Can't fully express yourself with Twitter's 140-character limit? It can be tough. And sometimes plain text just isn't enough. Luckily services like TwitPic and Ping.fm allow us to embed picture links in our tweets. But what about video? There are actually a few services helping bring video to Twitter and BubbleTweet is one of the best.

The screenshot below is one of Kevin Sherman's videos. He's the creator of BubbleTweet.

A "BubbleTweet" is a short video clip that plays in a"bubble video player" that floats on top of your Twitter page. That's right. When one of your Twitter followers clicks on your BubbleTweet URL, the video clip plays on top of your Twitter page. When the video is done playing, the player then "pops" and goes away. It's simple, easy to use and just plain fun. You can watch an example of a BubbleTweet if you click here.

Before services like BubbleTweet, the only way to share video on Twitter was to upload a clip to YouTube and then tweet the link. Not only is that clunky, but when someone clicks on the link, they are taken away from your Twitter page.

But don't get too carried away in your BubbleTweeting. In the spirit of Twitter's 140-character limit, you also need to keep your BubbleTweets under 30 secs. So save that long winded rant about Paris Hilton for YouTube.

All you need to start BubbleTweeting is an existing video clip or a webcam and a Twitter account. Small digital video cameras like the FlipVideo are perfect for BubbleTweeting.

Ready to make your first BubbleTweet? The tutorial below will walk you through the process step-by-step. And if you're not sure what Twitter is all about yet, maybe you should check out this article: How to Explain Twitter to Your Grandma.

Requirements:

• Twitter account (free)
• video clip that you want to tweet or a webcam
• Internet access

1) Are you on Twitter yet?

If you don't already have a Twitter account, go to Twitter.com and sign up for an account. It's free.

2) BubbleTweet.com

Go to the BubbleTweet website http://bubbletweet.com. Type in your Twitter name and click on the "Start" button.

3) Webcam or Upload?

Select "upload" if you already have a video clip or "webcam" if you want to record a new clip now.

Did you pick webcam or upload?

• Upload
• Webcam
  
  
  

UPLOAD

If you picked upload, then you will be taken to an upload screen. Click on the "Choose File" button. You will then be promoted to select a video file on your hard drive.

BubbleTweet accepts several types of video files including mov, wmv, avi and mpeg but prefers that your videos not be larger than 320 x 240 pixels or 50 MBs. If you need to convert your existing video clip, then we suggest you should try using Handbrake [free].

WEBCAM

If you picked webcam, then BubbleTweet will attempt to connect to you computer's camera. Smile for the camera and record your message. Remember BubbleTweet's need to be under 30 seconds.

4) Get you BubbleTweet URL

Once your clip is finished processing, BubbleTweet will give you a special Twitter friendly short URL.

5) Share!

You can now tweet a link to your new bbltwt.com URL and share it with your friends and Twitter followers.

6) Player Options

If your Twitter followers don't like your BubbleTweet, or want to watch it later, they can pause or close the Bubble Player. And if they really like your BubbleTweet, they can also reload the clip and watch it again.

7) That's It!

BubbleTweet is both simple and fun to use, right? Just please don't get spammy and abuse BubbleTweet to play lame video ads for your Twitter followers.

Congratulations! You are done. Go buy yourself a drink... and feel free to buy us one too. These articles don't write themselves. Show us some love and drop a PayPal dollar in our MethodShop.com Beer Fund. Beer Fund If you are low on cash, you can say thanks by following us on Twitter, friending us on Facebook, subscribing to our RSS feed or joining our weekly mailing list. We totally apprecieate your support.