How do you use Twitter? Do you look forward to connecting with writers, editors, and readers through this medium? Or have you shied away from this succinct form of social media?

Some might consider I was late to joining the Twitter party. I signed on for my account in June 2009. I wasn’t around for the first tweet ever sent, by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, back in March 2006. Not many people were. Now there seems to be more than 320 million monthly active users.

How many of these are writers? More importantly, how many of the writers using Twitter are using it to their advantage?

I joined this social network for another way to keep connected to fellow writers, editors, readers, and other book nerds. While I haven’t always been consistent in when and what I post, I continue to enjoy my presence there and have found the site useful to my writing life.

There is a learning curve to using Twitter. Far too many writers think this is a quick way to broadcast book news and aim for book sales. Yet what the site does best is pave the way for connections. Not sales.

In my personal approach to using Twitter, I take in all the news that comes through my feed. I read and respond to others’ tweets. And, yes, I post my own tidbits of info including general writing observations, excitement over lit events and new releases, and general #WritersLife fodder. I talk about coffee, travel, and to-do lists. These are all extensions of who I am, so they’re natural conversation points for me.

Twitter, like most social media, should be an extension of who you are as a writer and as a person. The most engaging tweets come from people who are just being themselves—and not trying to put on an act or persona with the intent of selling you on something.

What does that mean? How can you use Twitter more effectively? Here are a few resources that may help you understand the basics, improve your usage, and connect more authentically with your followers:

• The Ultimate Guide to Twitter for Writers by Frances Caballo on The Book Designer
• How to Get Noticed on Twitter — 15 Tips for Writers by: Carol Tice on Make A Living Writing
• Engaging Audiences through Twitter in 15 Minutes a Day by Kirsten Oliphant on JaneFriedman.com
• Why Writers Should Love Twitter (Hint: It’s Not Just About Selling Books) by Dana Sitar on The Write Life
• 44 Essential Twitter Hashtags Every Author Should Know by Cailtin Muir

If you’re on Twitter, follow me @loriamay. If you have tweet tips to share with other writers, post them in the comments!