What is Twitter? What in the world is micro-blogging? Is it worth my time to invest in yet another social media tool? Can I really grow my business using Twitter?

Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing Is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online answers all of these questions and more. As soon as I got my hands on a copy (thanks to @CharlyRambin!) , I dove in and read the book cover-to-cover.  What a fantastic learning experience!

The back cover of Twitter Revolution promises to teach the reader:

• How to attract a flood of Followers/Fans/Clients
• How to make yourself Follow-Worthy
• Time saving applications to increase your Twitter efficiency and improve your user experience
• How to market, brand yourself and increase your influence using social media as a free PR tool

Twitter Revolution accomplishes these goals in a mere 250 pages of social networking goodness.  Twitter Revolution is not only an invaluable handbook, but also a quick read that is fun and engaging. It’s invaluable as a Twitter reference – you’ll find yourself referring to Twitter Revolution time and time again. This isn’t a book you want to borrow from a friend, so make sure to get your own copy!

Twitter Revolution is the brainchild of authors Deborah Micek and Warren Whitlock, a social media dynamic-duo who bring their considerable expertise to the topic of the Twitter phenomenon. Perhaps the coolest fact about Twitter Revolution is how the authors engaged the Twitter community and allowed their fellow twitizens to make significant contributions to the book.

Twitter Revolution was especially important to me as an internet marketer.  My temptation as a new Twitter user was to tweet endlessly about my product and my brand without considering whether anyone really cared.  The sheer volume of my tweets would make them care!  I learned how my initial instinct was the absolute worst way to achieve success on Twitter. Twitter is a great place to gain new clients and build a brand, but my initial concept of how to accomplish success was not only misguided, but extremely counterproductive!

Twitter Revolution taught me the most important factor in growing my business on Twitter is building solid relationships with the Twitter community.  It taught me to bring value to my followers, to engage with the community, and to build lasting relationships with my fellow twitizens.  Attracting new clients, building my brand, and converting followers into loyal customers and product evangelists is a side effect of the relationships I cultivate, and not the result of endless 140 character “BUY MY PRODUCT NOW IT’S THE BEST YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT” tweets. Admit it, you’ve done that. Don’t feel too bad, so have I, more than I care to admit.

What else will you learn from Twitter Revolution? If you haven’t gotten involved yet, Twitter Revolution will answer the question, “What the heck is Twitter?” and teach you how to get started (it’s really easy to get started on Twitter!).  The chapter “Ten Steps to Attract a Flood of Followers” teaches you how to grow your Twitter network the right way. Confused about all the Twitter jargon?  Make sure to dive into the “Glossary of terms for Twitter” chapter.  Having problems with jerks on Twitter?  You need to read the advice in “21 Tips to Terminating Twitter Trolls.”

Twitter Revolution is an invaluable resource for the both the Twitter novice and the Twitter expert. No matter how little or how much you know, you’ll find some nuggets of wisdom you’ll wonder how you ever lived without. A fast, engaging read, Twitter Revolution entertains and teaches at the same time. Twitter Revolution was especially useful to me as an internet marketer, teaching me how to build my network and my business the right way. What are you waiting for? Pick up your copy of Twitter revolution today!

About the Authors

Warren Whitlock is a #1 best selling author and entrepreneur.  You can find him online at http://WarrenWhitlock.com.  Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/WarrenWhitlock.

Deborah Micek is an author, columnist, speaker, and all around social media guru.  Find her online at http://DeborahMicek.com.  Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CoachDeb.

Let’s Connect!

With all this talk about Twitter success and building relationships, I’d be honored if you’d consider joining me on Twitter.  I’m @GimmeBluFrog, and I’d love to meet you.  See you in the Twitterverse!

Connect with Others!

Looking for another great way to connect on Twitter? Make sure to get involved in my favorite Twitter day, “follow Friday!“

or, Why Fridays on Twitter are 24 Hours of Awesome!

Everyday on Twitter is a day when you have the opportunity to connect with new Tweeple, learn something you didn’t know the day before, and generally enjoy yourself by goofing off with your buddies.  Friday, however, is a very special day on Twitter: it’s Follow Friday!

Follow Friday, or #followFriday, as it’s commonly referred to, is a day to recommend your friends to the Twitterverse.  What does #followFriday mean to me?  It’s an opportunity to give back to my friends and followers, to lend a hand to the new guy (to the extent that I can), and to expand my network by forging new friendships.

What does Follow Friday mean to you?  Let me know in the comments, or you can let me know on Twitter by replying to GimmeBluFrog.  Looking forward to hearing from you!

Further Reading

• You might also enjoy All I Really Need to Know about Social Media I Learned in Kindergarten
• Learn Twitter from the masters by reading Book Review: Twitter Revolution
• Here’s a great place to learn more about Blu Frog Energy
  

[This contest has ended and the winner has been announced. Perhaps you should subscribe to my RSS feed so you won't miss any future contest announcements!]

Blu Frog Energy Drink, the newest, best tasting energy drink on the market, packed with tons of natural energy and natural goodness, is taking the nation by storm!  Here’s your chance to win a free case of Blu Frog!

