This document provides guidance on effective language use for social media. It begins by explaining key differences between the language of websites and social media. Social media language is more informal, conversational, and focused on readability within tight character limits. The document then offers best practices for constructing tweets, including using creative literary devices like alliteration and onomatopoeia. It encourages developing a unique voice and highlights dos and don'ts of social media language. Finally, it prompts practicing various creative tweet constructions to master social media communication.

1. The Language of
Social Media
Sherrie Lee
Flick
r: Ja
son
H
owi
e

2. # @ 
idk
macmillandictionary.com
post
upload
share
follow
tweet
re-tweet
lol
brb
woot

3. Flickr: Emilio Quintana
What is the primary purpose of social media?
To share and to be shared in return

4. mis
und
erst
Inactive
ood
fa
r
ilia
m
uh?
H
e’s am
er gr
h a
W st
In
?

5. conversations
share links
news feed
networking

6. First, find people
to follow
Flickr: Steve Garfield

7. What happens when you are
"following" someone?
You see their tweets in your home feed/ timeline.
If they've marked their profile as “private”, they
must accept you before you can see their Tweets.
The reverse happens when someone is
“following” you.

9. Follow @orangecanton

10. www.TweetFind.com

11. Twitter Task #1
Find the following to follow:
3 People
2 News
1 Interest

12. @ DM RT #
Twitter basics – symbols,
letters and what they all
mean.

13. @
@ precedes a username or
"handle" whenever you want
that user to see a tweet.

14. @
@username is a link to
username’s Twitter profile

15. Mention
I am learning about social
media with @username1
and @username2

16. Reply or @reply
2 reply 2 another Twitter
user / include them in tweet,
put “@” b4 their username.

17. Reply or @reply
@username thanks for
sharing that article, it was
great!

18. Reply or @reply
Thanks @username for
sharing that article, it was
great!

19. Reply or @reply
If @ is 1st character in tweet,
reply is shown 2 “username”
+ any1 following both of you.

20. Reply or @reply
If @ is not 1st character,
then tweet is shown to all of
your followers + “username”

21. Public Reply – everyone can see!
Add a period before the
username: .@username won
first prize in our contest!

22. DM - Direct Message
Pte comm btw 2 users. Use button
or start with “D username” or
“DM username”. You and
username must follow each other.

24. Twitter Task #2
Have a conversation with people
you are following on Twitter.

25. # - hashtag
Marks keyword or topic, also
used for humour. Click on #word
to show all Tweets with #word.

26. # - hashtag
Learning about Twitter at social
media workshop with
@newfriend. #LAworkshop

27. RT - retweet
Re-posting another person’s tweet.
Quick way to share information.
“RT” gives credit to original poster.

28. RT - retweet
RT @STcom Two women fined
after being caught on camera
for high-rise littering
http://t.co/XyCWXa1K1i

29. RT - retweet
Most tweets are re-tweets of
updates in your timeline. To be
“social”, add your comment/
compliment to the original tweet.

30. RT - retweet
“Re-tweet” in twitter.com will
automatically send it out. Copy
and paste original text in a new
message so you can add new text.

31. RT - retweet
How to tweet like a pro
bit.ly/12hjklu [from @tweetexpert]
Great article! RT @tweetexpert
How to tweet like a pro bit.ly/12hjklu
[ORIGINAL TWEET]
[Your RE-TWEET]

32. MT – modified tweet
How to tweet like a pro
bit.ly/12hjklu [from @tweetexpert]
MT @tweetexpert I love this
article on Twitter! bit.ly/12hjklu
[ORIGINAL TWEET]
[Your RE-TWEET]

33. via @poster
How to tweet like a pro
bit.ly/12hjklu [from @tweetexpert]
I love this article on Twitter!
bit.ly/12hjklu (via @tweetexpert)
[ORIGINAL TWEET]
[Your RE-TWEET]

34. Re-tweets
Don’t Plagiarise! Re-tweets should
give credit to the poster
(@username1) and to the originator
of the tweet (@username2)

35. Re-tweets
How to tweet like a pro bit.ly/
12hjklu by @tweetexpert
Great Twitter advice from the
experts! bit.ly/12hjklu by @tweetexpert
via @orangecanton
[ORIGINAL TWEET]
[TWEETED by @orangecanton]
[Your RE-TWEET]

36. Twitter Task #3
1) Continue conversations or express your
thoughts but this time add #LAworkshop at the
end of your tweet.
2) Re-tweet at least three tweets in your
timeline adding your own comments.
3) Click on #LAworkshop to see what people are
saying and who is at the workshop.

