The document discusses a common misunderstanding of Twitter's tweet functionality, specifically regarding how tweets starting with '@' are only visible to mutual followers. It explains how to ensure a broader audience can see a tweet by starting with a period before the '@' symbol. The author expresses frustration at Twitter's lack of guidance for new users on this important feature.

2. Twitter has been around since 2006.

3. And what really frustrates me…

4. Is that so many people still screw up
a really basic piece of
Twitter’s functionality.

5. Allow me to explain:

6. I have something I need to get off my
chest, something I need everyone to know
!

7. so I head to Twitter and I tweet this:

8. @Patriots I hate all of you.!

9. But there is a problem.
!

10. I want everybody to know.
!

11. But because the tweet
started with an @ sign…
!

12. ONLY the traitors people who follow BOTH me
AND the Patriots will see this tweet.
!

13. NOT all of my followers
(and I have a lot)

14. Which is EXCEPTIONAL for certain situations.*
*But that's another Slideshare
for another day.

15. But not this one.

16. So now a tweet like this:
!

17. So now a tweet like this:
!
The @Patriots haven’t won a Super Bowl
since they were caught cheating.
#Justsaying #Truth

18. Will show up to all 1,000,000+
of my followers

19. WHY?

20. Because @ is not the first
character of the tweet:
The @Patriots haven’t won a Super Bowl
since they were caught cheating.
#Justsaying #Truth

21. When that happens, all of your followers
see it no matter what else is in the tweet.

22. Let’s take a look at another example:

23. @wilfork75 really really really really really
really really really annoys me

24. Again, only going to the LIMITED number of my
followers who ALSO follow Vince Wilfork.
!

25. NO GOOD
!

26. EVERYONE MUST KNOW
!

27. But it’s an easy fix:
!
.@wilfork75 really really really really really
really really really annoys me

28. See that period at
the beginning?
!
.@wilfork75 really really
really really really really
really really annoys me

29. .
That
is the most misunderstood
piece of punctuation on Twitter.
!

30. Now that I tweeted starting with a period…

31. ALL of my followers can understand just
how much Vince pisses me off.

32. So clearly this is a really
important mechanic.

33. And to be honest, I am shocked that Twitter
hasn’t done a better job explaining it to
new users.

34. If I ran things, here is what I would do.

35. The first time you used the @
message, this would appear:

36. Pretty cool right?

37. Hey one last thing.

38. I’m actually not all about people using this
mechanic all the time.

39. I would prefer that you just change the
content up a little.

40. Just find a different way to
structure the sentence.
!
The @Patriots haven’t won a Super Bowl
since they were caught cheating.
#Justsaying #Truth

41. It looks and feels a lot more natural.

42. But if you absolutely have to start a tweet
with someone’s handle.

43. Now you know what to do.

44. ;)