Welcome to all the readers and contestants from Heather’s blog Beautiful British Columbia!  If you already know what to do, skip the next paragraph and head straight to the list of handy posts.  If you’re not visiting from Heather’s blog, read on to find out how to enter.

Here’s what you do: head over to Beautiful British Columbia, blog of the lovely and talented Heather in BC, and read her post “Win Blu Frog on Valentine’s Day.”  Follow her directions to the letter (there are two ways to enter!).  Keep a sharp eye on Beautiful British Columbia the to see if you win (make it easy on yourself by subscribing to her RSS feed)!

Once you’ve read the directions, here are a couple of posts you might want to pay special attention to:

• Tell Me, What Is Blu Frog?
• What’s in Blu Frog?
• Seven Ways to Make Money Sharing Blu Frog Energy

Wrapping up: what do you need to do to win a case of Blu Frog? Read the instructions, enter the contest, and keep checking Beautiful British Columbia to see if you won!  What are you waiting for?  Enter now!

Note: this post is “sticky,” meaning it will show up as the first post until a contest winner has been announced.

Gimme Blu Frog! has just learned that Blu Frog Energy Drink will be the primary sponsor of Derrike Cope’s #75 Cope/Keller Racing Dodge during Daytona Speedweek.  This is in addition to our sponsorship of Larry Foyt in the Next Era Energy Resources 250 and the Camping World 300.

Cope will be driving in the Daytona 500 Qualifying on February 8th, and then in the Gatorade Duel on February 12th.  Depending on his performance in those races, we’ll be seeing a Blu Frog Energy car in “The Great American Race,” the Daytona 500!

Best luck to Larry Foyt and Derrike Cope at Daytona Speedweek!  Let’s go racing!

UPDATE: Here’s the racing and television schedule for the upcoming Daytona Speedweek (all times Eastern).

UPDATE: From the press release posted at the Derrike Cope Fan Club (no permalink):

“We’re really delighted to have The Limu Company and the new Blu Frog Energy drink as our sponsor,” said Cope, the 1990 Daytona 500 Champion. “We’re especially excited to create great synergy for the Blu Frog Energy brand in combination with Larry Foyt. It’s pretty rare but very powerful to have three separate vehicles creating major branding and awareness opportunities for the same company. This Speed Week should give a huge boost to the Blu Frog Energy brand!”

Foyt echoed Cope’s enthusiasm saying, “Our entire race team is excited about the opportunity to partner with The Limu Company and Blu Frog Energy in their national launch. They have a really exceptional product that our team loves, and the Blu Frog Energy brand is an exciting one that NASCAR fans will embrace. All of LimuNation will be thrilled with our races at Daytona, and we’re just as thrilled to have Blu Frog Energy on board as our primary sponsor.”

UPDATE: Qualifying results are in!  Derrike Cope drove the #75 Blu Frog Energy Drink Motorsports Dodge and qualified 51st in the Daytona qualifier on Sunday, with a speed of 182.02 mph and a lap time of 49.44 secs.  Cope will be racing again in the Gatorade Duel on Thursday, February 12 to earn his spot in the Daytona 500.  The event will be broadcast on Speed network starting at 1pm Central time.

Full results from Sunday’s qualifying are here.

For an explanation of Daytona 500 qualifying and the Gatorade Duel, and what that means for Derrike Cope in the Daytona 500, please see this excellent post from Racing News Digest.

UPDATE: Sadly, Derrike Cope’s 22nd place finish in the second Gatorade Duel was not enough to secure a position in Sunday’s Daytona 500. Regardless, it was a lot of fun to watch him qualify and race, and we wish him all the best in the future.

Stay tuned to Daytona Speed Week to see Blu Frog Motorsports and Larry Foyt race in the Daytona 500 supporting events on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. See the schedule above for times and broadcast networks.

UPDATE: Blu Frog is now sponsoring Derrike Cope in the Qualifier and the Gatorade Duel!

At the Blu Frog Energy launch event last weekend, we learned that Blu Frog Energy would be sponsoring NASCAR’s Larry Foyt during Daytona Speedweek, the most watched racing weekend in America.  Larry will be driving on Friday and Saturday in the supporting events for “The Great American Race,” the legendary Daytona 500.

On Friday, February 13, Foyt will drive the #74 Blu Frog Energy Dodge Truck in the Next Era Energy Resources 250.  On Saturday, Foyt will be back again to drive the #56 Blu Frog Energy Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the Camping World 300.

From the official press release (scroll down to “Larry Foyt Pulls Double Duty at Daytona”):

“All of us at The Limu Company are unbelievably excited about our involvement with Derrike Cope Inc., Mac Hill Motorsports and Larry Foyt,” said Gary Raser, Founder, President and CEO of The Limu Company. “Our members in the field, over 50,000 strong, are huge NASCAR fans and can’t wait to see Larry Foyt race . . . Our sponsorships come at a perfect time for us, as we launch our new Blu Frog Energy Drink.”

. . .

Practice for both events begins on Wednesday, Feb. 11th with qualifying on Thursday for the Truck Series and on Friday for the Nationwide Series. The NextEra Energy Resources 250 will be televised live on Speed Channel Friday night, starting at 7:30 p.m. The Camping World 300 will be broadcast live on ESPN2 Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.