Today we’re launching Twitter Tales – a growing set of articles that highlights creative individuals and businesses from all corners of the world that help make Twitter awesome. The examples of great Twitter use will also likely inspire others to use the service in innovative and interesting ways.

For the next several weeks, we’ll add a new story to the Twitter Tales homepage that you can access by clicking on the Twitter Tales icon on the sidebar of the Twitter Blog. Today, we’re sharing three entries about:

- Life: @natashabadhwar is a mother/filmmaker/photographer/writer from New Delhi who sees Twitter as a form of self therapy
- Community: @caltrain is a crowd-sourced Twitter account where people can help others avoid pitfalls on their daily commute
- Humor: @thebloggess provides a witty and honest behind the scenes look into her blog writing

If you have a story to tell about how twitter influenced your life, than you can share your story by emailing  to tales@twitter.com.

Let’s start with Personalization. This is perhaps the most important of the four P’s. Building a personal relationship with your clients is vital. By establishing a relationship and building trust with your client base, you will meet your client’s needs by customizing your products or services using Web 2.0 technology. You accomplish this through your blog, your List, or by Social Networking. Ask your clients and find out what their needs, wants and desires are. Why are they struggling? What are their goals? Surveys are a great way of collecting information. Give it a try and you will be amazed at the results.

Next is Participation. Get out there and get involved! Start to participate in forums and blogs. You can create numerous links to your website by participating in forums similar to the product you are promoting. By posting information of value and having a link to your website or offer in your signature line, you can create a steady stream of highly targeted traffic to your website. Be a guest blogger or comment on a related blog sites. Don’t be shy! This is one method that is highly under-rated. Once I made a commitment to be an active participant in like-minded forums and blogs, the traffic started pouring into my website.

What does Peer-to-Peer mean to you as an Internet Marketer? In the Web 2.0 world, it means your clients are no longer isolated. They interact, they talk to each other, they exchange impressions and they form a collective impression about your product or service – one that you may have influence over. The Peer-to-Peer of the four P’s is most prevalent in Social Book marking sites such as Digg.com and StumbleUpon.com. This means that if one or two visitors find (and love) your site, more than likely, you’ll have 300 visitors by the end of the day. This could quickly turn into thousands, if your site is smart, attractive, innovative, and content rich. What does all of this mean for you as an Internet Marketer? Highly targeted traffic to your website!

Last but not least of the four P’s is Predictive Modeling. Predictive Modeling is how ideas, impressions and trends work in the Web 2.0-enabled world. It is possible to accurately predict how the Web 2.0 market will evolve. This is where the savvy Internet Marketer either leads, follows, or gets out of the way. There are always new trends emerging in Web 2.0. First it was MySpace, FaceBook, YouTube and Twitter. What’s next? Whatever it is, you need to be ready to capitalize on the opportunity to bring targeted traffic to your website.

In conclusion, you should now understand and be able to apply each of the four P’s of Web 2.0: Personalization, Participation, Peer-to Peer, and Predictive Modeling. Each of the four P’s is an important part of being a successful Internet Marketer. By implementing the four P’s of Web 2.0, you will drive highly targeted traffic to your website in droves.

What are you waiting for? Start applying to the four P’s to your Internet Marketing strategy today.

About the Author: Shawn Barkley is an Internet Marketer who utilizes the power of Web 2.0 to generate highly targeted website traffic. Check out her Free 5-Part Training Series on the Power of Web 2.0. today.

Oh, darn!

I can’t remember it.

No sweat. Happens to me all the time. I guess it has happened to almost every freelance writer on god’s green earth. The problem with ideas is that they tend to hit you at the worst possible time for them to hit. And then they disappear deep into the folds and wrinkles of our grey matter and refuse to come out no matter how hard you try. In fact, the harder you try, the more difficult it becomes to remember. It’s almost like trying hard not to remember a thing and an image of that thing keeps popping up again and again.

