If you're into campaigning or direct action this training presentation offer handy tips on understanding what Twitter is, how it works, how to build a community of followers as well as examining a case study of its use in direct action
4. Internet as social condition "The Internet is actually a social condition where everyone in the network society is connected directly, without intermediation, to everyone else." Eben Moglen, Anarchism triumphant: Free Software and the Death of Copyright
5. Social Media: A definition Social media are Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. The term often refers to activities that integrate technology , social interaction , and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction depends on the "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share stories and experiences. “ ” What's Social Media? Ask Wikipedi a
6. The Rise of the Social Age of Deference Age of Reference
10. Twitter anatomy Following People or groups on Twitter you are following. You will be able to view all “tweets” from that individual or group. Followers People on Twitter who are following you. Anyone on Twitter can follow you without your permission unless you set your preferences so that you approve of each request. Followers will be able to see all “tweets” sent from your account. Tweet A 140 character or less message @ Use the “@” symbol for sending messages to individuals. It allows for conversations to take place, and the addressee is more likely to read it. Your followers will also be able to read them. # Hashtags These symbols in Twitter are a community-driven convention for adding additional context and metadata to your tweets. They help people find the conversation faster. You create a hashtag by prefixing a word with a hash symbol. For example: #eurostar Please look at the following video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGbLWQYJ6iM to get examples of # Re-Tweet (or RT) Re-tweeting passes on a message and helps spread the word from friends and followers to a wider audience DM Direct messages allow for private conversations over Twitter
15. Targeted following “ Lists aren’t just static listings of users, but rather curated Twitter streams of the latest tweets from a specified set of users.” - mashable