At the beginning of September, we put together a mockup of a new background for our Twitter account. Like a lot of Twitter backgrounds, it had an explanation of who we were and some calls to action. But before we had a chance to add it to our account, Twitter changed their design.

Here was our original mockup:

The new Twitter website design is much wider and you aren’t guaranteed much space in the margins to show your message. How much space to you have? The experts at Banyan Branch have in depth tips for making backgrounds for the new twitter, including these rules of thumb for how much space you have to work with:

(100%*) Always Visible: 41px on each side
(72.7%*) of Modern Computers: 108px on each side (Requires about 1280x800px Screen Resolution or Higher)
(28.8%*) of Modern Computers: 200px on each side (Requires 1440x900px Screen Resolution or Higher)
(4.6%*) of Modern Computers: 312px on each side (Requires 1920×1080 Screen Resolution)

So, if we want to have a background message that reaches all modern web users, we needed to fit our message in just 41 pixels. That’s enough space for a small logo or a short message written vertically. What message should we put? I thought briefly about ways to say, “give us your money,” but decided instead to stick with what got us here, which was putting attendees first.

If you or your attendees need any sort of help, feedback, or advice, then email us.

See that background in action on our twitter account

When I started CrowdVine, I broke several standard start-up practices. I didn’t talk to venture capitalists, I didn’t have a co-founder, and I didn’t even seek out an advisory board. Instead, I spent two months building a prototype and then took that to real customers.

For the most part, our customers have been our advisory board. But I’ve also been lucky to have a great adviser at home. My significant other, Sarah Milstein, is our only official adviser or investor and she’s brimming with relevant advice. She’s the founder of the Tools of Change for Publishing Conference and chair of the last two Web2Open unconferences in San Francisco, a second year UC Berkeley MBA student, and founder of her own startup, 20slides.com.

Most importantly she’s been producing an incredible body of work for how to use Twitter effectively. She’s been on Twitter since the first day of private beta and has interviewed hundreds of companies about their usage. This is work you should know about if you are trying to figure out how to use Twitter for your business or event.

First, there’s The Twitter Book, available in electronic editions now and in print next month. Here’s a preview, Chapter 3: Hold Great Conversations

Second, there’s the Twitter for Business webcast.

Third, if you want to keep abreast of the latest Twitter news, follow Sarah’s @TweetReport Twitter account.

If that’s not enough, I can personally recommend approaching her to speak at your conference or paying for the Advanced Twitter for Business webcast or the Micromessaging Revolution research report, all available from her personal site, SarahMilstein.com. Also if you like webcasts, you should sign up for the 20slides.com announcement.

I’ve been using Twitter for over two years to keep in touch with people personally, but lately it’s become an essential business tool.

About half of CrowdVine’s support requests originate on Twitter. When someone is blocked by a bug they email directly. When they’re merely annoyed they go somewhere to complain, and that place is often Twitter. We monitor search.twitter.com for any mention of CrowdVine and try to respond to all of them, good or bad.

Many of our conference customers use it even more heavily. It’s a place for them to broadcast information to attendees, share interesting links, and follow buzz. If you’re wondering if this is something for your business, then I’ve got two excellent resources for you.

First, here’s an introductory screencast on Twitter for business:

If you need more in depth coverage you should buy the research report from the same author, Sarah Milstein (also a CrowdVine advisor and my partner). It’s $249, which, if you’re used to getting your information online, might seem like a lot. However, if you need early access to business best practices, it’s a steal. Sarah got great access to the Twitter founders and to the businesses using Twitter.