TECH TIP

SAY “YES” TO TWITTER

There is more to Twitter than sharing what you had for lunch. It is a great way to gather information, share your interests, and stay connected to what you care about.

THE PROBLEM

You hear Twitter mentioned often, but you don't know why or even how you would use it.

THE FIX

Dive in! But remember everything you share is public.

HOW TO DO IT

Twitter is a microblogging site used by millions of people globally. Microblogging is sending live messages, called tweets, from Web-enabled devices. It's called “micro” because you are allowed only 140 characters per message.

  1. Education. Following leaders in your chosen field helps you stay up-to-date on current issues and gives you the chance to interact with experts. Some instructors are even using Twitter in class as a way for you to engage with course material online.
  2. Job hunting. Following the official Twitter feed of organizations you want to work for can lead to instant notification of new job opportunities.
  3. Community involvement. Twitter allows for global conversations on important issues. Live tweeting is very common and allows for international exchange of information in real time.

Diagram of a Tweet

Here is a diagram showing Twitter in action. The key below walks you through each element of the sample tweet.

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Fiona Curry @fiona_curry 2 3

The Fault in Our Stars by @realiohngreen is my favorite book! #favoritebook

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↰ Reply image Retweet ⋆Favorite

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Kevin King @kevinbooklover

RT @fiona_curry The Fault in Our Stars by @realjohngreen is my favorite book! #favoritebook 6

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Tessa Pool @tessapool

. @fiona_curry Mine too! Check out this article via @nytimes on the book and #yalit: http://nyti.ms/1jRNITC 8

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  1. Tweet author profile image.
  2. Tweet author name and username.
  3. When mentioning somebody in a tweet or addressing your comments to a specific user, use “@username.” The name will become a hyperlink to that person's profile, and your message will be visible to them and their followers.
  4. Use hashtags (#) in front of keywords related to the topic of your tweet. They become links that will take you to all tweets using that hashtag.
  5. See something you like? You have options to reply to, “retweet,” or “favorite” a tweet.
  6. “Retweeting” means posting someone else's exact tweet to your list of followers. Do this by either prefacing your tweet with “RT @username” or pushing the retweet button at the bottom of their original tweet. Be sure to always give somebody credit for what they share!
  7. When replying to a user, your tweet will begin with @username. Be sure to use a period before @username so that the tweet goes to all of that user's followers.
  8. When sharing a link, use URL shorteners like bitly.com or tinyurl.com to save space.