Introduction to Twitter, October 2014

1. Introduction to Twitter
Handout – Getting Started
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Setting up your account
1. Go to www.twitter.com.
3. Add more details and create
account. Details will include your user
name (e.g. WendyTagg.)
2. Fill in “New to Twitter? Sign up” and
“Sign up for Twitter”.
4. Open the email from Twitter and follow the instructions to activate your account.
5. Check settings by selecting in the top left-hand corner and choosing Settings. Pay
particular attention to:
 Profile – Add a Photo to be displayed beside each tweet.
 Email Notifications – if you get too many emails from Twitter, untick some of the
items. Keep “My Tweets get a reply or I’m mentioned in a Tweet” as you may wish to
respond.
IMPORTANT:
 Only share what you are happy for other people to see (Name, Location, Photo etc.)
 When you change settings, scroll down and save.
On later visits to Twitter, sign in using your user name and password.
Seeing and sending Tweets
The tweets you see on your screen are your “timeline”. Don’t try and read your whole
timeline, just dip in when you feel like it. You will see:
Hashtags – #DowntonAbbey #biglunch
#uksnow
Show that the tweet is about a particular
topic. You can search on hagtags and join
the conversation.
Mentions – @ManorHempResAss
appears part way through a tweet
The tweet appears in followers’ timelines
as usual and @ManorHempResAss gets a
notification.
Replies - @ManorHempResAss is at start
of tweet
The tweet only appears in timelines of
sender, @ManorHempResAss and people
who follow both. It is visible in searches.
Links – e.g. http://www.manorpark
hempfieldsresidents.co.uk/
Can select a link to view the web page.
Photos and videos. You might have to click a link to see them.

2. Introduction to Twitter
Handout – Getting Started
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Adding someone to your timeline
1. Search.
2. Select a name
to see detail.
Responding to tweets
Hold your mouse over a tweet to see some controls that allow you to respond to it.
 Reply – Starts a tweet with the person’s user name – e.g. @WendyTagg
 Retweet – Resends tweet (with original Tweeter’s name) so your followers can see it.
 Favorite – Indicates you like the tweet, and stores it in your Favourites so you can find
it later.
 More – Hover over it to find more advanced options.
Sending a tweet
This box is just below the numbers of followers etc. on the left-hand side. It does not have
the Tweet button etc. before you start typing.
Alternatively, select from the top right-hand corner.
3. Follow
.
1. Type tweet.
If you type # or @,
Twitter offers you
options.
2. (Optional)
Insert photo.
3. Tweet.

3. Introduction to Twitter
Handout – Getting Started
Tweeting a link
You can copy and paste the address for a web page that you are viewing so it becomes a
link in your Tweet. People can select the link to see the web page.
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1. Display the web page in your browser (e.g. Internet Explorer).
2. Highlight the address. (Try clicking to its right, or dragging over it.)
3. Copy the address by pressing CTRL + C on your keyboard.
4. Display Twitter.
5. Click where you want to paste the address in your Tweet.
6. Paste the address into your Tweet by pressing CTRL+V.
Twitter shortens the address and makes it into a link automatically.
Hint: Look out for the Twitter logo on web pages, you might be able to use it to follow the
web page owner, or tweet the link.
Notifications
Check your notifications to see if someone has responded to a tweet or mentioned you.
Click Notifications to see all notifications. You might want to respond to items such as
retweets, replies and mentions. A number indicates new notifications.
Getting Help
Twitter’s help is pretty good. To get help, select from the top right-hand corner, then
choose Help.
What can go wrong?
 If info is private or sensitive – don’t put it in a tweet.
 Don’t tell Twitter that you are on holiday.
 Beware there are a lot of sensitivities out there.
 Your boss, mum or kids might be listening.
 Libel and contempt laws apply to tweets and retweets too. Try this quiz to see if you
are a lawbreaker! http://accidentaloutlaw.knowthenet.org.uk/
Think before clicking a link
Accounts can be compromised because they clicked a dodgy link. Often the bad guys
include your account name in a Tweet so it appears in your notifications. Beware of:
 Mentions of your @UserName from people you don’t know
 Promises of freebies and giveaways
 Tweets from someone you know that seem out of character
 Promises of naughty pictures and gossip about celebs.

4. Introduction to Twitter
Handout – Getting Started
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Some useful local accounts
Residents Association
@ManorHempResAss Manor Park and Hempstead Fields Residents
Association.
Local News
@UckfieldNews Fantastic local news site.
@105uckfieldfm Community radio station; good for traffic news and
events.
@SusanKing27 Covers our area for Sussex Express.
@CourierCraig Craig Saunders, covers our area for the Courier.
Transport
@SouthernRailUK Tells you about late trains etc. Be warned there are a
lot of tweets from this account! Only follow if you use
the trains a lot.
@esccroads What’s happening on the roads, gritting, reporting
potholes.
Police and Fire
@Sgt_Kind Sergeant with Uckfield Police.
@EastSussexFRS Fire service.
@sussex_police County police, alerts about initiatives etc.
@NPT_Coordinator Neighbourhood Policing Team Co-ordinator for
Wealden; Tells you what is going on locally, when
operation Blitz is on.
Volunteer groups
@BrightUckfield Litter picking and planting flowers.
@UckfieldVC Uckfield Volunteer Centre; Volunteering opportunities.
Local Government
@Jeremy_Hallett Town Councillor.
@UckfieldTC Town Council.
@EastSussexCC East Sussex County Council.
@paulsparks45 Town Councillor for our ward; Chair of Residents’
Association.
@wealdendistrict District Council – Bins etc.
The Small Print
Please note that you are responsible for your own Twitter use and Information Technology
security. Wendy Tagg has put together the presentation and notes based on her own
personal experience but she and the Residents Association cannot accept responsibility
for any loss, damage or omission that may result from their use.