how do you get people to notice you on twitter?

[minerva]

I get that you follow people and somehow people find you and follow you. how does that work? I'm trying to promote something. what is the protocol for tweeting? alot of the tweets look like private messages to me. Can i just tweet on someone else's stuff or is that bad form? like the people who comment on everything you do on facebook? some advice on how to use this social media please!

[Billy the Kid]

Think of Twitter as a micro blog. Only you can post to your own page. Other people's retweets and replies will not be displayed on your page.

In order to get to people to follow you or see your page, you've got to promote your page (not just your product). Try posting the link to your page on other sites.

[Ninetales]

Here's some things you can do that may help you get more followers:

1. Use hash tags. To use hash tags you have to follow the user on Twitter who is called hashtags (I didn't know which you had to follow so I follow them all). For example if you are tweeting about The X Factor, end your tweet with #xfactor and then if someone searches for the hash tag #xfactor your tweet should be there.
2. Follow lot's of people and organisations. Some tweeters will also follow you. So the more you follow the higher the chance of gaining more followers.
3. Reply to other people's tweets [arrow that goes up then points left] or retweet [two arrows, one going right then down, the other going left then up (looks a bit like the recycle sign)] other people's tweets. Or in a tweet just type @*theirusername* to reply and they should be able to see your reply in the mentions bit (ie if Total Film ask your favourite film and it's Platoon type @totalfilm my favourite is Platoon. #favouritefilm ).
4. As the other answerer said promote your twitter page on other sites such as Yahoo! Answers, Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace. The site will be http://www.twitter.com/AlienBlade ).
5. Tell all your friends and family to join Twitter and follow you. If they are already on just ask them to follow you.

EDIT:

Billy the Kid - Other people's replies/retweets do appear on your page. They are:
> On the main bit if you follow the user, or
> In the 'Mentions' (between 'Home' and 'Favs' on mobile site) section whether you do/don't follow them. As long as in their tweet it says @*yourusername*, it will appear in the Mentions section.

EDIT 2:

These won't guarantee you'll get followers (well, apart from the family and friends one which should guarantee it), but it will increase your chances.

Also be interesting. Don't just write what you're doing (ie I'm watching Platoon, I'm playing football, etc...). Write your views about certain things (ie give a 140 character review of a film you've just watched, or comment on political issues, or talk about last night's TV). If you are interesting people are more likely to follow you.

One of my favourites is http://www.twitter.com/DrSamuelJohnson

[Issa]

Simple... post something valuable. It's all about building meaningful relationships in the end and there's no way you can automate human relationship. You can check out the sources below for more details. Best o' tweet!