selective, rather than worrying about being popular. Just because someone “follows” you doesn’t mean you necessarily want to “follow” them. As you add people to follow, you will become quite overwhelmed unless you decide the best policy for following people who choose to follow you.

Some people follow everyone back. Some just follow those they really want to glean from and perhaps at some point, get to know better. The process creates opportunities to connect with people whom you’d probably never get a chance to connect with offline unless you were “properly introduced!”

Using Twitter as a way to expand one’s Global Resorts Business or expose more people to the deeply discounted access to 3-5 start resorts with Global Resorts Network’s exclusive luxury travel membership is a great idea, if you take the time to learn how people interact with each other within Twitter and how not to come across as just another spammer. Here are a few tips:

1. Be authentic. Don’t pretend you’re someone you’re not. Tweeters are a great bunch of people with a wide range of backgrounds, interests and goals for using Twitter themselves. Don’t fake it. Think of it as a big party.

2. Do add value to the people you follow and who are following you. After observing a while, jump in and contribute with real value. Add a good joke, a useful link or a heads-up on a notable event that just occurred. Feel free to “reply” to other’s tweets when you really have something to add.

3. Don’t spam. Keep your promotional tweets discreet. This is not a billboard for the GRN membership . It’s a place to share your expertise, learn from others and let people know what you do and how you can help them in a low-key manner. Think of Twitter as a place to build your network, connect with people and learn how it all works without burning bridges and wasting the opportunity. If you don’t take this warning seriously, you will lose followers and/or get blocked by those you are following. Don’t spam!

4. Be brief, concise. Learn to say what you need to say in 140 characters or less. You will find snurl a useful tool to shorten URLs that you want to include in your tweets. Also, when replying to someone else’s tweet, whenever possible, make your response clear enough that someone else reading only your side of the conversation has a clue about the overall meaning of the conversation you’re in. It will be easier for others to get interested in your conversations and find value in what you have to share.

When you’re ready to add Twitter to your portfolio of promotional and networking tools for your GRN business, add me to your Twitter stream: @Stevie_Knight

See you there!

Do you have any feedback or questions?

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Expect success!

Stevie Knight