Most of the stuff we hear about how great Twitter is comes from people who have been using it for a while. Problem is, according to market research firm Nielson, 60% of Twitter users quit within the first month. Why so many Twitter quitters? The problem probably lies in the fact that immediately upon having started a Twitter account, new users don't have anyone to follow, and they don't have the information they need to find cool people to engage in conversations with. Twitter actually has a pretty steep learning curve as social networks go; the proof is in the high rate of Twitter quitters.

Twitter tries to recommend some users that new Twitter users will be interested in following immediately after sign-up; unfortunately, 95% of those users are celebrity "whale" accounts and never actually answer most of their @mentions - meaning that new Twitter users quickly get the impression that no one is listening to them.

It doesn't have to be that way, though. We've put together a few simple steps that new Twitter users can take to make sure that they find the users that they're most interested in - meaning that they're significantly more likely to stay engaged on Twitter and not become a part of that massive 60% of Twitter quitters.

Four Incredibly Simple Ways to Discover Cool People on Twitter

1. Use Twitter Searches to find people talking about the stuff you're interested in.

One of Twitter's greatest features is its incredibly powerful real-time search engine; using it, Twitter users can watch a steady stream of tweets containing a particular keyword or search query. Let's say you're interested in hand-raising kittens - something that you probably won't find too many people on your Facebook friends list who are interested in. You can simply search for "newborn kittens" with Twitter's search and get a list of recent tweets containing that keyword. After a quick review of the content of those tweets, you can easily follow the users who interest you.

2. Use topical Twitter lists to find people talking about your interests.

Twitter's new Lists feature is a robust and richly-featured way for Twitter users to create lists, visible to other Twitter users and the general public, of Twitter users. Most lists are topically oriented, meaning that Twitter users create lists of users that actively discuss particular topics. You can find subscribe easily to entire lists of people, meaning that you can very quickly build a solid base of followers who discuss the topics that interest you. The one drawback to lists is that Twitter hasn't created a feature to search for them yet, meaning that they can sometimes be hard to find. The best way currently to find a list of users you're interested in is to find one particular user who discusses the topics you like (say, using Twitter Search as mentioned above) and then browse the lists that user is listed on. Once you find a list you like, subscribe to it and check out some of the other users - you'll probably find several other topical lists. Someday (soon, hopefully) Twitter will create a way for users to discover lists, which will make this process significantly easier.

3. Use #FollowFriday to find users recommended by people you already follow.

#FollowFriday is alive and strong; if you haven't heard of it, it's a simple and fun concept: on Fridays, many Twitter users will list the people they think their followers would be interested in following; many of them do so topically, which can make #FollowFriday a great way to find the discussions and people you're interested in. Although the built-in Lists feature launched recently, it's barely taken a bite out of #FollowFriday, so it should remain a great way to discover Twitter lists for quite some time to come. Watch your Twitter friends for #FF or #FollowFriday hashtags (or do a Twitter Search for them) and you'll quickly find a reasonably authoritative list of users you might be interested in checking out.

4. Use a third-party Twitter directory to find users with similar interests.

There are many third-party Twitter directories which seek to categorize Twitter users, making it easier for others to discover them. One excellent Twitter directory is WeFollow, which lists tens of thousands of Twitter users based on their self-chosen "categories." Check out the categories that most interest you, and while you're at it, add yourself to their directory - you'll find that your followers increase much faster when you're listed in a third-party Twitter directory.

So there you have it - finding similar people and engaging discussions on Twitter is actually a lot easier than it seems, although the micro-blogging service can initially be incredibly daunting. Follow these steps during your first few days on Twitter and you'll find that it's a significantly more rewarding experience than simply following the twenty or so celebrities that Twitter recommends at signup.