How to Import Contacts on Twitter

Did you know you can import contacts from Yahoo, Gmail, LinkedIn, and Aol on Twitter? It’s “Twitter Tuesday,” and I would like to give a shout-out to a brand-new Tweeter, @NapkinWizard, before I share a handy tutorial on how to import contacts on Twitter.

It’s been so much fun for me to help Jimmy (@NapkinWizard) discover the many great features of Twitter.  I’ve written about getting started on Twitter here before, along with nearly 30 other Twitter-related posts, so you can tell it’s something that I truly see the benefit in and enjoy using.   I set Jimmy’s Twitter account up for him, and then we spent a little over an hour on the phone walking through the various features of Twitter so he could begin to feel comfortable with tweeting.  It was such fun to hear him “get it” when walking through the space.  

One thing we talked about was how to “find” people to follow on Twitter.  Where do you start? I recommend looking for your personal friends/colleagues on Twitter first.  Have you done this? If you started tweeting some time ago, it may be a good idea to visit this feature again, since Twitter may have added a few new import options since you joined (such as LinkedIn, etc.).

How to Find Import Friends (Contacts) on Twitter:

Locate friends, family, and colleagues on Twitter with it’s one-click import feature. Steps below.

1. Visit this page: http://twitter.com/#!/who_to_follow/import to discover which of your friends are already using Twitter. It will help you import your contacts from Gmail, Hotmail/Messenger, Aol, Yahoo, and even LinkedIn.
   
2. Choose the service you’d like to import contacts from.
3. Login to the service (if promoted) or grant access
4. Follow friends by clicking on the “follow” button.
   

Twitter added LinkedIn import since the last time I searched for friends, so I found a few new folks to follow.  I hope you also have great success with this neat tool. Be sure to follow @NapkinWizard if you're on Twitter.  He's a friend of @EtiquetteExpert (another must-follow!). 

Happy Tweeting!

Laura

Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in Charleston, SC who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to this blog via Email or  RSS. Laura can also be found on Twitter (@LauraCatherineO), Facebook, and LinkedIn.