Earlier this evening, I noticed several people asking MySpace Vice President of Marketing Sean Percival to rate their profile on Twitter. At first, I snorted rather snidely at some of his answers. He handed out very low “grades” to people whom I thought had pretty nifty taglines in their “about” section. Giving Mr. Percival the benefit of the doubt, I went back and really paid attention. He’s actually right, y’all. Most of us suck at filling those sections of our profiles in. We need to stand out from the rest of the crowd.

You have only 160 characters to sum up yourself, your work and your life on Twitter. How in the hell can anyone be expected to explain to the world who they are and what they do with that limitation? I know that many of you simply link off to your website, blog or another about-type page. I don’t much care for that though. I don’t want to have to click through to figure you out. I want you to do the work for me!

Seriously, though, most people will use that short bio as a means of judging whether you are worthy enough to follow. They won’t take the time to click a link and get more information. Your profile or tagline needs to place you into a nice, tidy box – even if you don’t fit into one. Be creative and funny – but make sure you give a good sense of what you are, do and stand for.

Above all – you have to sell yourself. If you want to build a community which feeds off of your love for cooking, you might want to mention food in your bio. If you prefer more of a geeky crowd, it’s safe to say you shouldn’t mention bunnies and flowers in your message. The point is that you’re going to have to figure out how best to describe you in a way that will make other want to connect with you.

Don’t just tell me you’re a social media junkie. Tell me WHY you are – and how you use that to make a difference in this world. I’d rather not see your profile claim that you are a lover instead of a fighter. Instead, try telling me what you’re passionate about, such as saving the whales or rainforests. Be more specific. Using broad, general terms is going to turn people off. There are millions of generic people out there. We want someone exciting to follow, right?

Take a look at your own social media profiles. Be hard on yourself. Figure out how you can sell yourself to us better than you already are. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback, and make sure to listen with an open mind when you receive it. After all, those already in your community know you best!

What Should Your Profile Say About You?

A 16-year-old boy from Arkansas has filed suit against his own mother for breaking into his Facebook account and embarrassing him on his profile page. Denise New hacked her way into his account last month to “check on” him. Not only did she read what he’s been up to, she also posted some things about his personal life that her son didn’t appreciate. He brought action against her and even requested a “no contact” order. Ms. New is charged with harassment.

She isn’t taking the charges lightly, and vows to fight them. She believes that parents have the right to know everything their child is doing… even if they have to break in to their profiles to find out. However, the woman didn’t stop with checking up on her son. She posted some humiliating things to his Facebook Wall, including things like “This is what happens when you use my computer to get on Facebook” and “Does anyone have a room for rent? Help a poor mother out and get him out of my house”. Keep in mind that her son is only 16… and is now living with his grandparents.

What do you think? Does a parent’s rights to take care of their child extend to spying on them and humiliating them?

• Who are you better than?
• Who needs Flash on the iPad? Just use Silverlight.
• Verizon steps into a really big pond.
• This IS Pirillo!!
• The Comodo Time Machine causes nightmares for some people.
• Yes, Virginia, you CAN speed up Windows 7.
• Do you like Playstation’s The Tester?
• Should grandpas be allowed to play in the NFL?
• How can we change the gaming industry?
• Swype lets you type 50 words per minute on your cell phone.
• What are your thoughts on the UK Digital Economy Bill?
• Do you suffer from nightmares and strange dreams?
• You’ll gain far more Twitter followers if you use a profile picture of yourself.
• 50% of teens will purchase a touch-screen computer by 2015.
• For the automotive Geeks out there… which type of engine works the best?
• Some airlines will now charge fees for carry-on luggage in addition to checked baggage.
• Have you gotten a peak at the new slate device from HP?

You don’t have to spy on your computer or phone to keep them running smoothly. Just check out what’s new in the software center.

Teen Sues Mom for Hacking his Facebook

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Do you Twitter? If so, then you know you can tell the World what you’re doing in 140 characters or less. Many people who tweet have jazzed up their home page background on Twitter. Do you know how to amp up yours? All you have to do is head over to my tweet space and create yourself a great-looking background in minutes – for free!

Choose your style, create your badge, and then update your profile. There are over 100 premade templates to choose from. Choose your badge style, and then enter all of your information – or at least as much as you are comfortable with sharing on Twitter!

You can add your own personal comments, and various profile links for different sites. When you’ve entered everything, choose your fonts and text color, and then preview your layout! Save your background and then upload it to Twitter! That’s all there is to it.

Thank you to everyone who follows me on Twitter, and to all of you who followed me during the making of this video, to get me past the 29,000 subscribers mark!! You guys rock.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/O4BiMvULcKU"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/O4BiMvULcKU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

How to Create an Awesome Twitter Profile Background