If you work alone or from home, there’s no denying that Twitter is an invaluable tool, both professionally and personally. As part of a marketing strategy, Twitter can help spread the word about your business. And when you’re feeling disconnected, Twitter can make you feel a part of the world around you.

But in some circles, Twitter, Facebook and social media, in general, is considered a bad thing. “We’re all getting self-obsessed,” some complain. To them I say, Twitter can actually make you a better person.

Here’s some ‘Twitterquette’ to demonstrate how:

1. Be more open
   Contrary to popular belief, Twitter’s not all about what you had for lunch. But its 140-character limit and the ways in which you can tweet – from your desk or from your mobile phone – make Twitter an ideal platform to share a little more about yourself. Being transparent with your followers reminds you of who you want to be and what you want to stand for. That openness is good for your business and for your relationships with your friends and your family.
2. Share and share alike
   Twitter makes it easy to share links, music and video clips with your followers. Like newspaper cuttings in the post (“I saw this and thought of you”), you can send your findings to individuals directly, or share your knowledge, tips and advice with the world. How can you be more sharing outside of Twitter?
3. Take an interest in others
   Twitter expert Mark Shaw says that before you start your day on Twitter, reply to three tweets and retweet another. It helps feed the Twittersphere. Imagine if everyone talked about themselves and took no interest in others? Following this etiquette reminds us to take an interest in others, online and off.
4. Help spread the word
   By retweeting an update, you share someone else’s ideas, concerns and good news with your followers. If someone needs help and you don’t know the answer, maybe someone in your network does? How can you ‘retweet’ and help friends and contacts in real life?
5. Ask questions
   If you’ve a following on Twitter, one of the best ways to keep your followers engaged is to ask questions. Ever been to a dinner party and sat next to someone who just talked about themselves? Ask a few questions and you’ll get more out of Twitter – and more out of life!

What do you think? Does following Twitter etiquette make you a better person? Or is Twitter, Facebook and social media making us more self-obsessed and less in touch with the real world? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

San Sharma is community manager at Enterprise Nation, as well as the voice of @e_nation on Twitter.

1. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do. At its core, Stewart said, social marketing is about finding your own voice and communicating your brand’s personality. It’s easy to do what everyone else is doing and hope for a good response.  Mix it up, break the rules and be willing to let others see the real you.
2. Find yourself a good co-pilot. Throughout her keynote, Martha Stewart tossed questions and remind-me-later asides at Eliad Laskin, her all-purpose technical guru. At some point you’ll realize that you can’t do everything and actually, you shouldn’t.  Find someone who has strengths in areas you don’t.
3. Go where your customers are — and remember that everyone’s a customer. Instead of picking one platform, Stewart advises finding ways to adjust your pitch to reach the different communities that form online. My Twitter and LinkedIn accounts are all business while my Facebook account combines aspects of both my business and personal life.

• Establishing expertise. The writer, Lisa Barone, makes a good argument for establishing yourself as the “go-to” person in your field. She recommends participating in groups and answering questions through the Q&A.

• Share content. Barone suggests you do it in a way that’s not self-promoting or appears to be selling to someone else. She emphasizes that people on LinkedIn are looking for content and not just passing by.

Considering how easy it is to find current information on the Internet and knowing the power of social media sites, I was surprised by the results of a new Citibank/GfK Roper survey. Of the 500 small business owners surveyed, 86% of said that they aren’t using FaceBook or Twitter to get advice or information. Instead, 61% said that they’re using Google and Yahoo.

Twitter and FaceBook aren’t the only social media options out there but they’re a good place to start.

What's on your Facebook page?

Are you exposing yourself?
Facebook can bring you exposure and eventually more business but are you literally exposing yourself too much? Are your personal photos accessible to your clients? Do you have friends who don’t think before they write and post inappropriate comments on your wall? Read the article “10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know” to help you protect your privacy on Facebook. There’s nothing wrong with friends and clients getting to know you, but sometimes it’s better to leave some things to the imagination.

Liz Bradford

Liz was an anchor anchor/producer/reporter for 12 years before she started her PR firm. Her clients include Ford Motor Company and Krispy Kreme Donuts (yum!) among others. She shares a home office with her account coordinator and this year she decided to rent an outside office for 16 hours a month. Her outside office gives her a place to host potential clients or her consultants (most of them work from home too) for team meetings. Liz, knowing the value of PR, was happy to answer a few questions for all of us working naked:

Lisa: What are the top three PR mistakes small business owners make?

Liz: 1) They don’t budget enough for marketing and PR and can lose momentum once they do start getting media attention. 2) They’re afraid to toot their own horn and don’t do any PR. 3) They get frustrated when they see their competitor getting publicity.

Lisa: What are three things a small business owner can do to get publicity?

Liz: 1) Always be thinking about “story ideas” that would interest newspaper reporters, trade writers, radio station hosts, influential bloggers, TV reporters. 2) Be original and be creative. This is about ways to set yourself apart from your competitors. Blog, Tweet and get a Facebook and/or MySpace page. Social media is very important in today’s media environment where some of the traditional media is losing its audience. 3) Look for small charities in your neighborhood to support and let the local media know about it. Philanthropy goes a long way, especially in this economy where charities are losing donations and need help. I don’t recommend picking a large charity because your news of making a donation will get lost.

Great advice. Time to update my media list.