What I’d have liked to have known when I started using Twitter

This post is inspired by my classmates who are jumping head long into Twitter at the moment. I really get excited when I see people try new things and start learning. I remember when I signed up to twitter there was lots of stuff about etiquette and expected feelings about usage as a newbie, but not much on what it is that you’re actually seeing on your screen. So here’s the basic version of what I would have loved to know about the magic screen when I signed up.

If you type something into the twitter field, anyone who is following you can see it. Unless you’ve made your updates secure (secret) it’s in the public domain.
following is not reciprocal. You can follow people that aren’t following you and vice versa.
“@username” is a way of addressing a message to someone in the public space.
If someone requests you DM them, they are asking you to send them a direct message. A direct message can only be seen by you and the other party. To send a direct message, you can use the buttons provided, or type “D @username” into the tweet field. You can only DM someone if you both follow each other.
“RT @username” is a way for forwarding someone’s message to your network. RT means retweet
all those weird looking URL’s like “www.tinyurl/blahlah” and “www.bit.ly/asdfgds” are normal URL’s which have been shortened to help you fit within the 140 character limit.
a URL which starts with “www.ff.im is a URL” comes through the social media aggregator FriendFeed, they’re pretty much the same as the condensed URLs above, but take you to a friendfeed page and then you click on the link again from there.
putting a hashtag # before something is a way of making it searchable. For example a hashtag used for the Australian Institute of Training and Development Conference is “#aitd”.
if randoms follow you don’t be scared! That’s one of the things Twitter is quite good at – allowing people who don’t know each other to connect.
on your twitter home page, you will see some light grey writing under each person’s displayed tweet. That is the “client” they are using to post tweets. A client is something that sits over the top of twitter, usually providing you with updates of people’s tweets as they happen. Some common clients are tweetdeck, seesmic, twhirl. People that use twitter regularly tend to use a client as it makes things easier to find and more immediate.
If you don’t want to follow someone anymore, you can unfollow people the same way you followed them. Unfollowing people isn’t too big a deal, it happens quite a bit, but you will build a core of followers after a while.

I’ve only got Paint on my computer, but I’ve had a go at showing where all this information is on the Twitter home page.

I hope that’s helpful. I’m not going to tell anyone how to use Twitter as I don’t think there is a right way to use it. Just remember that like many things in life, what you put in is what you’ll get out – your network will develop around those you choose to follow and the content that you post.

23 Responses to “What I’d have liked to have known when I started using Twitter”

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1 Tim Bull April 21, 2009 at 6:36 am

Nice post.

The only thing I’d add is that when people say DM me, meaning “Direct Message” me, the way in which you actually SEND a direct message is to preface the user name with D only. At least that’s true in Twhirl. Had many a frustrating conversation with someone trying to DM @User when all I needed to do was D @user

Also worth noting, you can only DM someone if they are following you.

Finally, just be aware that in the US (and UK again) DM’s will often go to a persons mobile as an SMS message, in AU they go to your e-mail (SMS support was dropped a while back). As a personal etiquette thing, I try consider this when I DM a known US follower (even though they could control this themselves with settings).

Cheers,

Tim

- 2 mollybob April 21, 2009 at 7:37 am
  
  thanks for your feedback tim. I tested your suggestion on the Twitter home page and it works (I learned something new!) I will adjust the information in the post to reflect the “D @username” means to send a direct message.
  
3 lpapworth April 21, 2009 at 12:17 pm

WHOIS @SilkCharm – type that in to see my start date etc with Twitter. Use your own @name for your own start date

- 4 mollybob April 22, 2009 at 7:24 am
  
  Thanks! I learned something new from you – I didn’t know you could do that – your tip is very appreciated
  
- 5 Rachel April 23, 2009 at 2:56 am
  
  I tried the suggestion whois that you gave but it didn’t work for me..Any ideas why?
  
  - 6 mollybob April 23, 2009 at 3:38 am
    
    Hi rachel. I tried it at my end by typing “whois @mollybob” into Twitter. A banner came up across the top of the screen telling me – did you see that? That was a first for me – I learned for Laurel’s comment too.
7 Pyrabang Nick April 22, 2009 at 12:08 am

Nice blog and tips for begginners only one suggestion add some rss feed to blog. Lucky to be following people like you learning so much much more to learn thou

8 jen April 22, 2009 at 12:35 am

Great article. I retweeted it, which made me wonder about the ’share this’ link…

9 MW April 22, 2009 at 12:43 am

Just a thought… Shouldn’t the Hashtags section read: # “before” instead of “after”? Maybe I’m wrong. Still new at this myself. Thanks, good article!

- 10 mollybob April 22, 2009 at 7:24 am
  
  Thanks MW you are absolutely right – well spotted. I’ve fixed up the typo now.
  
11 David Congreave April 22, 2009 at 9:04 am

Nice post. You don’t need PAINT for doing screen pics though. Jing is a free tool for taking screen pics and adding text and arrows, etc. I discovered it a few weeks back, and it’s great for that sort of thing.

For example, I made this in about 60 seconds: http://screencast.com/t/t0rUppeDF

Sweet.

- 12 mollybob April 22, 2009 at 10:30 am
  
  Thanks for that David, I’ll be sure to check it out. I’d love to use something a bit more friendly than Paint.
  
13 3Dice April 22, 2009 at 11:09 am

maybe you should add that # only works if you first follow @hashtags

14 Chris Prakoso April 22, 2009 at 12:17 pm

Excellent Newbie (or for some regulars too) Guide!
This should be sent to any of our new Twitter Friends who are just starting
Retweeting now.

15 Sunrisedata1 April 22, 2009 at 2:04 pm

Wow I am so glad that I followed this link, I have been trying to figure how twitter works and you have sure helped me out. Thanks Mollybob

16 Kate Tracy April 23, 2009 at 4:08 am

You are a legend! I’ve been trying to sort the seemingly impenetrable, but end as a twit rather than tweeting I think. Thanks

17 Sheree Motiska April 25, 2009 at 2:27 pm

I can attest to the fact that all that etiquette and proper newbie behavior propaganda is brought to you by the people who are there simply because it’s already made to be ebooked, rule posted, and mediocre as the new order twisted.

You can do whatever you want within the scope of what a social media community is there to allow it.

It’s not for selling unless your Mike Filsaime who is there to see what’s popping and not to be a role model for regular people who want to amass numbers.

You can share whatever it is you’re doing, have done, or are thinki9ng about trying and be honest about the results and find that you are suddenly surrounded by knowledge and sharing.

It’s better to give, to show respect to those who are catching your eye, and just join in and have fun and be yourself.

Go for the like minded approach and leave the know it all new world order people to their egos.

18 edtechsandyk August 9, 2009 at 12:50 pm

Thanks for taking time to share this. Very helpful to a Twitter newb. See you in the Twitterverse!

19 katrhianna November 2, 2009 at 11:16 pm

Thanks for the thorough post on twitter. I’m a newbie on twitter, and I am finally making a little time for blogging.

20 Sophie November 5, 2009 at 7:06 pm

This should be on the twitter homepage!