Does Twitter mystify you? This guide will explain what it is, how it works, and how and why it might benefit you to create an account for yourself and your company. We asked top-tier tweeters to answer common Twitter questions. Let’s start with the basics:
What is Twitter? A social networking and microblogging service that prompts users to answer the question, “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or fewer. That counts letters, numbers, spaces, punctuation, links—everything. Abbreviate words and sacrifice punctuation in the interest of concentrated content.
What’s a “follower”? How do I get people to follow me? Whom should I follow? A follower is essentially a friend on Twitter, and you can read what the people you follow have to say on your home page. You follow people whose tweets you want to read — friends, family, amusing strangers, those with specific knowledge in your business or other fields of interest to you. Similarly, others will follow you for your insights, wit, wisdom, and expertise, or maybe just for the heck of it. Attract followers by starting conversations and posting engaging and relevant tweets for your target audience. Or you can use e-mail and other exchanges to invite people to follow you. “Find the people that you would like to have conversations with, and start having conversations with them,” says Geoff Livingston, CEO of Livingston Communications. “Just because they’re not following you, doesn’t mean you can’t start conversations with them… If you’re a consumer brand, it’s important to create a large following. If you’re business-to-business, having just the right 50 people following you is important.”
How can I find people or companies on Twitter? Use the “Find People” link at the top right of your Twitter homepage. Type in the names of your friends, family members, colleagues, and customers to find their usernames. A lot of celebrities, organizations, newspapers, blogs, TV channels, and Web sites also have accounts. Follow them by clicking the Follow button.
What should I tweet about? Anything you want. Individuals use it to stay updated on friends’ happenings or the news. Businesses use it to develop their brand and connect with customers. Media outlets post updates and breaking news flashes, along with a link to the full article.
Does everyone see my tweets? Can I make them private? The default privacy setting is that everyone can see your tweets and start following you. However, you can choose to protect your account by checking the “Protect my updates” box under the Settings tab on the upper right of the Twitter browser.
Can I delete my tweets? Yes. Just click the trash can button to the right of your tweet, and it will disappear. Be careful, though, because tweets post instantaneously. If your followers are quick, they might see it before you eradicate your tweet.
How can I shorten my links? Some links can take up 140 characters on their own. Using a service that shortens URLs like Tiny URL, bit.ly or any of the dozens of other Web sites like it will give you more bang for your buck if you’re posting a link and teasing it in the same tweet.
How can I find out what other people are tweeting about? Twitter Search allows you to search every tweet that’s out there for a word or phrase of your choosing. It also has a list of the 10 most popular words or phrases that people are tweeting at that moment, called “Trending topics.”
What is the # sign? The “#” sign, called a hashtag among the Twitterati, signifies a subject, specific word, or phrase that you can search for. For example, put #goodread next to your tweet about your favorite article link of the day, and users who are searching for interesting reads will find your post when they search “goodread.”
What’s with the “@” sign? When you want to talk to someone, reference them or ask them a question publicly, put the @ sign directly before their username in your tweet. Your tweet will show up in their @theirusername feed on the right side of their profile, and on their home page if they’re following you.
What is retweeting? Retweeting is like forwarding an e-mail; it’s reposting something that someone else said or a link they posted so your followers can see it, too. You can retweet by tweeting RT @theirusername, and their message. You can add your own comments, too.
How do I respond to someone directly? Send a follower a direct message, or a DM, by clicking the “Direct Message” tab on the right side of your Twitter home page or the “Direct Message” button on their profile. You can send DMs only to people who follow you. The 140-character limit applies. Direct messages are private, but as with tweeting, always be careful about what you send.
What’s the etiquette for talking to people on Twitter? You can talk to anyone on Twitter—even seemingly inaccessible people like @britneyspears or @johnmccain or @lancearmstrong— simply by using the @ sign. There’s no guarantee they’ll tweet you back, but it’s worth a try. Livingston says that DMs can seem intrusive and should be used sparingly.