After you create your Twitter profile, this is what you need to know:  the magic on Twitter only unfolds AFTER you follow some interesting people and entities.  Your Twitter experience rests solely on that.  If you follow silly people who text each other banal messages, you will simply have that limited experience.  If, however, you are like me, a hog for information, and you follow the right Twitterers, you too will have an extraordinarily enjoyable experience and learn a lot in the process.  Here are some valuable websites that will help you maximize your Twitter experience:

http://wefollow.com/   Shows who's who on Twitter in all areas of interest and all niches.

http://twitterholic.com/   Find out who the top Twitter users are; it even shows your own ranking.  It was intriguing to discover that with around 1,200 followers I am ranked nr. 7 for the Myrtle Beach Area.  Not too shabby!

http://www.twellow.com/   Connect with others based on niche and interests.

http://justtweetit.com/   Connect with others based on niche and interests.

http://friendorfollow.com/   Who is and who isn't following you.

http://twitterless.com/   Notifies you by e-mail when someone stops following you.

http://useqwitter.com/users     Notifies you by e-mail when someone stops following you.

http://twitpic.com/   Use this site to post your pictures to twitter.

http://tweetake.com/    Use this to back up your Twitterings.

http://twittercounter.com/   My most favorite tool, this is so user friendly: just plug in your user name and it will show your exact Twitter stats by week, month and since inception.  It will also predict the number of followers you will have in the next 30 days.   I'm a sucker for this one; you know just how much I love statistics...

http://tweetstats.com/   Another favorite toy: this shows some extraordinarily detailed stats: your Twitter habits are carefully analyzed.  Easy to use and so much fun.

http://www.stone.com/Twittelator/   Twitter application for the I-Phone.

http://twitterfon.net/   Twitter application for the I-Phone.  This is the one I have and I love it.  It's simple and very easy to use.  It has features that are not present in the computer application.  As I've learnt from my Tweetstats, I do most of my Twitting from my I-Phone.

http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/   TwitterBerry: Crackberry users seem to love this one.

Phew!  I'm tired now.  That's enough Twitter for one day.  Enjoy!

Mirela Monte, ActiveRain and Twitter Addict                 Join Me on The Optimist Group!

For more Twitter magic, also read:

Taking The Mystery out of Twitter: What is Twitter and How Do You Use It?

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Part II - Play It Again, Sam!

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Part III - Feed your AR Blog to Twitter:

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Fitting It All Into 140 Characters:

For Up To The Minute News, It's Twitter, Not CNN that Delivers the Goods!