So, the best, tried and tested way is to write it down the moment it hits you. It might be while you are having dinner, while you are playing ball, or while you are busy woolgathering. I have left several chores midway, hunted for a pen (you never find them when you need them the most) and scribbled a word or two in my writing pad as a smokescreen of words appear right out of nowhere in my mind. Yes, I have a scribbling pad right next to my desktop and it has got everything from one liner and scripts to stories and articles. It is almost like an idea bank. But hey, it works. Even a couple of words briefly describing what you want to write about are enough to give you a gist of the idea.

And what if you can’t find ideas at all? Don’t worry. Not everyone has a mind that meanders in the realms of obscurity like a mendicant. Sometimes, even the best of writers are unable to come up with a decent idea. You can call it the writer’s block. And on such occasions, it is so easy to get carried away by the first idea that comes to your mind and post a stinker instead. (A stinker is a post that gets greeted by tumbleweeds) There are enough resources in the world to get your creative juices flowing. Think about it. Here’s my list of 10 best ways to gather ideas for your next post.

1. Surf your niche: There are thousands of websites on the internet and you can easily find at least one new website or blog everyday that caters to your niche. Every new writer lives with a sense of fake supremacy but there are a gazillion better writers out there. Surf, read and explore. But never copy.

2. Mind Mapping: Ever heard this term? It’s almost similar to brainstorming. Mind mapping is an extremely powerful tool for that has endless number of uses. A mind map is a visual method of brainstorming and hence is far more productive when it comes to breaking a creative block. A pen and a paper are all that you need to get going. Animals, Britney, Cars, Dance, Emotions, Future, Guitar, Horoscope, Internet, Jesus, Kung fu, London, Money, Night, O(b/s)ama, People, Questions, Recipes, SEO, Traffic, UFO, Vacations, Wall street, X-mas, Yahoo, Zoo. It took me around 120 seconds to come up with this alphabetical list of topics to write on. Each one of these words can be further elaborated into several subtopics. You see, there shouldn’t be a dearth of ideas.

3. Rest your mind: Rest is extremely important for creativity and productivity. At times, when faced with a writer’s block, a writer tends to spend too much time trying to break out of it. But it only adds to the woes. A ’5 to 6 hour’ marathon session in front of the monitor is not going to help you. Take some rest. Listen to your Ipod for some time. Take a walk. Anything that refreshes your mind will work.

4. A slice of your life: Most experts will recommend that you write only within your niche. Yes, it is the safest way of generating a loyal readership. But at times, it won’t hurt to waver from the niche and write about a day in your life. A good incident, a bad one or simply an uninteresting day of your life. It helps you to break away from the monotony. Don’t worry. Your readers won’t ditch you for it.

5. Blast from the past: Go back to your archives and check some of the most read articles. Now try and find out a way to rework them from a different angle. If the topic is interesting, then your readers will love it no matter what.

6. Subscribe to Newsletters: This is one of the best ways to stay in sync with topics that interest you. All it takes is a couple of clicks to subscribe.

7. Create a to-do list: What are the ten things that you want to do before the year ends? Let the world know about it as long as it isn’t something very personal. What is your wish list? Create it and display it.

8. Watch People: It might seem strange but ordinary people have been the inspiration for some of the most notable works of fiction that exist today. People can always give you an idea or two to write an article. And you can observe everyone from friends to relatives to a guy walking on the road.

9. The News: There’s always something on the news that’s newsworthy. It may be local news that could be turned into an article for a global audience. Or it might be the reverse. What’s your take on the latest piece of breaking news?

10. Twitter: There’s always someone doing something writeable on Twitter. It’s almost like sitting in a crowded café with your scribbling pad and watching interesting conversations unfold. The more you read the more literature you get to write.

About the Author: Sanjay is a freelance content writer and blogger with over 3 years of experience. He loves to twiddle with words and blogs about freelance writing, copywriting and blogging. His articles are informative and make a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. Visit his blog at Freelance Content Writer now !

1) Write great comments

The typical advice is to leave intelligent and insightful comments that
add value to the reader. This is solid advice, but just a beginning on
blog commenting strategies.

2) Leave controversial comments

Controversy gets noticed, and you can build interest and traffic by
politely offering different points of view in comments. Don’t be
controversial just to stand out, but only where it’s reasonable and
adds value.

Opinions are valued in the blogosphere, and as long as you have a
legitimate differing view and can back it up, don’t shy away from
controversy.

