Did you know there are around 140 million people on Twitter but that only about 10% of them use it on a regular basis and follow over 50 people? 
Are you one of the 90% of folks not fully utilizing Twitter or are you of the 10% following more than 50 people but are interested in taking it a step further?

Here are 10 quick tips to help you get the most out this social network. Who knows, after reading this, you might go on to create a whole new life for yourself. You can thank us later.

1.  Identify your passions - Using Twitter just based on the fact that others are, is a waste of time. Do yourself a favor and think about what you want to learn or accomplish by being on Twitter. For example, I’m interested in Drummers, Photography, Fitness, Social Media Marketing, and Parenting and I follow these topics on Twitter. Similarly for you, your interests will be the foundation for everything else you do on the platform moving forward.

2.  Exciting bio - Now that you've identified your passions, you can write your Twitter bio. These will be the first lines people read on your profile so make them short, sweet and intriguing.

3.  Leverage technology - Find an app that helps you do more on Twitter in less time. There are a handful of free apps out there like Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, and BufferApp. Using these tools you can schedule tweets, create keyword searches based off of your key interests, and even link together other social media accounts like Facebook, and LinkedIn.

4.  Listen first - Twitter is all about high-quality conversations, but my advice to you is to listen first. Listen to how conversations unfold, how people phrase things, and what topics are okay to discuss. Once you have a basic understanding, then start to take part in the conversations. Wondering how? I’ll cover that in point number 7 below.

5.  Leverage hashtags - Hashtags are Twitter's way of categorizing information easily for review later. Take a look at trending hashtags to see if those are conversations you can join. Also, take note to not get "hashtag-crazy." Try to include no more than two per tweet.

6. Create lists - As you go along and use Twitter more, you'll meet people that fall into certain categories like fitness, work, family, celebrities, etc. It's helpful to  create list for these folks. These will show up in the third party apps we talked about in point 3 and allow you to focus on certain conversations to again, save you time.

7.  Share - Now that you've been listening, leveraging hashtags, and lists, you've got a good idea of how you might contribute to the conversation. Here's your opportunity to share something helpful. It could be a great article you read, a quote that you found inspiring, or a link to your own blog that discusses the "Top 5 ways to Fold Socks and Take Your Life Back."

8.  Be you - Remember when your parents or someone in your life said, "You're so special"...well, you are and no one out there is identical to you. Let that personality come through so that people can get to know you. Don't stick only to re-tweeting or sharing content. Take part in conversations, let your quirkiness shine and have fun!

9.  Don't be “that guy/gal" - Don't get in the habit of re-tweeting what other people say about you. Here's an example of what NOT to retweet, "@natespeak You're doing some amazing work over there. Love it!!" If I were to retweet that, I'd basically be that guy at the party that says, "Hey everyone, listen to what Jimmy said about me… I'm so cool!" Don't just self-promote all the time, rather ask questions, engage in conversations and share information with your followers.

10.  Have fun - Twitter is an amazing tool for connecting quickly with a mass amount of people and getting questions answered, creating a community, and finding out the breaking news. It's meant to be fun and make sure it stays that way. If you dread using Twitter, you're doing something wrong and I suggest going back to my first tip and starting over again.

So that’s it, 10 easy tips to help you get the most out of Twitter. Did you find these tips helpful and if so, which one hit home for you? Any tips you want to add? Leave your feedback in the comments section below or hit me up via @natespeak. I promise I won’t re-tweet what you say about me:)