Introduction to Twitter (HUOC SM101 Spring 2012)

Introduction to

Twitter

Why Use

Twitter?

Why Use Twitter?

Some Twitter

Stories

Reunited after 11

years

Twitter saves a

bookstore

Obama Elections

campaign

Arab Revolutions -

#Jan25

How can a train

use twitter?

Twitter is the

future of Public

Health?

So what is

Twitter?Twitter in Plain English

Twitter Improves

Your WritingForces you to be concise. Write

tight!

Forces you to exercise

vocabulary

Improve your editing skills

Timeline

A timeline is a Twitter

term used to

describe a collected

stream of Tweets

listed in real-time

order. This brief

article explains a little

more about where

you see timelines on

your Twitter account

What does it mean to follow

someone on Twitter? Following someone simply means receiving their

Twitter updates.

When you follow someone, every time they post a new message, it will appear on your Twitter home page.

New messages are added to your home page as people post them, so you always get the updates in real time.

TweetA message of 140 characters or less

Normal Tweet

Any message with fewer than 140 characters posted to Twitter.

Where it appears for the sender: On the sender's profile page and Tweets timeline.

Where it appears for the recipient: In the Tweets timeline view of anyone who is following the sender.

Places it will never appear: On anyone else's profile page, unless they re-tweeted the message.

MentionsA Tweet containing another user's Twitter username, preceded by the "@" symbol, like this:

Hello @NeonGolden! What's up? Where it appears for the sender: On the sender's profile

page of public Tweets. Where it appears for the recipient: In the recipient's

Mentions and Interactions tabs (found under Connect), which is accessible only by them. Additionally, mentions will appear in the recipient's Tweets timeline view (not on their profile) if they are following the sender. Note: Anyone on Twitter who is following the sender of a mention will see the Tweet in their home timeline.

Places it will never appear: On anyone's profile page, unless they wrote the message.

@Replies:A Tweet that begins with another user's username and is in reply to one of their Tweets, like this:

@NeonGolden I can't believe you thought that movie was cheesy - I loved it! Where it appears for the sender: On the sender's Profile

page. Where it appears for the recipient: In the recipient's

Mentions and Interactions tabs (found under Connect). Like mentions, @replies will also appear in the recipient's Tweets timeline view if they are following the sender. Anyone following the sender and the recipient of an @reply will see it in their Tweets timeline.

Places it will never appear: On anyone's profile page, unless they wrote/sent the message.

sdarine

dashkoun

@dashkounDinner is in the

oven.

Where do people's @replies

appear for other users?

If you're not the sender or recipient of an @reply, will you ever see the message on Twitter?

The answer is YES! Users will see @replies in their Tweets timeline if they are following both the sender and recipient of the update.

Otherwise, they won't see the @reply unless you visit the sender's Profile page.

Direct messages

A personal message sent directly to someone who follows you.

Where it appears for the sender: In the sender's Direct messages (accessible by clicking on the person icon). A DM (direct message) will disappear if the recipient deletes it.

Where it appears for the recipient: In the recipient's Direct messages. Will disappear if the sender deletes it.

Places it will never appear: In any public timeline or public search even if hashtags or mentions are used.

sdarine

mhijazi

D mhijazi My assistant is driving

me crazy!

Retweeting (RT)

A Retweet is a re-posting of someone

else's Tweet. Twitter's Retweet feature

helps you and others quickly share that

Tweet with all of your followers.

Retweeting (RT)

Retweets in all timelines and profiles are distinguished by the Retweeticon followed by the name of the user who retweeted the Tweet.

To credit a Tweet's author, Retweets show the profile picture, user name, and Tweet of the original author, with "Retweetedby" information appended at the bottom of the Tweet (shown below).

If you see a message from a stranger in your timeline, look for the Retweet icon – the retweeter should be someone you follow.

There are 2 ways to re-tweet:1. Re-tweet something by someone else by putting the letters RT and @ in front of their username before copying their tweet

Example:

I love this song RT @weam_a: hit me baby one more time

2. Click the ‘re-tweet’ link to

the bottom right of the tweet

Retweeting (RT)

If you or someone you follow has

protected their Tweets, other users will not

be able to retweet them.

Favorite Tweets Favorites, represented by a small star icon

next to a Tweet, are most commonly used

when users like a Tweet. Favoriting a

Tweet can let the original poster know

that you liked their Tweet, or you can save

the Tweet for later.

Where can I see my Favorite

Tweets?