37. Check #LAworkshop now for
a link to a great social media
cheat sheet!

38. Flickr: DonkeyHotey

39. How are you tweeting?
http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/13/genesis2.jpg
By Oliver Widder, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

40. Let’s see how Twitter users are using language

42. Twitter Tips – Your Account
Upload a photo. Don’t be an egg.
Nobody wants to follow an egg.
Craft your bio. You can be serious, witty,
but don’t be long-winded.
Who’s counting followers?

43. Twitter Tips – Your Tweets
Keep tweets short. Max 140 characters
but aim for 120 so there is space to RT.
Try HootSuite, Seesmic, Tweetdeck
Flickr: PromoBlog
Use Twitter clients for easier retweeting, as well as integrating other
social media accounts.

44. The Perfect Tweet
How To Write The Perfect
Tweet - AllTwitter
http://bit.ly/1cpdzMH

45. The Perfect Tweet
Maximum readability
Maximum retweetability
Try these 3 tips

46. The Perfect Tweet #1
Take the time to craft your
tweet accurately and
pleasingly.

47. The Perfect Tweet #1
Just so fed up with the bad news on
#sghaze. Can you stop complaining?!?
Gloom and doom of #sghaze surround us
but we can get through this together!

48. The Perfect Tweet #2
Read before you RT. Modify
headline as you wish. Share
discriminately.

49. The Perfect Tweet #3
Check for correct spelling and
punctuation.

50. Now that you’re more familiar with tweeting,
what’s the difference between the language of
websites and the language of social media?
Language of Social Media
Language of Websites
vs.
Flickr: juque

51. O
SEO
Searchability
Repeated key
words
ay
ne w
Websites
irect
D
Readability
The right length
Info
rm
Social Media
Word count
Words = $
a ti v
e
Short and sweet
Creative
Two way
Informal

52. Twitter = short form communication
Content + Context = Communication
To master Twitter, find your voice.
Dare to have a personality.
Be creative, get poetic!

53. Alliteration
Repetition of similar sound at the beginning of words
Better busy than bored
Keep tweets short, simple and sweet.
Fantastic fun in fantasy funland!
Your turn!
Craft a tweet with 3 or 4 words in alliteration

54. Flickr: BarbaraMae

55. Onomatopoeia
Naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound
Oof. Fell over in my heels.
BARK BARK BARK my neighbour’s dog
BARK BARK BARK
Grrr. Burnt toast again.
Your turn!
Craft a tweet with 1 or 2 onomatopoeias

56. Personification
Representing a thing or an object as person.
Please don’t die lappy! I need you so bad!
Meenie, I’m sorry I left you in the ladies.
I will miss you!
Nothing comes between me and my Sam!
Your turn!
Craft a tweet to include personification.

57. Flickr: Cedric Canard
Flickr: Carlos Zavala
Flickr: MR38

58. Oxymoron
Figure of speech that combines normally contradictory terms
jumbo shrimp
extremely normal
common delicacy
Your turn!
Craft a tweet that contains an oxymoron.

60. Neologism
A newly coined term made up of existing words
unfriend
twitterholic
bromance
Your turn!
Craft a tweet that includes a newly coined term.

61. Twitter Task #4
Get creative with your tweets!
On your own or in pairs, compose tweets or RT
with comments that contain the following:
Alliteration , Onomatopoeia, Personification,
Oxymoron, Neologism
Remember to include #LAworkshop so we can
track your tweets.

62. What are the dos and don’ts of
using language in social media?

63. links
hashtag
short
acknowledge
images

gr8
meh

64. complain
SHOUT
jargon
show off
blab
!!!!!

65. Twitter | LinkedIn | SlideShare
@orangecanton