Today’s New York Times has some good advice for professional users of the popular micro-blogging service Twitter. It features the 24-year-old Bonnie Smalley, a customer service representative for Comcast, one of the earliest corporate adopters of using Twitter to help resolve customer service issues. (It had to try something new, after all–the cable provider’s service reputation has long been notoriously poor, inspiring its own hate sites and even violent acts by angry 75-year-old women.)

Here’s a summary of the tips Smalley (Twitter name: comcast bonnie) offers:

–Use a “console” application rather than a browser for faster posting and less crashing.

–Post a picture of yourself to humanize the brand.

–Employ privacy settings in case you also make personal tweets.

–Find the bookmark function on Twitter (yes, it has one).

–If you tweet professionally, set parameters on your time.

Source: BusinessWeek – Management IQ