How to use Twitter: The Basics

Found In: Social Networks

If you live in the modern world then I am sure that it has come to your attention by now that anybody who is anybody is on Twitter. However, for many people Twitter is a bit of a mystery. There are some very basic steps you can follow in order to join and take part in this online society.

Steps for Joining and Using Twitter

The first thing you will have to do is go to www.twitter.com and sign up. To do this you will have to enter your full name, email address and the password that you would preferably like to use.  You will have to select a username eventually, so start thinking about it now. It will need to be something different, but also something that you will easily remember.

At this point you will also have to decide on a picture or graphic that will define you on Twitter, upload a picture you like or choose one of the standards that Twitter offers. To add a picture click on the drop down below your username and this will give you a few options to click on. Click on “Settings” and the “Choose File” to select a file from your computer.

If you have a blog or website you should definitely add it to Twitter so that it will be shown on your page and make your website more accessible to other people.

Make sure that the Bio you write is interesting and that it will attract as many people as possible. It can only be 160 characters long so take your time to write it perfectly. This will attract followers so make sure you make the most of the limited characters you will have.

The next thing that you should do is click on the link that says “Public Timeline” in order to select who you would like to follow. Add these people to your following list in order to receive their updates on your account.

To post on Twitter simply write something in the “What are you doing?” section and hit “Update”. These posts must be 140 characters or less, but likely there is a countdown timer that will keep you informed on how many characters you have left. Everyone who is following you will then be able to see this post. There are a few things you will have to understand when posting on Twitter. There is a whole new vocabulary associated with this social networking site. On Twitter you will be able to:

1. RT (Retweet): this basically means taking something that someone else posted and reposting it yourself. The original person will automatically be mentioned in the post. In the past you would have had to credit the person yourself, but now it is done automatically by the system.
2. Tweet: this is the basic 140 character message that you type in “What are you doing?”.
3. TweetUp: this is how you “hook up” with other people who are using Twitter.
4. TT (Trending Topics): when you check out the Trending Topics you will be able to see what the most common topics are that people have been talking about across Twitter. You will also be able to see what the top Tweets are. These are posts that have been retweeted more than 150 times. In this way you will be able to find other Twitter users who are interested in the same topics as you are and you will be able to follow them on Twitter and join in conversations with them.
5. Lists: Lists allow you to organise the various people you are following into relevant categories, such as “Work” and “School”.
6. When posting, use hashtags (#) before the topic or word you are writing about so that the main topics that you are Tweeting can becoming easily searchable. Trending Topics are identified through hashtags.
7. If you want to mention a particular person in your Tweets, use an @ sign before their username and they will automatically receive a notification of this mention. Don’t put a space in between the @ and the username. To find out who is mentioning you in their Tweets, check your @Mentions section.

If you want to know who is following you, check out you “Followers” list. If you are interested in any of the people who are following you add them to your “Following” list to keep track of what they are doing. Remember that the more people you follow, the more people will follow you. Nine times out of ten if you start following someone they will start following you back. This of course depends on how many followers you want on Twitter, but the best way to get Followers is to follow them first. It is important to know that many people have become addicted to Twitter in the past, so you need to make a decision before you join Twitter about how much time and effort you are willing to devote to this social network. Try not to get bogged down with too many followers. Focus on quality rather quantity in order to use Twitter effectively. To figure out who to follow use the “Find Friends” for suggestions. This uses your accounts to find people on Twitter that you may already know.  The “View Suggestions” link will try to match you with people who have similar interests, and, to skip this and look directly for people who share your interests yourself, use the “Browse Interests” tab to browse for people by interests.  It is also a good idea to look for people who belong to the same organisations and clubs as you do.

You will have to choose ways to Twitter. It is a good idea to Twitter from your mobile phone as this is the best way to keep people updated on what you are doing while you are out.

Decide whether you want your Tweets to automatically be posted on Facebook as well. This may be a good idea to keep in contact with even more people, and may make your Facebook friends aware of the fact that you are on Twitter.