Twitter - How to Successfully Tweet

TWITTER HOW-TO

- HOW-TO Twitter is a micro-blogging social media tool that allows users to engage in dialogue with other users from across the world in short status updates (140 characters or less).

Fun Facts: Twitter is often described as micro-blogging or the “SMS of the Internet� as it only allows users to type 140 character messages Twitter was created in 2006 and by March 2010 had grown 1500% Twitter has gained popularity worldwide and is estimated to have 225 million users, generating 65 million tweets a day and handling over 800,000 search queries per day Twitter is one of the 50 most visited websites, worldwide

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TWITTER HOW-TO

Table of Contents: TIP: Click the “Back to Table of Contents” link at the bottom of any page to return here at any time!

Twitter 101: Tweet @reply Direct message Hash tag Retweet

How to Use Twitter: Home Page How to tweet How to add an image to a tweet To reply to a tweet To retweet a tweet To find users to follow To view your profile page To view your “Followers” list @Connect Page #Discover Page Twitter Tips

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TWITTER HOW-TO

Twitter 101: Below are some helpful Twitter terms to know:

Tweet

(verb) – This refers to sending out a Twitter update.

Example: “Wow, what an interesting news story – you should tweet that!”

@reply

(noun) -- Replies are integral to the Twitter conversation. If you’d like to respond to

someone else’s tweet, simply hit the reply button or manually type in the “@” symbol, directly followed by their Twitter username. Make sure that you do not put any spaces after the "@" symbol, otherwise your message won't reach your intended person.

Example: If you are sending a message to Jane Doe, make sure to type “@JaneDoe” instead of “@ Jane Doe”.

Another function of the "@"reply is to allow your followers to see who you talk to and link to that person’s Twitter account. It also will allow the person you’re responding to see your reply.

You can also use the “@” symbol to refer to another Twitter member, even if you’re not responding to them.

Example: If you just went to lunch with your friend Becky Smith who has a Twitter account with the username "BeckyS," you might say, “Just went to lunch with @BeckyS.” This is a way to let those who follow you know that other people you interact with are also on Twitter. By seeing their names in your twitter stream, you are also promoting your friends' Twitter accounts to grow their follower base.

Direct message

(noun) – Often referred to as “D/M,” this is a private message from one

Twitter user to another. Only the two users sending/receiving the message can see it. In order to send a direct message to another user, the user must be following your account.

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TWITTER HOW-TO

Hash tag

(noun) – Refers to the hash or pound symbol (#). Hash tags go directly in front of

words (no space) to make the term searchable so users can find everyone on Twitter who is talking about a certain topic.

Example: If you were writing about an Indianapolis topic, you’d include the term “#Indianapolis” in your tweet. Then if any Twitter user searches the site for the word Indianapolis, your tweet will show up in the results.

Hash tags are also used to find the most popular topics on Twitter at any time. Sites like Twitterfall.com, TweetStats,com, or Hashtags.org show the top trends in Twitter. The top trending words indicate these terms are the most discussed topics on Twitter.

Retweet

(verb) – This is when you repost someone else’s noteworthy tweet, giving them

credit for it. To retweet, simply write “RT,” their Twitter handle and their original post or click the “Retweet” button below the tweet.

Example: If John Doe wrote “Joe’s Burger Shack is giving away free milkshakes today!” and you wished to retweet this, you would write, “RT @John_Doe Joe’s Burger Shack is giving away free milkshakes today!”

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TWITTER HOW-TO

How to use Twitter: Home Page: Once you are logged into Twitter, you will automatically be taken to your “Home” page:

“Compose Tweet” Box: Write and send tweets from the Home page

Twitter Timeline: Tweets from users you follow updated in real-time

Who to Follow: Users Twitter suggests to follow based on your interests

Trending Topics: Most popular Twitter hashtags and key words

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TWITTER HOW-TO

How to Tweet: 1. To compose a tweet, click in the text box of the “Compose Tweet” box and type your tweet (140 characters or less):

2. Optional: You can mention other users by including an @Reply, or tag a topic with a hashtag 3. Click the “Tweet” button in order to post your tweet:

Your tweet will show up in your Timeline, your profile page, and in your followers’ timelines