3) Use a consistent commenter name

Always use a consistent name when you leave comments. For example if
your name is Robert James Smith, don’t sometimes use “Bob Smith,”
sometimes “Robert Smith,” and sometimes “Robert James Smith.” Pick one
consistent representation of your name so that people will get to
recognize you.

4) Append your blogname or other tagline to your comment name

You can append your blogname or other tagline to your name when
commenting. For example, if you’re Bob Smith and your blog is called
“Feline Health,” using the name “Bob Smith, Feline Health” will get you
lots of notice on cat blogs. Make sure, as mentioned above, you use a
consistent name, whether you include a tagline or not.

5) Comment early

Early comments attract more attention than late comments. It’s better
to have the first or second comment on a popular blog than the 5th or
25th. The later comments tend to get buried and not read as often.

6) Comment often on the same blogs

Regular readers will be more likely to notice you if you regularly leave comments and will be more likely to visit your blog.

7) Leave comments on related blogs

It doesn’t matter how great your comments might be, if you are a cat
blogger your comments will work better on other cat blogs than on
political, ,marketing, or other unrelated blogs!

Leaving comments is a great way to build blog traffic. By considering
the tips above, you’ll build more traffic than by simply using the
common “leave great comments”strategy.

About the Author: And for over 100 tips on successful blogging, I invite you to grab
your free copy of my ebook “Secrets of Successful Blogging” at http://www.secretsofsuccessfulblogging.com

By Ted Demopoulos, author of “Blogging for Business” and “What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting”

If you already have a traditional, “brochure” style website for your business that’s great. You should keep that as a place for prospective clients and customers to visit to find out more about you and what you offer. I use my blog as my main site, meaning I don’t have a separate, static website. That’s a personal choice. Many people choose to have both, with the blog being linked to from the main site.

If you don’t currently have a blog, there are several important reasons why you should consider it:

Visibility: If you are doing even just some of your business using the web then you obviously need to have an online presence. Having a blog that you post to regularly is a wonderful way to capture and keep the attention of your prospects. When they see that you are posting consistently updated content, they are more likely to return to your site.

Search Engine Optimization: This doesn’t mean you need to study up and implement a ton of SEO techniques yourself. But blogs by their very nature are dynamic, meaning the content is updated often. In Google’s eyes, this is a very good thing-it shows that their users are getting fresh information. A blog is a great way to get your business to rank well in the search engines.

Community Building: By allowing comments on your posts you are promoting conversation and encouraging feedback. It can even help you to perform “market research” and find out what it is your target market needs from you. This feedback can also be helpful for coming up with ideas for future posts.

Positions you as the Expert: Something interesting happens once you begin posting useful content regularly and attracting subscribers. You become seen as a thought leader in your niche. This leads to more opportunities, more relationships and more business. It’s a terrific way to communicate the value of what you have to offer to prospective clients and customers.

Personality Sharing: Blogging gives you a chance to be seen as a real person and not just a business. Be willing to express opinions and let your true self shine through. This will go a long way towards humanizing you in the eyes of your readers.

In my opinion, the best thing about blogging is how simple and quick it is to publish a post at the push of a button. It’s also wonderful to be able to track exactly how many people are coming to your blog and where they are coming from. Just install Google’s free Analytics tool and you can see detailed statistics on your visitors and traffic.

Just begin and get it going. Aim to post once a week. They don’t have to be long posts and they don’t have to be earth-shatteringly brilliant. As with anything, you’ll get better at writing the more you do it. Jot down any ideas that come to you for posts as you go about your day. I keep a file of topic ideas that I think of and I find this helpful to look at if I get stuck for what to write about.

Blogging should be something you carve out time for just as you would any other marketing activity. If you really feel you would have nothing to say to people who may want to hire or buy from you, then perhaps it is just not for you. But I encourage all small business owners who are doing business online to at least give it a try. You never know, there may be people out there just waiting to hear your voice.

