This document provides an overview of how Twitter works and how it can be used. It defines key Twitter concepts and terminology such as tweets, hashtags, following/followers. It explains how to search Twitter, use retweets and direct messages. The document also provides tips on customizing your Twitter profile and privacy settings as well as how organizations can utilize Twitter to engage with supporters and stay informed.

1. Twitter Everything you ever wanted to know but didn’t know what to ask Andy Stitt, SME (Social Media Enthusiast)

2. How is Twitter used? Primarily used to build community Rapid (and viral) sharing of information Real-time communication Invent words that sound like slang for eight-year-olds (i.e. tweeting, tweeple, twollow, twellow, twibe)

3. Key Concepts Tweet Following vs. followers @ replies Direct messages Retweeting Twitter search Hashtags Trending topics

4. Quick Quiz A “tweet” is a. The sound a bird makes b. How a four-year-old says the word “treat” c. A short 140-character or less message on Twitter d. All of the above

5. Answer d. All of the above

6. Your Home Screen Serves as your dashboard, or “master control” Tweets from those people that you follow are shown From this screen, you can: Send out a tweet Check your replies and direct messages Perform a Twitter search and check trending topics

8. Your Personal Page and Twitter Stream Displays your name, location, website, and bio Twitter stream shows all of your tweets How many people you follow and how many are following you IMPORTANT: Your page is how you are viewed by others in the Twitter world; brand it with a good picture and background!

10. Following vs. Followers The difference between the two columns on your home screen and personal page: Following: list of those that you have chosen to “follow” on Twitter Followers: list of those that have chosen to “follow” you

11. Privacy Controls You can choose to block a follower You can choose to protect your updates, or “tweets,” so that only those who you grant permission can see them

12. The use of the @ character “ @” is used to signify a Twitter username when used in a tweet, i.e. “I read a great book written by @andystitt829” Whenever you use @username in a tweet, that person will see it in their “Replies” stream If you reply to someone using this method, it will show up in your public Twitter stream

14. Direct Messages Private two-way communication; like a 160-character e-mail Does not show up in public Twitter stream Users must be following each other in order to use DM feature Twitter command to direct message is: d username message

16. Retweeting If you want to quote another Twitter user or simply share something from someone else with your followers, then you can “retweet” andystitt829: Check out this cool website dianefromm: RT @andystitt829: Check out this cool website

17. Two types of retweeting Directly quoting dianefromm: RT @andystitt829 Check out http://www.pmief.org for brand new scholarships for college students Paraphrasing dianefromm: http:// www.pmief.org has lots of scholarships you might be interested in. Thanks, @andystitt829 for the info REMEMBER: RT indicates a direct quote

18. URL shorteners Due to the 140-character limitation, Twitter users use URL shorteners to share URLs Examples are: tinyurl.com, twurl.nl, bit.ly Desktop Twitter clients usually have a URL shortening feature

19. Link before URL shortening

20. Link after URL shortening

21. Twitter Search http://search.twitter.com is the “Google” of Twitter Allows you to search for tweets with specified keywords Search results come up in real time; the screen refreshes if more tweets are posted after you finished the search This can also be done from your Twitter home screen

22. Initial Twitter Search Page

23. Search Results Page

24. Hashtags Hashtagging is similar to search engine and blog post indexing using keywords Hashtags can be used to communicate to a group: “Hey project managers, I have something for you #pmot” Hashtags can also indicate a particular event: “I am about to go to a session at the IFC Online Fundraising conference #ifconline” You can search for hashtags at Twitter Search or your home screen

26. Trending Topics Topics that are heavily tweeted about at any given part of the day are tracked and shown on Twitter Search and your home screen Each trending topic is shown as a clickable search term Examples: #swineflu was a trending topic in April, and the new Star Trek movie was one during its opening weekend

28. How can you use Twitter? Twitter website: http://www.twitter.com Desktop clients http://www.tweetdeck.com http:// www.twhirl.com Smartphone apps http://www.twitterfon.com for iPhone http://www.ubertwitter.com for Blackberry

29. How will your activity on Twitter help your organization? Spread the word of programs, activities, etc. to your followers Find people who might be interested in supporting the cause Use the search function to find mentions of key terms that are relevant to your organization Use the search function to listen to what others are saying about your organization

30. Thank you for your time Now go out there and tweet to your heart’s content!