An introduction to Twitter complete with screen shots and examples.

1. *
How to be awesome in 140 characters or less

2. By now we all know that
Twitter is an online social
media tool in which users post
short (140 character
max)updates about what is
going on in their lives.
*

3. *

4. *

5. * Twitter is about having
conversations, sometimes with
everyone and sometimes with no one.
* The life of a tweet is short-lived. Most
users do not go back through their feed
to catch up on what they have missed.
* As a result, most Twitter
conversations happen in the moment.
*

6. * Following someone on Twitter is
essentially what “friending” is on
Facebook.
* Like Facebook, Twitter users choose
who they do and do not follow. This
gives them total control of what news
they receive in their feed.
*

7. *

8. When you log into Twitter, you will see a screen similar to
this…

9. * Your “feed” is the list of tweets you see
on the HOME TAB after signing into your
Twitter account.
* Your feed contains a list of all your
outgoing tweets and tweets sent by
people you follow.
*

10. *

11. * PRIVATE LIST (only viewable by you)
* Displays all interactions with others
(mentions, retweets of your tweets and
new followers).
*

12. New
followers
Mention/Reply
Favorite
d
Favorit
e
Retwe
et

13. * PRIVATE LIST (only viewable by you)
* Displays all mentions of your Twitter
name / replies to you from other
Twitter users
*

14. *

15. * Although they look similar, your feed is
different from your public page
(www.twitter.com/yourusername).
* Your public page contains a
chronological listing of all your
outgoing tweets including your replies
to other users and any retweets you
have made
*

16. Tweet Sent By
Me
Retweet made by
me
Reply/mention made
by me

17. * Your HOME FEED displays your outgoing
tweets + tweets made by every person
you follow. You are the only person who
sees this feed.
* Your PUBLIC PAGE is a public listing of
every outgoing tweet you have sent,
including replies and mentions. Any
person can views this feed by visiting
http://www.twitter.com/yourusername.
*

18. *

19. This is a Twitter handle. Your handle is a username you create when you sign
up with Twitter. This handle serves as your virtual calling card.
Every Twitter handle is unique. In order to communicate with you, other
Twitter users must include your unique handle in their tweet or reply.
When communicating on Twitter, a handle is always preceded by the @ symbol.
*

20. *

21. * Direct Messages are private tweets
exchanged between two users that
follow each other.
* You cannot direct message someone who
does not follow you or vice versa.
* DMs are basically private emails sent
through Twitter.
* Like tweets, DMs are limited to 140
characters
*

22. * EVERYTHING you publish on Twitter is
publicly viewable to and searchable by
others.
* EVERYTHING you publish on Twitter will
show up on your homepage
*

23. *

24. * Basic tweets are the foundation of Twitter.
* Use a basic tweet to broadcast a message
or to share a link, thought or photo with
your entire Twitter following.
* When you post a basic tweet, every person
that follows you will see your tweet in
their feed
*

25. Example
*

26. *

27. * Mentions/replies are used any time you want to
communicate with someone directly on Twitter.
* Typically, replies/mentions are a response to
something someone you follow who has said or
shared, or a tweet you want to draw a specific
person’s attention to.
* Unlike, DMs, anyone can see your mention
tweets on your public Twitter homepage, but
they will only see you r mention tweets in their
feed if they follow both you and the person you
are mentioning.
*

28. Example
This is a basic mention.
* By putting another person’s @username at the start of a tweet, I limit who
sees it
* Anyone who follows both @kwbuzzard and @vizify will see this in their feeds,
too.
* Anyone who only follows one of us will not see this tweet in their feed.
*

29. Example 2
This is a mention/reply too. But done another way
* If @username is not at the start of a tweet, it will be treated like a basic
tweet, which means everyone who follows @VargasL will see this in their feed,
whether they follow @kwbuzzard or now
* This is generally the wrong way to reply to someone on Twitter.
*

30. Example 3
This is a mention/reply too. But done another way
* By adding any character (typically a period) before the @username part of a
mention/reply, it turns the mention into a basic tweets.
* Anyone following @kwbuzzard will see this tweet in their feed.
*

31. Example 4
This is a mention/reply using multiple handles
* When a mention/reply begins with a string of mentions, only the first @username
will influence which (unmentioned) Twitter followers also see the tweet.
* In this instances, people who follow @kwbuzzard and @kschaner will see this tweet
in their feeds, regardless of whether they follow @arizonAmes or not.
* Because @arizonAmes is mentioned second in the list, her followers will not see the
tweet in the feed whether they follow @kwbuzzard or not.
*

32. Example 6
This is another kind of mention. I don’t follow @webby2001 and
@webby2001 does not follow me.
* Even though @webby2001 does not follow @kwbuzzard (and I don’t follow him), he
can still mention @kwbuzzaard and @kwbuzzard will see it in @mentions
* As long as your @username is mentioned somewhere in a tweet, it will appear in
your @mentions
* Because @kwbuzzard is in the middle of the statement, it is treated as a basic
tweet, and DOES show up in @webby2001’s followers’ feeds.
*

33. *

34. Retweet (RT) is used when you want to
share a tweet that someone else posted
with your followers.
Retweeting serves two functions:
* Forwards the content of the original
tweet to your followers
* Serves as a way of citing/giving credit to
the person who originally posted the
tweet
*

35. The simplest way to RT is to use the RT
button built into Twitter and most Twitter
apps.
Another popular way to RT is to copy and
past the full tweet (including the person’s
name) and type “RT” before it. By
putting, “RT” at the onset of the
tweet, your followers know that whatever
comes next was said by that user.
*

36. It is very easy to RT on
Twitter.com, simply click
on the Retweet button.
Once you click
“Retweet” a box like this
will pop up. Click the
blue Retweet button to
confirm.

37. *

38. * Hashtags are a way to label tweets so
that other users can easily find/see
tweets on the same topic.
* Hashtags contain no spaces or
punctuation and begin with a “#”
symbol.
* Examples: #ctcachat, #bcsm, #cancer
*

39. There is not right or wrong way to find
users to follow. The simplest way is to find
your friends who are already on Twitter
and then search for people who interest
you i.e. newspapers, sport figures, etc.
*

40. Building a following is a process.
* Send tweets regularly and use
hashtags
* Craft tweets in a way that encourages
a response
* Participate in conversations that other
people start
*

41. *