About the Author: Christine Gallagher, MLS, MSIS, founder of CommunicateValue.com, teaches solopreneurs and small business owners how to use online marketing and social media to communicate effectively and authentically and attract more business. For FREE tips on how to build profitable relationships, leverage technology and create your own successful online business, visit http://CommunicateValue.com

Blogs can be anything you want – practical journalism, an online personal diary, op ed commentary – the options are endless! The term ‘blog’ is derived from ‘web log’ which harks back to the early days of blogging, where simple online journals could be used to narrate anything people wanted. Similar to paper journal people have kept through the ages, the online version could be used to record everyday life details such as what they had for dinner, to how they were feeling that day. Blogs, like everything computer based, have evolved to be easier to use and more accessible to people from all walks of life. Now people have realised they can easily share their feelings and thoughts on any topic with the world!

The medium of blogging has exploded in popularity. You may have heard people talking in non internet media about the impact of blogging on modern culture. Social bookmarking is another often mentioned new phenomenon which incorporates blogging. The types and quantity of blogs on the web grows daily. From blog content matter such as gossip & celebrity news which have huge readerships. Discussion, commentary & community building for an infinite scope of special interest subjects from video games to gardening are popular also.

Blogging is not necessarily a frivolous past time though, some of the most accurate information about the Iraq War comes from people embedded in the Middle East who use their blogs to instantly share their unique perspective and first hand information with the rest of the world. Many businesses use their blogs to advertise special offers, product announcements and other events for their business.

So now that you understand what blogs are, and where they came from, it’s back to the original question.

Should you blog?

You may have heard of bloggers commanding audiences which number in millions of readers and others who have turned the simple exercise of blogging into multi-million dollar income. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that? All you have to do is establish a free blog, write a couple of posts, and you’ll be relaxing with the rich on the beach – right?

Not so fast – a few things to consider first.

While it is true there are people who have achieved great success by blogging, and there is certainly no reason you can’t achieve the same success, the odds of instant wealth are not in your favour. The number of blogs has been estimated at around 50 million and growing each day. In reality, the chances of your blog reaching superstardom without a LOT of dedication and effort and some luck are small.

Don’t let this discourage you from exploring blogging, just be aware that blogging is not necessarily a one way ticket to the good life. Whether your blog hits it big, blogging and journaling can be very rewarding and exciting.

Anyone can blog, basic writing skills and courtesy definitely help, but you can use blogging to develop these skills. The beautiful part of blogging is that you can write about whatever you want, in whatever style you like. There are no set in stone rules, and you do not need to be a technical wizard.

So now that you know you want to start a blog, and that you can do it the next step is to think about what and why you want to blog. Some of the basic reasons people blog follow.

Blog for income

Blogs can help you make money through a number of means. PPC (pay per click) advertising is a great way to get started – businesses pay you to show their ads on your blog when they receive traffic from visitors to your blog. Product review services compensate a certain amount of money for each of the products you review on your blog. Or set up an online shop to market an e-book in an area you have expertise in. You could use your blog to distribute and promote the e-book.

Blog for career opportunities

Practice and develop your writing skills, host writing samples or showcase design and art skills. Combine your blog with a free photo sharing website and you have an effective photography portfolio, instantly available worldwide to prospective clients. In time where everyone seems to be connected to the internet, there is no simpler way for an employer to learn about you – keep it professional though!

Blog to share your passion

Perhaps you are a model train fanatic or die hard sport team fan – whatever your passion this is great focus for a blog. Provide the latest information and news about your preferred ‘niche’. Build a community of like minded people or even become an expert resource to others.

Blog to document your life

The well known online diary hasn’t been replaced. People use blogs as ways of tracking exercise and diet, or to ‘scrapbook’ their family lives, instantly share memories and photos with far flung family and friends. Blogs are a fantastic way to keep a record for looking back to in the future.

You should now have a better understanding of what blogging is, reasons for blogging and some inspiration for how you can start blogging. The possibilities are endless, and there is no reason not to have a few blogs about different areas which interest you. Whatever you make the focus of your blog, just get out there and get blogging!

About the Author: Online business is growing rapidly but there is still such a large number of businesses missing out on this opportunity. Kaplang is a unique design firm that provides quality services for web design, web development, search engine optimization and all other web solutions. Make sure your business stands out from the crowd when adding an online presence to your new or existing business. http://www.kaplang.com