This document provides an overview of Twitter and how to use it effectively. Some key points: - Twitter is a microblogging platform where users express short bursts of information in 140 characters or less. It combines elements of blogging and text messaging. - The founders of Twitter were Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone. Dorsey currently serves as CEO. - Twitter is used for networking, marketing, socializing, discussing politics/current events, participating in hashtag games, and communicating in real-time. - Hashtags allow users to track specific conversations. Popular hashtags and trends are displayed. - To use Twitter, users create a profile, avatar, bio,

1. Understanding Twitter
With Dr. Lisa Whittington
@LiLiWhittWhitt

2. What is Twitter?
A Micro blogging platform that uses short bursts
of information in 140 characters to express
something.
Cross between blogging and texting in real time.

3. Founders
Jack Dorsey (Square), Evan Williams, Biz Stone (Blogger)
Jack Dorsey currently serves as CEO

4. What is Twitter used for?
• Networking
• Marketing
• Socializing
• Politics
• Fandoms
• Hashtag Games
• Communicating (news, happenings, etc)
• Prime Time Tweeting
• Chats
• Parties (Virtual parties or party announcements)

5. Emotions
Twitter can take you through a range of emotions.
The more you understand Twitter, you can control your experience.
Ready?

6. Getting Set Up
• Profile name (alias or real name)
• Avatar (photo)
• Profile (put your interest and the kind of
people you want to attract)
• Website/Blog/YouTube Channel etc.

7. Who will see your Tweets?
• All of your followers
• Everybody who participates in a #hashtag. If
you #hashtag a term in your tweet, anyone
can see it.
• If your tweets are really funny, powerful,
informative, your Tweets may show up
anywhere (news, Jimmy Fallon, etc.) or be
used for research.

8. Trends
• Words/terms/names that pop up most
frequently will trend
• Twitter usually has the nation’s top twenty
trends and usually gets the news before the
news.
• News get their stories from Twitter Trends
• You can modify your trends (city, gender, race,
etc
• Trends slighty change when you travel

9. #Hashtags
• #Hashtags (The Heartbeat of Twitter)
• Hashtags are words/terms that begin with a #. Purpose: to help
you Track specific conversations. Keep them short.
• Track a hashtag in real time using Twitter Search
• Click the hashtag and all conversations will come up from
everybody. Even people you are not following.
• Play hashtag games (Recognize a Hashtag game by the task. Find
them in the Trending section. Most of the time, they make you
laugh hysterically.
• Prime Time Television Live Tweeting
• Twitter Chats
• Twitter Parties (Arrive bearing Gifs and Memes)
• Promote yourself or a topic with a hashtag (Keep them short as
possible)

10. Twitter Hashtag Etiquette
• Do not string too many words together
• Omit spaces
• Do not participate in a hashtag trend without
relating your tweet to the topic. Be creative.
• #Do #Not #Hashtag #Every #Word (Because
each hashtag is a blue link on Twitter to
another conversation)

11. Session #Hashtags
• For this session we will use the following
#TwitterErudite (if you have questions or comments)
#Twitter101Quiz (respond to questions)
#TwitterUGraduation (Celebrate learning Twitter!!)

12. How to Tweet
• Look for the Feather in a square symbol
• Compose your thought into 140 characters.
(Twitter will count for you. Watch numbers in
the bottom right hand corner.) Red numbers
and a negative sign (-) means you are over your
count. Edit yourself. Spaces and punctuations
count.
• Be creative when you are editing yourself.
(Forget what your English/Language arts
teacher said. Sumtimes u hv 2 lv out the vowel
or spel wrds wrng.
• When your tweet is composed, hit the “Tweet”
button in bottom right corner.
• Tip: Think like a license plate editor.
Can you edit a published
Tweet? NO. Once it is
published, it is published.
However, u can delete it
and rewrite it (u may or
may not want to.)

13. Tweet Options
• Retweet
• Reply to a tweet
• Like a tweet
• Quote a tweet (hit retweet, then select quote)
• Make sure someone sees a tweet –add @name
• Pinning a tweet (hit down symbol next to name and time of post.
Select “Pin Tweet”)
• Deleting a tweet (hit down symbol next to name and time of post.
Select “Delete Tweet” (or three dots symbol depending on
interface.
• Direct Message (DM) (look for envelope symbol next to “Me”
symbol)
• And Yes…. You can retweet yourself.

14. Embellishing a Tweet
Embellishing a tweet will make our tweet more
visual, more funny, more attractive.
– Helps you get your point across
--Makes people notice your tweet
Embellish a tweet with a Meme (picture with funny
sayings or a Gif (moving picture or few seconds video)
*GIF stands for (Graphic Interchange Format).

15. Practice
• Do Now: Using the hashtag #TwitterErudite
compose a tweet telling me why you want to
use Twitter. (@liliWhittWhitt)
• Using the hashtag #TwitterErudite reply to my
tweet. (How are you today? )
• Using the hashtag #TwitterErudite compose a
tweet telling me how your summer is going in
5 words. Add a Gif to embellish.

16. Follows
• Finding people to follow (name, common
interests, friendships, followers followers)
DON’Ts: Don’t follow body parts. Don’t follow people with zero followers.
Don’t follow people who don’t tweet in your language.
Your profile will attract or turn people away. Be specific.

17. Follows
• Follow back etiquette: Follow back people who
follow you (once you check them out )
• Don’t keep retweeting the same tweet on the
same day, every hour.
• Manage your follows. Once you get going—keep
your followers numbers close. (followers and
following)
• Get the “Unfollow” App to help manage
followers. (People will unfollow you daily for
various reasons)

18. Stupid Twitter Trolls
Women, Black people, and Jewish people are
usually targets for trolls. Election season attracts
numerous trolls.
You will know it’s a troll because they will say
something ugly or smugly.
BLOCK them.
Go to their page, hit the settings symbol and
BLOCK.
Don’t entertain foolery.
Don’t feed the trolls.
You can also report them to Twitter (@Twitter) if
they are abusive and Twitter may suspend their
account.

19. QUIZ TIME!
• Using the hashtag #Twitter101Quiz
•
• I will ask the question. You respond with A#
• (ie. To answer question 1 (Q1) you respond on Twitter with A1. To respond to Question 2 (Q2) you respond with
A2 etc. compose your tweet with the appropriate #hashtag and the answer response.
•
• In Ten tweets answer the following questions.
• Question 1. How many characters in a Tweet?
• Question 2. The CEO of Twitter is who?
• Question 3. What App will help you find out who unfollowed you?
• Question 4. How many followers do I have?
• Question 5. What can a pinned tweet be used for?
• Question 6. Why is hashtag etiquette important on Twitter?
• Question 7. How do you embellish a Tweet?
• Question 8. Pick two things trending right now that you are interested in
• Question 9. What are the characteristics of a hashtag game?
• Question 10. What are the rules about trolls.
• Bonus Question: Did this session help you? If it did, add a Gif.

20. Celebration Time!
• Using the Twitter Hashtag
#TwitterUGraduation and embellished tweets
1: Celebrate yourself for what you learned
today.
2: Arrive to Twitter graduation in a funny way!
3: Follow some of the graduates in the hashtags
used today and congratulate them.