If you’re just finding your way around Twitter, or looking for helpful tips and strategies, TwitterHandbook is a great place to start. One invaluable tip I learned from it was how to change your Twitter name.

Here’s a helpful list of various Twitter apps to make your life easier.

And here are the Twitter apps I use…

Tweetdeck to scan tweets and track categories of people and keyword searches that I’ve created. You can also track Facebook Friend updates as well.

Tweetgrid to watch groups of searches in real time.

Twitterfeed to feed blog posts to Twitter.

Tweetlater to pre-schedule a series of tips via Twitter. I used to use it to send an auto DM to new followers until the backlash about that hit.

Twitbacks to create a quick and easy Twitter background with more of your contact info.

Twitter Grader Ok, first, it’s really cool to see what your Twitter grade is (especially when you rank among the Twitter Elite in your locale!). But I also use it to find local people I should be following.

To find people to follow…

I don’t autofollow people. To me it’s not about getting the biggest list, it’s about finding people I’d like to connect with. So here are some tools to make finding the right people easier:

Twellow to search Twitter profiles for keywords or location or find various groups of people by area of interest.

Twitseeker to search keywords in both tweets and profiles.

Twitter Karma see who you’re following that’s not following you and vice versa. (Not always accurate, but it’s a good  way to get an idea of who’s following you that you may want to follow back.)

Mr. Tweet will analyze your tweets and send you a link every two weeks of people it says you should be following. Will also show you who’s following you that you’re not following back.

Who Should I Follow? will analyze people you follow and find others like them.

Other Small Business-Related Twitter posts I’ve done…

One List is Not Enough Anymore

Using Twitter for Business

More on the Value of Social Media for Entrepreneurs

My Top 10 Reasons for Using Twitter

Twitterberry Versus Tiny Twitter for the Crackberry

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