Twitter is one of the most powerful tools to hit the internet in years and it can be one of the best tools you can use for social networking. Like a lot of programs Twitter will let the average user go in and change the settings in order to make their Twitter profile look different.

You can change the colors of different elements of the page and you can select from several background images they offer. Twitter also allows you to upload your own background image and really make your profile custom.

Taking advantage of using a custom background in Twitter is crucial in my opinion; it will not only set you apart but will let you give more information about yourself. Custom backgrounds also let others know that you are serious and will help you build confidence in your would be followers.

There are a few things to keep in mind when setting up your custom background or having someone set it up for you. You are only allowed to upload a background image that is smaller than 800K for your twitter background but that is plenty big enough to do what you need to do.

You also want to make sure you have your background the right size so that your information will not be behind the center section of text where the tweets show up. If you stay with 1600 X 1300 pixels you should be pretty safe. You want to be careful to not get too much info too low on your background or it will be cut off on certain monitors like laptops.

I started off using the simple backgrounds that Twitter provides when you set up an account and had a few followers, after I added my custom background it gave my Twitter profile more personality and I did see an increase. I’m not saying a custom background will get you a ton of followers by itself, you still need to tweet valuable info but it will help for sure!

We have all see it, you follow someone and as soon as you do an auto generated direct message is sent to your inbox on Twitter from them. I personally don’t like canned auto direct messages but that’s my preference. You can debate if auto generated direct messages are good or bad and maybe they are a good thing if you are getting hundreds of new followers a day but I wanted to address another important part of direct messages.

I consider the first direct message sent to someone after they follow you the very most important message you can send, it’s almost like a first impression. These messages should not be focused on asking your new follower to do something (go to my blog, download my eBook, click on my affiliate link, etc), remember this person just followed you and you could leave a very bad taste in their mouth.

Your first message to your new follower should be about them and them only. You should thank them for following you and let them know you appreciate them. Ask not what your followers can do for you but what you can do for your followers! If you take the time to make a good introduction you will build a better relationship with that person.

We have plenty of time after we build a relationship with a person to send another direct message or @ reply tweet with a link to our blog, website, etc. After a relationship has been established and trust is built they will be more likely to click the link then, rather than having it shoved in their face the first time we make contact with them.

We must remember that the people following us are real people and they have real feelings and should be treated with respect. It has also been said if you help enough people get what they want then you will also get the things you want. I am a strong believer in paying things forward, how about you?

I’ve had a debate going on with someone about one way Twitter relationships. I have to wonder when I see someone with thousands of followers and they are only following a few hundred if they have missed the entire point of Twitter.

The whole point of social media is to be social, instead of thinking you are a Hollywood socialite that everyone should bow down to. Harsh? Maybe a little but anyway…

The other person in the debate said in the defense of the people that never follow back and I quote “Personally, I don’t follow hundreds or thousands of people because it makes things too cluttered and overwhelming. I’d rather be able to effectively follow a smaller number of people.” Cluttered huh?

I agree about effectively following people, I want to follow people I have something in common with but then again, opposites attract. I will even go so far as saying I am following people that are not in my industry and don’t have the same interests that I do but I follow them anyway because I like what they tweet and the personality they have on Twitter.

I still can’t get past one way relationships though, when there is a 10,000 to 300 ratio. Something seems wrong to me, it’s not like if you follow more people you will have so many tweets you won’t be able to read them is it?

The fact is most people don’t speed tweet and of all the people I follow everyone seems great. I think by not following back the majority of people that follow you (unless they are spammers, porn related, etc) you take the chance of missing something really good.

Maybe I am looking at it in a non cyber world way, if I go to a gathering or a social mixer and do all the talking but never listen to anyone else would I be considered a rude person?

How do you feel about one way Twitter relationships?

You may be wondering about taking your eBay Store to the next level by having someone create a custom design that will match your company and its personality so we wanted to address some of those things for you.

The typical eBay store is made up of one of the templates (layouts) that eBay provides when you sign up for your eBay store subscription. These layouts consist of a few different color concepts and background images but as for being flashy or eye catching they are lacking greatly.

There are thousands of people selling on eBay and chances are if you need an item you can find “it” on eBay from more than one individual or eBay Store, this is where you can get lost amidst other sellers selling the same or similar that you are selling.

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes… would you buy from you if you had no previous knowledge about you? Are you confused yet? What I am asking is why would a customer what to buy from you if they have looked at 2 or 3 or even more sellers that are selling the same thing you are? Why not just buy from the first one on the list or from the one that has the best price or will they buy from the one that looks and seems more professional?

At this point a professionally designed eBay Store can set you apart and enable you to have the edge over your competition. Personally I am going to buy from someone that looks like they have their act together, not from someone that looks like they spent 15 minutes setting up their eBay Store subscription and just added their logo to the store manager.

A professionally designed eBay Store will brand your business, help people to remember you and create a feeling that you are the expert in your industry which will create loyal customers that will do business with you now and in the future.

Having an eBay Store that looks professional is just one of the key factors in how much success you will get from your eBay business you will also want to have good customer support, good selling and shipping habits and stay consistent with your selling behavior.

eBay is a place where you can start making sales the day you add your product listings because you have an instant market place at your fingertips, people that are waiting to buy from you but you can put your marketing into overdrive by having an informational website that will drive target customers from search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN to your eBay store. Driving traffic from search engines to your eBay Store not only will increase your sales but it will cut your eBay final value fees by 75% using the eBay Store Referral Credit. eBay’s store referral credit system is something a lot of people don’t take advantage of but should. You can read more about it here http://pages.ebay.com/help/specialtysites/referral-credit-steps.html

The bottom line is that if you truly want to be successful with your eBay business you have to set yourself apart and above your competition by having a better looking, easier to use store and shopping experience for your buyers.