This document provides an overview of key Twitter concepts and terminology in 3 paragraphs or less: Tweets are individual Twitter messages that are typically 140 characters or less. Users can follow other accounts to receive their tweets and have their own tweets sent to their followers. Lists allow users to organize the accounts they follow on specific topics or interests. Additional features include retweeting, which shares another user's tweet, mentions which tag another user in a tweet, and hashtags which group tweets by topic for discovery. Direct messages allow for private communication between users who follow each other. Trending topics show popular terms being discussed publicly on Twitter in real-time.

1. -62865231140-1548765-2054860<br />Twitter 101<br />tweetNotesAn individual message is called a tweet. Can be used as a verb: “I tweeted about the stimulus package this morning.” Alternative is “twittering.”Alternatives include “post,” “message” and “update.”Maximum length is 140 characters per tweet.follower or followingFollow other people and companies to receive their tweets as they post. Conversely, people get your messages by following you.ListsNotesTwitter Lists are created and maintained by Twitter users. You can create your own or follow lists created by others.It can be overwhelming to follow everyone in one timeline, lists can help manage information.A way to organize feeds you want to follow:follow people without adding them to your home pagefollow topics instead of individualsWhen looking at a user’s profile, click on the Lists icon to add them to a list. Listorious is a directory of Twitter lists.Shortened urlsURLs use up many of the 140 allowed characters.Links posted on Twitter via the website are automatically shortened.Many services take regular links and shrink them down to a manageable length and even let you track clicks.You can’t tell what they link to, so click with caution.Samples: bit.ly, tinyurl.com, ow.ly, tr.im, su.prDirect Message (DM)NotesTip: If you’re communicating about something potentially sensitive, switch to DM or email. Remember, @mentions are public, so anyone can see them.Direct messages (DMs) are private – only the sender and receiver can see them. DMs are on your home page under the Direct Messages tabCan only DM people who are following you. Conversely, you can receive them only from people you’re following.Send Direct Messages by using the pull-down menu to choose a recipient and then typing in your note. Sample: DM to WUSTLlibraries: I’d like to schedule a meeting in the Café next Tue at 10am@username (at reply)Click on “Reply” under a tweet in your timeline to respond to the author. It will begin a tweet for you with @username at the beginning.Send public messages to people by beginning with @username.If the user is following your account, your message will appear directly on his Twitter home page. (If not, your message will appear in his @username mentions folder.) Sample: @WUSTLlibraries Thanks for the great twitter class! RT @username (retweet)NotesRetweeting (RT) is reposting people’s tweets and giving them credit. To retweet, click on “Retweet” under a tweet in your timeline.Retweeting is common and a form of conversation on Twitter. Used to spread messages and ideas across Twitter quickly.Sometimes people retweet manually and it looks like this:Sample: RT @WUSTLNSS Campus Electric Outage http://nss.wustl.edu/node/314SearchingSearch for people using the Find People link.Search for topics from your home page.No advanced search features - all search is done via #tag or keyword. It’s not very sophisticated but it can get the job done. Google does some twitter searching but it is very new, methods and quality are uncertain.#tag (hash tag)Hashtags are the way to group and organize tweets from multiple people.Searches for a hashtag result in all of the related messages.Hashtags are the # symbol followed by a term describing or naming the topic.If enough people use the same hashtag at once, the term will appear in Twitter’s Trending Topics.Conferences and events frequently have hashtags associated with them (like #TED).Sample: Are you reading Zahra's Paradise? You should be. http://www.zahrasparadise.com/ #iranelectionTrending topicsThe most-mentioned terms on Twitter at that moment. Continuously update, reflecting the real-time nature of Twitter and true shifts in people’s attention. Trending Topics aggregate many tweets at once and often break news ahead of the mainstream media.Trends often include hashtags.Can view what is trending worldwide or in various countries or cities.Sources<br /> “The Simple Twitter Book | Brent Ozar - Too Much Information,” http://www.brentozar.com/twitter/book/. “Twitter 101 — Learning the lingo,” http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/learning.<br /> <br />-55245topResources<br />Want more information?Twitter 101 LibGuide :: http://libguides.wustl.edu/twitter101Washington University Libraries Twitter Page :: http://twitter.com/WUSTLlibrariesInstructorsErin Leacheleach@wustl.eduhttp://twitter.com/leachea_79Sarah Bombichsbombich@wustl.eduhttp://twitter.com/saleenlAIM: sarahbombichGtalk: sbombich@gmail.com