Twitter has crossed over into the realm of profitability. The little "social network that could" has been able to leverage their "sponsored tweets" idea into a multi-million dollar advertising vehicle. To continue to increase profits, Twitter has also recently opened a blog and Twitter account focused specifically on advertising on Twitter and is aimed at providing businesses with figures and information concerning how valuable a tweet is.

Even if companies are shelling out big bucks for prime "tweet space," there is still the question over how many impressions the tweets are receiving. If a user is using a third-party client they won't see the top tweets/ promoted tweets area. Mobile users who access the mobile version of the Twitter website (not through an app) won't see the promoted tweets section. The next "stage" in Twitter's advancement into more serious advertising should be how to target users who do not visit the Twitter website without disrupting their regular service.

Source:
Wasserman, T. (2011). Twitter launches advertising blog, Twitter account. Mashable. link

Branding yourself on social media is the same as branding yourself in the real world except that what you say stays around longer. Its true that the message may need to become more casual in an online scenario, but its not like you need to start from square one to get your image out there.

The main problem with also forming a brand on social media is keeping your various identities consistent across multiple platforms. What you present on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and in real life must all be proper representations of who you are and what you want your brand to be. You can't be outspoken on Facebook and overtly serious in real life. The duality of presentation works if you are in high school, but when you are forming a brand to be a reflection of yourself in all aspects of communication, it needs to remain consistent.