For anyone who's wondered what 'tweeting' can do for business, here are the keys to using Twitter.

By Kim Thai, contributor

Thousands of companies have hopped onto the Twitter bandwagon, trying to find a way to bring in business (and hopefully, revenue) one tweet at a time. But it isn't as easy to Twitter -- especially for companies -- as one might think.

For those who don't know: Twitter's a micro-blogging site that allows users to communicate with each other in 140 characters or less. Think of each "tweet" as a text or instant message -- not really directed at anyone but visible to everyone. And those who want to follow particular people's tweets can simply subscribe to their feed for real-time updates.

But don't mistake it for a fluke: In the last year, Twitter traffic has multiplied almost 15 times over, with more than 37.3 million unique global visitors in May, according to comScore. And as tweeting becomes hotter, companies feel more pressure to join the social-networking tool in order to stay competitive. But many are struggling to understand Twitter culture and, as a result, their tweets can come off as desperate or inadvertently turn away potential customers.

So to help you avoid any Twitter faux pas and maximize your tweeting potential, here are five rules for using this social networking tool that'll keep your company ahead of the competition. More