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TWITTER HOW-TO

How to Add an Image to a Tweet: 1. Write your tweet/caption in the “Compose Tweet” box 2. Click on the camera icon (“Add an image”) below your tweet

3. Choose an image from your computer and click “Open” 4. Click the “Tweet” button in order to post your tweet and image:

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TWITTER HOW-TO

To reply to a tweet: 1. Hover your mouse over any tweet

2. Click on the “Reply” link 3. Write your response after the tagged username and click the “Tweet” button:

Replies must also still be 140 characters or less, including any tagged usernames

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TWITTER HOW-TO

To retweet a tweet: 1. Hover your mouse over any tweet

2. Click on the “Retweet” link 3. Click on the “Retweet” button to repost the tweet:

Your retweet will show up in your Timeline, your profile page, and in your followers’ timelines

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TWITTER HOW-TO

To find users to follow: 1. On the “Who to Follow” box, click “Follow” to follow suggested users:

2. Click the “View all” link to find other suggested users to follow:

3. You can also search for users to follow by topic, by typing key words into the “Search” bar at the top and clicking “People” on the left hand column:

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TWITTER HOW-TO

If you click on the Twitter username of any user (either when searching or tagged in tweets), you can pull up a profile box with more information, as well as options to tweet, follow, block, or direct message that Twitter user:

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TWITTER HOW-TO

To view your profile page: 1. On your home page, either click on the “View my profile page” link in the “Compose Tweet” box, or the “View my profile page” option in your top right drop down menu:

This will take you to your profile page, where you can edit your profile as well as see your tweets, bio, followers list and following list:

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TWITTER HOW-TO

To view your “Followers” list: 1. Click on either the “Followers” number at the top of your profile or the “Followers” link on the left-hand column:

You can click the “Follow” button to follow your Twitter followers back, or you can click the silhouette icon for a dropdown menu to tweet to that user, send a direct message, or block.

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TWITTER HOW-TO

@Connect Page: The second tab (@Connect) will take you to a page where you can view all of your Twitter “interactions”: Mentions: Click here to view only tweets that mention you

Retweets: Your retweeted tweets will show up here

Recent followers

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Mentions: Tweets that mention you will appear here in blue

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TWITTER HOW-TO

#Discover Page: The third tab (#Discover) will take you to a page where you can view top news stories, search for friends, and browse topics by category:

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TWITTER HOW-TO

Twitter Tips: Due to the tight character limit (140), abbreviations are encouraged.

Try to follow people back unless they are obvious spam accounts. Following those who follow you is a way to continue to grow your audience. You can always unfollow users after you choose to follow them by clicking the “Unfollow” button.

Engage in conversation – don’t just post from your end. Regularly respond to other people and re-tweet posts that are especially interesting or noteworthy.

Make it personal. Even professional accounts can have a sense of fun and individuality to them. This let’s your followers know that a real person is behind the Twitter account and gives you a friendly and relatable presence.

Follow the rule of thirds: 1/3 of the content should be related to the book, 1/3 of the content should be about the topic of your book in general, and 1/3 of your Twitter content should be engagement with other users and potential readers.

Ask your followers questions. This is a great way to involve them in your brand. Ask what they’d like to know about your book, what their favorite memories are, etc.

Be visual when possible. Include photos and relevant links to your topic of conversation.

Participate in #FollowFriday. Every Friday, Twitter users recommend interesting people to follow. This is a fantastic way to build up your followers (if someone recommends you) and to help others build their followers.

Simply write something like, “#FollowFriday – my recommendations are @JaneDoe @johnDoe.” Use “bit.ly” (http://bit.ly) to shorten long links that take up too much space. By shortening the link you post in your tweet, you free up more characters to talk. Bit.ly also lets you track how many times someone has clicked your link – a valuable metrics tool!

Try out a Twitter management tool like TweetDeck (http://www.tweetdeck.com) or Hootsuite (http://www.hootsuite.com). These applications let you organize and track your followers, tweets, @replies and direct messages on one screen.

Promote your Twitter account on your website, other social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) and even business cards, email signatures and stationery.

Consider creating special offers for your followers. Some ideas: Book giveaways, free chapters, or an offer to guest blog on someone else’s blog. This is a fantastic way to keep current followers interested and gain new followers as well.

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