Back to Basics: Twitter 101

Posted by admin in Facebook on Nov 26th, 2009 | one response

Twitter is one of the fastest growing websites on the internet today. Even so, it hasn’t been around too long, and many people have heard of it, but aren’t quite sure what it is. Even those of us who have been using it a while sometimes get confused by all the jargon, tools, and features that the site offers. And it’s also not clear to all of us how we should best use Twitter for our school nutrition programs. Well, this post is meant to be a high-level overview of Twitter to help people get started.

Twitter is a new, up-and-coming technology that allows people to share information and opinions through brief messages (under 140 characters). Twitter is ranked as one of the 50 most popular websites worldwide and is the third most popular social networking tool.

If you are thinking about joining twitter, here are a few simple tips that will help you get started.

Step 1: Understand the Lingo

If you’re just getting started on Twitter, everything will seem like it is in another language – because it is! Once you understand a few key terms, it is easy to know what is going on.

Lingo	Explanation	Example
Tweet	A 140-character message published on Twitter	http://tinyurl.com/4twusa free ringtones for iphone
Retweet	Re-publishing something someone else already ‘tweeted’	RT @schoollunch One Calif. district uses school lunches as nutrition education – http://bit.ly/390ioK
@username	The name of a person or company on Twitter	Hey, thanks for the mention @schoollunch
Hashtags	the number symbol (#) followed by no spaces and a sting of words/topic: quick way for you to see what people are talking about	Pizza for school lunch is my favorite. #Schoollunch
Short URL	A shortened link to a web page	Bit.ly/390ioKTinyurl.com/4twusa su.pr/52jk3

Step 2: Create your own Twitter Account

To get started, go to www.twitter.com and click on the “sign up now” button. This will direct you to a new screen where you will be prompted to enter your personal information.

Your username is the name by which you will be identified on Twitter. Pick a unique name; it is recommended that you use your own name so that others can easily find you. If you need additional help choosing a username, here are Eight Twitter Username Tips.

Next, you will be prompted to search your email address book (Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail or AOL accounts) so you can begin following them if they’re already on Twitter. If you prefer to manually search for people to “follow,” simply click “skip this step.” Twitter then presents you with a list of popular groups or celebrities you can choose to follow.

Step 3: Personalize Your Account

To do this, click on the “settings” tab in the upper right hand corner of your profile. This takes you to a tab based menu where you can edit your personal account information, create a bio, add an image of yourself and choose whether or not you want your profile to be public or private.

Perhaps one of the more important fields is the “one line bio” found under the “Account” tab. The one line bio allows you to describe yourself in 160 characters or less. It is common to see people use their professions and then something outside of work that interests them, as well.

Step 4: Start Looking for People to Follow

When you click on the “follow” button, it means you have signed up to receive any information that person publishes – you want to know what that person or organization is doing. You can choose to follow or un-follow a person at any time.

Start searching for people you find interesting. In the upper right hand side of your profile, click “find people.” This takes you to a tab based searching tool where you can find others by username, first or last name, business or brand. Here you can also invite friends to Twitter and search the Twitter’s recommended followers.

If you prefer to search by topic, try http://search.twitter.com/

Step 5: Tweet, Tweet, Tweet

Start posting tweets. Share your thoughts – your knowledge. Share articles you find that will be useful to your followers. If you find something interesting posted by a person you follow, share it with your followers by “retweeting”. To do this, type RT@USERNAME (the username of the person who originally posted it) and then type their tweet.

Once your account is complete, you may feel out of place. There is a lot to learn about Twitter – not to mention a new language. However, once you start tweeting and become familiar with the network, you will begin to realize how powerful a tool it can be and the benefits it can bring.