Twitter Twicks

Many of my friends who are also on Twitter have asked me what the heck I’m talking about when I Tweet. Twitter sort of has it’s own language & ways of connecting tweets to one another. It’s these ideas that make Twitter so powerful. For example Twitter can be used to publish press conferences, attend meetings virtually, and discuss topics with people from all over the world in real time.

Here’s a few tips & twicks for using Twitter.

• What is Twitter?

Twitter is a social networking site designed to allow multiple users to communicate in real time.

• What is on my homepage?

Homepage contains all tweets posted by you and those you follow.

• What is a hastag?

Hashtags: ways to connect posts so you can follow a topic in real time. Example: #sytycd in real words is “hashtag so you think you can dance” this is how I discuss the show with folks across the country as the show is happening. I put #sytycd in my post and it is connected to everyone else in the Twittersphere who has added that hashtag to a post.

• How do I search a topic or hashtag?

In the right hand column there is a search bar below “favorites”. Enter the item you wish to search. Let’s use the example from above #sytycd. This pulls all the tweets in the world that contain #sytycd.

• How do I see real time posts regarding a topic I’m interested in?

If you have searched something that you expect to follow regularly, you can click the “Save this search” link next to the green/white plus sign symbol. It will then appear in the “Saved Searches” column.

• Why do some posts have RT @somebodysname in them?

This is called a retweet. It is a compliment to another Tweep. When you retweet, you’re saying, “Hey, I liked this post so much I want to share it with my followers.” The @somebodysname is the person who originally posted it. Sometimes you will see RT and several names…this is the chain that the post has followed. Retweets are sometimes posted with VIA instead of RT. It means the same thing.

• What is a mention?

In the right column you will see under “Home” your Twitter username with the @ symbol in front of it. For example, mine says @jodidthatsme. Clicking this will show you all the posts in the Twittersphere that “mentions” your username. You use this tool to see if folks are retweeting your posts or answering your questions.

• How do I ask someone a question?

-You can do this two ways. If you want to ask someone a question that is not information you want to share with the Twittersphere, send them a Direct Message. However, sometimes you want to ask a question that you know your followers may also be interested in. For example, I recently asked a tweep about an iPhone app. See below for the chain:
-I posted “@mdclarke What is the app called on iPhone that tells you the song/artisit when you hold it up to music?
-One of my follows replied “@jodidthatsme shazam! J”
-Mdclarke later replied “@jodidthatsme SHAZAM [link to app] and it’s AMAZING!
-I asked this question via my updates because I thought my followers may also be interested in this app.

• What if I want to post a link? They’re way too long and take up too many characters.

Use the website www.tinyurl.com to create a shorter URL.

• What if I want to post a picture?

Anyone with a Twitter account can post a picture via Twitpics at twitpics.com. The post will automatically appear in your twitter account.

• What if I can’t say something in 140 characters?

Twitlonger.com is a site that posts your Tweet up to 140 characters and adds a link to the rest of the text. If you Tweet from twitlonger it automatically is posted to your Twitter account. Anyone with a Twitter account can login to twitlonger.com.

More questions? Tweet me! @jodidthatsme