1. Visit Twitter and create an account for yourself – all you need is an email address.

2.Fill in your details – think carefully about choosing a recognisable and  searchable name.

Full name is the name you want in your profile e.g. Twitter Guide

Username (ie the name which will appear in your twitter web address) no spaces allowed.
3. You’ll then be taken through a couple of simple stages before arriving at your new blank twitter page:

•    Ignore the requests for twitter to add random followers to your account
•    Also ignore the option for twitter to search your contacts list (wait until you’ve created your site)

4. Now you’re ready to create your new personalised Twittersite.

Go to ‘Settings’ (on top right menu) and fill in your details which are part straight information, part a self marketing opportunity.

• Add your web or blog site URL so that your followers can click through instantly to your site.If you’ve published a book perhaps put a link to your title on Amazon.
• Describe what you do and are interested in (160 characters)
• You can go back and change these settings.

5. Keep your fledgling site under wraps until you’re ready.To monitor and control who can see your updates select  ‘Protect my updates’ on the settings page.

Making your site look great.

1. A picture of you  – either a straight photo, cartoon version, anything to represent you. Use the option ‘Picture’ from the top menu bar in Settings to upload an image from your computer: keep the image file size quite low around 400kb and crop in photoshop to a square.

2. Background design: use this to give people an idea of what you’re about from graphic designer, author to fluffy toy collector. There are some standard designs which you can use, but it’s very easy to make your own.

Again using the Settings menu, choose ‘Design’ and then ‘Change Background Image’.

Create your image using Photoshop. This can be used straight if it’s the correct dimensions and image size or if it’s smaller you can ’tile’ it where the same small image is repeated across the whole of the background. Keep the image file to under 800kb.

3. Find some people to follow using  ‘Find People’  on the top menu bar on your Twitter homepage. There are lots of different people and publications on Twitter from BBC News, Greenpeace and The Guardian to the Editor of Red magazine, the Bookseller magazine and Gordon Brown’s wife, Sarah Brown (one of the most popular twitters).

One of the easiest ways to find good people to follow is to find someone  who like similar things to you (perhaps a foodie or a digital designer) and check out the people they follow (and those following them). A simple click on a ‘follow’ button alongside the people you’d like to follow and you can start to collect interesting people who will feed you entertaining and useful information and weblinks.