Twitter is becoming a mainstream tool.

With this post, I want to give you some information, tips and advises to better use this tool and who are the Twitter users in the Travel Industry.

Twitter in a nutshell
Twitter is a messaging platform, also referred to as micro-blogging. Information is exchanged between users in the form of messages comprising 140 characters or less. Updates are sent and received via web, SMS or third party applications like Twhirl. The basic idea is you choose who’s updates you want to follow, and others choose to follow your updates. Updates are fed into your feed where you can see what the people you follow are doing. Conversely, your updates are sent to your followers feeds.

Twitter is a community

It’s a community of people who are passionate. Many are bloggers, all are influential communicators to some degree or another. Twitter enables word of mouth to spread at lighting speed. It’s a community of people who, if you SPAM them, will at best ignore you, at worst completely slam you.

My 10 tips about Twitter

- Reserve your name and brand name on Twitter (now, it’s like the DNS game)

- Use a twitter client, I suggest http://www.twhirl.org/

- Joint the T-List and the Travel Twitterati (all info with this post on UpTake blog)

- Monitor your compagny brand on Twitter : I suggest to use Tweet Scan

- Keep in touch with bloggers / media

- Promote blog articles, webinars, interesting news and more

- Use live updates on events or conferences

- announce specials, deals or sales

- Make friends

- Put your Twitter feeds on your blog

Some Travel and tourism Twitter users
Carnival Cruise Lines http://twitter.com/CarnivalCruise
Delta http://twitter.com/deltaairlines
Jetblue http://twitter.com/JetBlue
Southwest Airlines http://twitter.com/SouthwestAir
Mahalo Travel http://twitter.com/mahalotravel

• atrapalo.com
• British Airways
• buscadestinos
• despegar.com
• Destinia
• Dreamito
• eurobookings.com
• EscapadaRural
• Horizonte24
• Hostel Colonial
• hotelbb
• hotelchatter
• TerminalA.com
• Reservia.es
• Hotelius hoteles
• Muchoviaje Viajes
• myTVTrip
• minube
• nvivo
• Premium Rentals
• preparatuviaje.com
• theringhotel
• trivop
• Viajes Privados

Some media Cies on Twitter
Reuters http://twitter.com/reuters
CNN http://twitter.com/cnnbrk
BBC (Off-site List) http://twitter.com/bbc
NY Times http://twitter.com/nytimes
WHP (CBS-affiliate) http://twitter.com/whptv
Wired News http://twitter.com/wired
NPR http://twitter.com/nprnews
ZDNet http://twitter.com/zdnett
Conde Nast Portfolio http://twitter.com/Portfolio
CNET News http://twitter.com/CNETNews
Revision3 http://twitter.com/revision3
Times OnLine http://twitter.com/TimesWorldNews
CBC News http://twitter.com/cbcnews
Orlando Sentinel http://twitter.com/orlandosentinel
ESPN http://twitter.com/espn
MTV Music Video Awards http://twitter.com/vma
BlipTV http://twitter.com/bliptv

Others ressources
Forrester http://twitter.com/forrester
Deacons http://twitter.com/Deacons
PerkettPR http://twitter.com/PerkettPR
Q1Labs http://twitter.com/Q1Labs
Eleven Marketing http://twitter.com/elevenmarketing
AdaptivePath http://twitter.com/AdaptivePath
H&R Block http://twitter.com/hrblock

Some leading blogs
Techmeme http://twitter.com/Techmeme
Mashable http://twitter.com/mashable
Engadget http://twitter.com/engadget
Technorati http://twitter.com/technorati
SocialText http://twitter.com/socialtext

Feel free to leave a comment with your Twitter contact.

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