Click on Favorites in the left hand column,

you will see a scrolling list of Tweets you've

favorited

Interactions Tab This tab offers a simple way to see what's

happening on Twitter in relation to you (it used to be called @username in the previous version of Twitter). You’ll be able to see which of your Tweets are favorites, plus the latest retweets (of your Tweets), Tweets directed to you (@replies and mentions), and your new Followers.

Activity Tab The Activity tab is found on the Discover page. It

provides a rich new source of discovery by highlighting the latest favorites, retweets, and follows from the people you follow on Twitter – all in one place. It’s easier than ever to explore Twitter, connect with people, and discover what’s happening around the world.

Adding photos to tweets1. Begin typing a new Tweet.

2. Click on the camera icon.

3. Locate the image you want to upload on your computer when prompted.

4. After you select your image, your Tweet box should look like the one pictured below. You'll see the image thumbnail and the camera icon highlighted in blue.

5. Your character count will update to account for the image's shortened URL. Finish your Tweet and click "Tweet."

6. If you selected the wrong image or no longer wish to share that image, just click the “x” control in the thumbnail or next to the filename to delete the current image.

Adding links to tweets1. Type or paste a long URL into the Tweet box on

Twitter.com.

2. As you begin entering a URL, a message will appear at the bottom of the Tweet box, letting you know that the link will appear shortened. Any length of URL will be altered to 19 characters. Your character count will reflect this.

3. Click "Tweet" to post your message and URL.

HashtagsIt’s not that confusing

# symbol

The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to

mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was

created organically by Twitter users as a

way to categorize messages.

Hashtags: Helping you find

interesting Tweets

People use the hashtag symbol # before relevant keywords in their Tweet to categorize those Tweets to show more easily in Twitter Search

Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message shows you all other Tweets in that category

Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet

Hashtagged words that become very popular are often Trending Topics

Using hashtags

If you Tweet with a hashtag on a public account, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find your Tweet

Don't #spam #with #hashtags. Don't over-tag a single Tweet. (Best practices recommend using no more than 3 hashtags per Tweet.)

Use hashtags only on Tweets relevant to the topic

Twitter Search

Search for Tweets containing a keyword

or hashtag

New Twitter

Layout

Some Stuff You

Should Know

What is #FF?

#FF is a hashtag for “Follow Friday” and is a twitter tradition whereby every Friday, tweeps recommend others that are interesting for their followers to check out. It’s a good way to get introduced to other tweeps and to also share your appreciation for the people you follow. Here is an example:

Example:

#FF @pearlowa because she’s makes awesome scrambled eggs!

#FF @mhijazi @sdarine @dashkoun @reemitani @mishoricha@AUB_OC @yasminehajjar @abaretruth

What is +1?

Sometimes tweeps retweet something

with a +1 (or + whatever digit) before it to

show their approval of what is being said.

Example:

+100 RT @mhijazi Smoking should be banned

in all public places in #Lebanon!

Twitter Lists

Lists compile similar tweeps together so

that you can see a timeline of all their

tweets on the same page. You can add

multiple tweeps to a list and you will be

added to lists too.

Create a list for online nurses!

Protected Tweets

If you’re worried about your tweets being

exposed publicly, you can opt for privacy

(protected tweets) in your settings. That

way people need to request to follow you

before they can see your profile and

tweets.

Trending Topics

Topics that are being most tweeted

about at that moment in time.

How many Lebanese are on

twitter?

I’m not sure. There are many who live here

and many who are abroad. I would

estimate at least 5,000 active tweeps and

maybe a 10-12 thousand if you include

the ones who are rarely active. But the

community’s growing every day.

Why do we

tweet?

Is everyone friendly on twitter?

No, just like in your offline life. Most people

are very polite and friendly, but you will

bump into a few bullies. Unfollow people

who annoy you and if it gets to a point of

harassment, you can block them from

accessing your profile.

What’s a tweetup? Twitter meetups, or Tweetups as they’re commonly

called, are pretty much popular these days. You can’t escape them. The @ nametags. The random awkward conversations that result when you have more than 140 characters to express yourself. Tweetups take an otherwise great service like Twitter and turn it into something much bigger.

Why? Because you are able to gather with online friends, meet new contacts to enhance your career, and enjoy your time.

Choose Your Tools

Pick your tools – you can tweet from the web, your phone, or from any number of Twitter apps

- Twitter for iPad

- TweetDeck http://tweetdeck.com

- Hootsuite http://hootsuite.com/

Questions?