How to Use Twitter - Basics

How to Use Twitter
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Different social media have different uses, strengths, advantages. Twitter[1] could be called a 'real time social networking' site. Learning how to use this fun, and useful, tool can be a bit intimidating. However, with a little effort, it is a tool that can make you 'digitally' famous.

Steps

1. Go to Twitter.com[2] and sign up for a free account.
   


2. Work on your 'bio'. You want to make it eye catching, and interesting. Do it just right and it will help you build up 'followers'.
   


3. Add friends. You will probably find that you know quite a few people on Twitter. Using the 'Add Friends' utility, you can find people you know through your various GMail, AOL, MSN, Hotmail and Yahoo! accounts.
   


4. Using @Replies. Click '@Replies' to see if there are any replies to any of your 'tweets'. When tweeting, using '@' followed by a user name (with no spaces) in your Tweet will send a 'mention' to the user you choose. For example, '@BarackObama' will send a mention to BarackObama and the entire Tweet will show up in his '@Replies' section.
   


5. Send DMs. DMs are Direct Messages. They go straight to the intended person that you are messaging. It utilizes an inbox and outbox system, but you are still limited to using 140 characters; you are also limited to users who follow you.
   


6. Send updates. This is where the tweets are generated from. If you want to let your followers know what you are doing, type it in the 'Update' text box and then click on 'Update'. You are allotted 140 characters to do this with.
   


7. Use hashtags. Prefacing a word with a '#' will create a hashtag. For example A hashtag makes a certain word easily searchable. For more info on hashtags see the WikiHow article on How to use Hashtags with Twitter.
   


8. Learn the Twitter lingo and use it appropriately.[3]
   
   • Retweet or "RT" - copying a tweet from another user.
     
   • Tweet - a Twitter blurb or update
     
   • TweetUps - Using Twitter to meet with other Twitter folks
     


9. Look for people from organizations that you are in or for those that share a common interest.
   

Video

Tips

• Try to use just one tweet to get your point across. If it carries on to another tweet it should be shortened.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Use TweetDeck
• How to Be a Twitter Celebrity
• How to Synchronize Your Facebook Status and Twitter Using Only Facebook Apps
• How to Add wikiHow Featured Articles to Your Twitter Updates
• How to Stop Spending Too Much Time Online
• How to Be a Social Networker
• How to Change Your Background on Twitter
  

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter
2. ↑ http://www.twitter.com/
3. ↑ http://twitter.pbwiki.com/Twitter+Glossary

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Use Twitter. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.