If you’re not a Twitter user yet, you’re missing out on what could be a very effective promotional tool for you and your music. Twitter is a mini-blogging service that allows you to send short messages to other users in real-time. It is similar to the way you’d send text from a cell phone but Twitter makes room for a lot more possibilities. It make take some time to get used to if you’re totally unfamiliar with it, but jump right in and try it. Soon you may find yourself unable to stop using it. The Twitter community is large and growing very quickly and creates great opportunities to network. Here are 5 good uses for it:

1. Meet DJs: You can use twitter to meet DJs from all over the world who support independent artists. Some of them have their own radio shows on and offline.

2. Mobilize your fanbase: You can localize your networks and alert your fans instantly about performances or appearances just by twittering from a cell phone.

3. Get Press: Connect with hip hop magazine editors, writers or bloggers and introduce them to your music. It’s very possible that they may be interested in doing an article on you.

4. Collaborations: Collab with other artists or producers who also have their own followers on twitter. This can effectively broaden your fan base by plugging you into their networks as well.

5:Unforeseen Opportunities: A lot of the time, twitter users send “tweets” looking for a service you may be able to provide. You can receive these in real-time or search past messages for keywords of your interests.

You can find me on twitter at twitter.com/indiehiphop . I’ll write some future posts about other services and applications that greatly increase Twitter’s usefulness.