twitter 411

So you just joined Twitter and you are ready to tweet your little heart away but you're not sure where to begin. While twitter may seem confusing at first, especially if you're a loyal Facebook user, it really is not difficult at all and I am here to help!

Here are some twitter basics and tips to get you tweeting like a pro:

140 Characters
Each "tweet" on twitter must be made in 140 characters or less and if you go over, Twitter will not allow you to tweet. I know for myself, that going over the 140 character limit is rarely an issue unless I am trying to tell a quick story. If you do go over the 140 character limit, here is the time to become creative and and use abbreviations or symbols to get your point across.

So here are some tips to keep your tweets under 140 characters: 
take advantage of symbols such as: &,%,$,# etc.
use contractions
ignore grammar basics but ensure that the tweet is still understandable
remove any pictures that are attached since they tend to use a large amount of characters
be creative with words and use numbers to substitute words such as: before= be4 or even b4, today=2day

Retweet
Find a tweet that you want to share? Retweet it! Retweeting a user's tweet will allow those that follow you, see the tweet that you found interesting. You will also see tweets on your timeline that are retweeted by those you follow. If you decided that you do not care to see retweets, you are able to disable the feature and it will remove all future retweets from your twitter feed.


Favorite
Come across a tweet that you like? Favorite it! Just like "liking" someone's post on Facebook, favoriting a tweet on Twitter will let the user know that you liked their tweet. All favorite tweets can be found on your page and can be viewed by others.


Twitter Feed
Similar to your News Feed on Facebook, your Twitter Feed will show you all recent tweets and retweets made by those you follow.

Hashtags #
While browsing on Twitter, you will see the hashtag symbol (#) followed by a number of characters such as a word, string of words or an abbreviation such as #TGIF, #laborday, #football and so on. Hashtags are a way for users on Twitter to express themselves in such a way that can be searched on Twitter and when a hashtag becomes popular on Twitter, it will be considered to be "trending". These trending hashtags on Twitter represent popular topics and typically revolve around world events, popular television programs, holidays and so on.

So here are some tips to best use hashtags:
Keep them simple, hashtags that contain a large amount of words can be hard to read
Be creative & unique
Use trending hashtags to join a discussion

Common Hashtags
Throw back Thursday #tbt: this hashtag appears on Thursdays and is usually followed with either an old memory or photo. This is one of my favorite hashtags, I love both posting and reading them!
Follow Friday #ff: Like the previous hashtag this is specific to a day of the week and Follow Friday gives users the chance to reccomend to their followers, which users to follow.
Now Playing #nowplaying: This hashtag usually follows a band, singer, song, radio station and other musical designations to state what the user is currently listening to.
One of my Followers #oomf: The use of this hashtag lets the user tweet about one of their followers without specifically identifying them. Why? I have no idea, I have never used this hashtag but it is rather common.
To be Honest #tbh: My #tbh would be that until two weeks ago, I had no idea what it stood for and I had to google it after I saw it reoccurring on my twitter feed.
Shaking my Head #smh: Yet another hashtag acronym that I had to google in order to understand what it had meant. #smh is typically used after the user comes across something they normally would not agree with or that they are disgusted by. Either way, it is a way to further express themselves.


@ Symbols
The second most popular symbol that you will see on Twitter is the "@" sign. The use of the @ sign desingates a user on Twitter and the @ sign is used directly before the username, such as @twitter, @postsecret, @jimmyfallon and so on. If you would like to directly tweet to someone, you would tweet the user's name before your tweet and if you would like to mention a user, place their name within the tweet itself.

So now you're ready to use Twitter, but who do you follow?
I recommended following a news outlet such as @cnn, @cnnbrk, @nbcnews, @msnbc or @foxnews and consider following your local news stations for weather and area updates. Consider following your favorite celebrities to see what they are up to, my favorite is probably @jimmyfallon as he is hilarious. And here's a tip, follow your favorite stores as the often tweet coupons, deals and sales. Victoria's Secret is known for the "show this tweet to the cashier and save 10%", not bad! If you're in college or a recent graduate, follow your college for upcoming events and updates. Follow your favorite sports team or even specific players, you will receive up to the date sports updates and see exclusive photos. Still having trouble? Use the "Discover" tab on the bottom of the Twitter Application and search for those that share your interests. And if all else fails, follow me! @alilee89!