Lately, I have been approached by people who want to start tweeting but are not really sure what Twitter is about. It’s always a joy to share what they can gain from joining Twitter.
I still come across individuals who dismiss Twitter as a place where people post what they had for lunch. Twitter can be a fun place where you can post your most mundane thoughts but it can also be the place that serves as a virtual library about everything you wanted to know.
A twitter message or tweet is composed of 140 characters (including spaces). Twitter is basically a microblog where you can write and post what you are doing at the moment, posting your favorite quotes, share links to stories or videos or share your thoughts, your career, or hobbies.
Choose your Twitter name or handle by seeing if your name is available or come up with a name that describes your hobby or interest. Usernames must be fewer than 15 characters in length. Your bio is limited to 160 characters or fewer. Your name will appear as http://twitter.com/username.
The fastest way to start the list of people you would like to follow is to let Twitter access your email accounts and see who in your address book is also on Twitter. To follow an account is to subscribe to the person’s tweets or postings.
Their account name will pop up and you will have the option to follow them. After you click on the follow image, you will automatically start getting their messages on your home page. Twitter is not like Facebook. The person you followed won’t necessary follow you back. Twitter automatically sends users an email every time someone new follows them.
You can also click on their accounts and see who they are following to see if there are any interesting people or subjects you would like to follow as well.
What you get from Twitter is not necessarily tied to how much you put into it. Although you can tweet as often as you want to, the real magic is reading what others are saying. It’s like having your personal assistant, reading all the blogs and newspapers and bringing to you what’s the hottest news and ideas of the day.
My interests are in journalism, theater and social media. Tweets from those who I follow can range from a new social media tool attracting attention, to discussions on how media have covered different news, to what new plays are coming to Miami or Broward.
Trending topics, or the topics or names that are hot on Twitter at the moment, will let you know what others are talking about at the moment. Twitter is an increasing source of breaking news.
To begin on Twitter, you might be more comfortable Retweeting (RT) which means the message you liked will be reposted on your account and those who follow you will see it. This is a way to let people know about something you liked or to have the person who originated the tweet noticed your account and possibly follow you back.
As you get more comfortable, you can start tweeting your own ideas and share articles and become another source of knowledge for those you follow you.
Helpful Links:
Twitter Basics
Twitter Glossary
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