Twitter is a popular micro-blogging platform with over 200 million active users. Joining it not only gives you a chance to connect with your friends, even the long lost ones, but also allows you to spread awareness about your business or area of interest.

Different people join Twitter for different reasons, but if you are not on it you may be missing a great opportunity to connect with others of similar likes or interests.

Here is a step-by-step rundown on how to start using Twitter:

1. Create a Twitter account

Go to the Twitter Website and create an account. The username you choose should help people recognize you. The username helps people identify you easily on the network and follow you.

2. Write a interesting bio

The bio or biography is an important aspect of your Twitter account. Use this section to tell people something about yourself. The majority of people using Twitter look at the bio before deciding whether to follow that person or not.

3. Post your first Tweet

The message that you want to send needs to be written under the box which says “What are you doing?”. The message should be of 140 characters or less. Write something interesting or informative.

4. Build network

Look for friends and colleagues who are already using Twitter. Click on “Find People” on the top of the site and search. The search results will show a combination of people and tweets related to your search. Click “Accounts” to filter your search. Visit the profile page of these people and click on “Follow” where desired. Following people is the easiest way to tell your friends and colleagues that you have joined Twitter.

5. Start Talking (Tweet)

Most of the time you will be telling the world what you are doing through Tweets. You can join a conversation by adding @ before the username, for example @John_brown. The person need not be in your network for you to join a conversation.

6. Retweet

If you like something that was shared by one of your followers, why not share it with others? Retweet the message so that others can see it. Add RT followed by the @username and the message you want to retweet.

As you can see from the simple steps above, it is not that hard to use Twitter. To gain popularity through increased followers on this social media platform, ensure that you post regularly and that your tweets are both interesting and useful to the readers.