This beginner's guide to Twitter, created by Emina Demiri, outlines the platform's features, such as tweets, retweets, hashtags, and lists, and provides tips on setting up a professional account. It emphasizes the importance of engaging authentically with followers, creating interesting content, and effectively using Twitter's tools to grow one's network. The document further discusses the benefits and challenges of maintaining separate professional and personal accounts, alongside strategies for gaining followers.

1. Beginner's Guide to Twitter
Emina Demiri
Digital Media Specialist
Community Organisers
Programme
@demirie
@corganisers
#communityorganisers
08/04/2013

2. What is it?
• Platform for sharing
information (what you
are doing, reading, etc.)
in 140 characters of text
or less.
• People on Twitter
"follow" each other to
stay in touch.
• Profiles can be public
(anyone can see what
you write) or private
(only your approved
followers can see)

3. Main Twitter terms explained
• Tweet: A 140-character message.
• Retweet (RT): Re-sharing someone else's
tweet.
• Feed: All the tweets from users you follow
you see on your homepage.
• Handle: Your username.
• Mention (@): A way to reference someone in a tweet (e.g. @corganisers) and notify them. It’s a
good way to directly get someone to respond and join the discussion.
• Direct Message (DM): A private, 140-character message between two people. You can only DM a
user who follows you.
• Hashtag (#): A search tool that allows others to find your tweets and you to find conversations of
interest based on a common topic (e.g. #communityorganisers, #Locality12).
• Lists - you can create lists of people/organisations on Twitter. Lists are basically grouping Twitter
accounts according to some common characteristic for example Community Organisers has a CO
list. You can create your own lists but also you can subscribe to other people’s lists.
DON’T GET LOST IN THE TERMINLOGY - VISIT THE OFFICIAL TWITTER GLOSSARY
https://support.twitter.com/articles/166337-the-twitter-glossary

4. Signing up
Very easy sign up process
Go to www.twitter.com/signup - type
your name, email and create user
name and password
1. Chose a short user name
(twitter handle) – the name
everyone will know you by on
Twitter
2. Upload a picture of your self –
accounts without a pic look like
spam
3. Make sure to fill in your profile
bio – short description of who
you are and what your interest
are. Again accounts without a
bio look like spam.

5. Professional versus Private
Benefits Challenges
It provides a layer of Requires more time
• Unlike Facebook, Twitter privacy to maintain separate
allows you to have multiple accounts
accounts
You have control Requires effort to
• Having a professional over your separate your
account separate from your professional professional from
personal account has it’s appearance your personal
benefits and challenges. persona
Avoids information Your professional
• If you decide not to overload for you and account is seen
separate your account your followers mostly as
always put a disclaimer in endearments
your bio. For example “I
work for @corganisers but It is obvious that Splits your audience
here it’s all me” your Tweets are not
endearments

6. Following others
• Who to follow:
1. Friends and people you know
2. Organisations you are interested in – use Twitter search or go to
their website and find the Follow us on Twitter button.
3. Use lists to find people/organisations – for example check out
Community Organisers Lists to find Organisers/Hosts. Or use
online tools such as Twitter counter to find opinion maker lists on
Twitter http://twittercounter.com/lists/
4. Use hashtags to connect with people who have similar interest for
example interested in #assettransfer write the term in the Twitter
Search and see who else is interested in it.
5. Explore people your friends are following
6. Twitter will also give you follow suggestions, based on the
industries/fields associated with your interests.

7. Getting followers and beyond
• Be patient. Rome was not built in a day. It’s not
about the quantity it’s about quality.
• Take some time when you first open an account
to measure the pulse of Twitter. Start with
observing and following others.
• Don’t panic! Twitter works on feeds – Tweets
are changing at a rapid speed. You do not have
to scroll back to every Tweet each time you log
in. Trying to do so will cause information
overload.
• Be personal, authentic and true to your values
• Be concise, insightful, interesting and funny
• Be generous in Re-Tweeting others

8. Getting followers and beyond
• Engage with content gold mines:
1. Use Social Buttons on websites to share what you are reading/watching.
A Twitter social button might look like this
2. Cover events – participating in an interesting conference? Remember to
ask the organisers if there is a hashtag for it and report live.
Be creative in your content:
1. Photos
2. Videos
3. Infographics
4. Other visual tools such as Portwiture - http://portwiture.com/ or
Tweepsmaps http://tweepsmap.com/
5. Ask questions
6. Use finish the sentence” & #fillinthegap tricks – for example “The thing I
love most about my community is _______________
7. Use relevant hashtags

9. Getting followers and beyond
• Thank followers for following (T4F). Do it in groups (that way
you are also connecting people) and share your Facebook
profile .
• Tweet the names of Twitter users you'd like others to follow
and tag by using #ff on Fridays (Follow Friday) but remember
you can always suggest to your followers who to follow, not
only on Fridays. Promote others and others will promote you.
• Take the online to offline. Don’t be afraid to use Twitter to
arrange face to face meetings.
• Open up a Daily or Weekly Digest – use Paper Li (find it here
http://paper.li/)
• Use the "reply" feature – when you see someone talking
about something of interest don’t be scared to engage
directly. Hit that reply button and have your voice heard!
• Avoid auto updates and cross posting to Twitter. Not
everything you say on your Facebook account is interesting to
post on Twitter.

10. Going mobile
• Twitter mobile applications will allow you to manage your accounts more efficiently while on the
move. Twitter is all about the now and the Now is also happening while you are on the go.
There are several out there. I would recommend:
1. Official Twitter app – simple and great to start with. Manage multiple Twitter account.
2. HootSuite – lets you manage multiple Twitter accounts and your Facebook accounts from one
place
3. Tweet Deck – great tool to organise and manage your social media accounts

11. Thanks for listening and see you on
Twitter!
Follow me
@demirie
Follow the CO Programme
@corganisers
#communityorganisers