Friday, September 20, 2013

READY, SET, TWEET!, 5 Basics of Twitter


READY, SET, TWEET!

 
5 Basics of Twitter

Social media is certainly her to stay, and including Twitter into your daily dose can be fun, informative and profitable. The keys to success are knowledge and participation and the basics of getting started are really quite simple.

Log into www.twitter.com

● First you will have to set up an account and choose a Twitter name (limited to 15 characters). This is much like your user id in many online applications. This can include your actual name or variations of it, a business name, or be anonymous. 

● Insert a picture of you (called an avatar) and spend the time to write a brief bio, this lets others know a little bit about yourself. Unless you are a business, an actual picture that is identifiable is most appropriate and helpful.

● Choose who to follow. This may sound simple, but many people in the Twitterverse tweet way too much! I have personally quit following people who tweet and re-tweet so much that others I’m following are lost in the list. Friends on Facebook, family and professional people or businesses are a good place to start. On your home page and under “Who to Follow” there will always be suggestions but you have the option to search and follow only those you choose.

● Hashtags (#) You will see many tweets with this symbol, and a word attached with no spaces. The purpose of the hashtag is to make finding the same relevant information easy by identifying it using a keyword. Examples of hashtag keywords include events, news, brands, teams and a million more. Try searching for your favorite sports team using the hashtag name entry. (#miamidolphinfootball).

● Tweet! First, your message must only contain 140 characters so keep it simple. Second, grammar and punctuation are out the window in tweeting. Abbreviate and shorten your words without making your message totally alien. From your home page click in the area identified with “compose new tweet”, write your message and click the tweet button. Click on the gear icon, top left on the home page, to send a direct message to someone following you. Using the @theirtwittername at the beginning of your tweet directs it only to them, and visible only to you as a sender and the recipient.

So with the basics in hand your new adventure into the online Twitterverse is awaiting you.

READY, SET, TWEET!
 
Karen Bellman dig2000

3 comments:

  1. This will be a great help to me, Thank you.

    Poasted By James T Parsons

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  2. Hello Karen,
    Very good overview and very informative covering the account setup, avatar or picture, whom to follow, the use of the # hash tag, and number of character restraint to 140.
    One of my tweets for your perusal.

    Biker Friendly Place ‏@c2deets

    # Crotch Rocket Rider Idiots beat man while family watches http://bit.ly/19hdAG7

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice job on describing Twitter! I was hesitant when I first created my Twitter account, but now I find myself on there all the time. Mostly to keep up with the latest news, favorite celebs, and favorite tv shows. It has definitely been a new experience and gets me out of my comfort zone, but I enjoy tweeting people such as major business (like Dr Pepper) and getting a reply! :) Makes me feel special haha Twitter is also a prime social media tool for businesses to announce news, and contests with prizes
    -Kendall Fagan

    ReplyDelete