Twitter is Like Waxing Your Eyebrows

Funny, right? Let's break it down:

1. Wax above, below and the middle (beware of the dreaded unibrow!)
1. This can be considered thinning out the herd. With Social Media in general and Twitter specifically, you need to weed through the chatter and get to the conversations.
   Chances are, when you first started experimenting with social media, you went out and followed or connected with a lot of people - some you know and some you don't.
   The first step is to cut that list way down to a more manageable level. Don't forget - you can always follow them again later. Maybe create a Twitter list with users that you are interested in but don't want to follow just yet.
2. Pluck stragglers
1. Once you have thinned out the herd, it becomes much easier to fine-tune your social media connections.
   Start using a platform that allows you to manage all of your networks in one place (or as many as possible). Here at Tork Marketing, we use TweetDeck on our laptops and EchoFon on our iPhones. TweetDeck allows us to manage all of our identities on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in one intuitive platform.
   As you are setting up your profile on the platform of your choice, this will give you another opportunity to thin your list. You'll notice that certain columns tend to fill up quickly, more quickly than you can keep up with them. If that happens, thin out the list by removing them as connections or separating them into Priority A, Priority B and Priority C lists.
3. Comb them up and cut them across to make them even (and weed out the long ones)
1. Start organizing your connections into categories: business, personal, family, keyword specific, geo-location specific, client specific, competitor specific, prospect specific, etc.
   Use the columns in TweetDeck to separate your connections into categories that make sense to you. You can even use TweetDeck in conjunction with Twitter Lists so you can still monitor those people that you are interested in but you don't have to follow them yet.
4. Soothe with calming oil
1. This is when social media becomes fun, and don't forget about the all important lead.
   Start by getting involved in conversations. Don't just preach about your products or services. Offer helpful advice or links to useful articles. Ask questions and be receptive to answers. Engage people. Allow some of your personality to flow through. Be genuine and transparent. Be polite.

Remember, like everything else in life, Twitter (and Social Media) is what you make of it. Your audience is there, you just have to find them. You'll meet great people that you never would've met elsewhere. You'll have access to experts in all industries. You can be an expert to someone else. Become a part of the community!