I think most of you know what Twitter is, after all I’ve been writing posts about various Twitter tools and tricks. But still I get emails and some questions in comments: “What is Twitter and how does it work?” Here’s quick beginners guide to Twitter so from now on, everyone knows what I am talking about. (Because there will be more posts about Twitter and Twitter tools in future).
Don’t be overwhelmed by Twitter. It’s easy, it’s fun and it’s free. But… What is it?
People all over are Twittering. WTF is Twitter anyway? Most heavy duty techies and electronic device users know this, but still, new to many people, is this quickly rising phenomenon called “twittering”, the verb that describes the use of the application called Twitter.
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that has changed the way many people communicate. Twitter allows users to send “updates” (or “tweets”: text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to Twitter website via short message service (e.g. on a cell phone), instant messaging, from their computer at home or work, or through a third-party application.
Some see this as a way to simply report their ’status’ to friends, some use it to post interesting links, some use it as a savvy marketing tool and still there are countless ways to utilize this real time quick messaging application.
It’s very easy to do. You just sign up (free registration), pick a user name (your site or profile web page will be ‘http://twitter.com/your name here’), and you can ‘design’ your Twitter home page by uploading an image or choosing web colors.
Then what?
Well, you can search for other twitterers by using the search box or browse other Twitter users and choose to ‘follow’ their tweets if you wish (that’s all what Twitter is about – following others and getting others to follow you). Let me be your first friend on Twitter – Follow me. You can make your tweets private or public and even send messages direct to other twitterers, as opposed to publicly posting yours.
That’s all! Pretty simple I know… That should clarify all your questions and dilemmas about how Twitter works.
Stay tuned – I will be writing more posts about Twitter, like how to use it to market your business or website, connect with like-minded people and many other creative uses of this cool service.
[tags]twitter, how twitter works, what is twitter, beginners guide, tweets, social media, social networking, online communities[/tags]
February 8, 2009
Impressive article Gennice! Way to go!!
February 8, 2009
Very interesting article indeed!
Good way to inform beginners to Twitter :)
February 8, 2009
Well yeah, everybody should know what Twitter is because it’s cool and it’s fun! :D
July 15, 2009
If I sign up for twitter, can i unsubscribe unlike other social pnoms that are so it?
July 15, 2009
Yes you can. You can even delete your account once you don’t want to use it anymore… But I don’t think anyone who tried Twitter ever deleted their acc! :)
December 2, 2009
I am new with twitter and I want my students to work with twitter next year when they have to complete research projects. Any suggestions how I can train them and how can I bring twitter into my classroom?
December 5, 2009
No doubt that you’re gonna make a great move when recommending Twitter to your students. (I wish some of my professors would be like you)
You can tell them that they can find Twitter to be very helpful research tool. Especially if they use http://search.twitter.com which will find relevant tweets to the topic of research.
The chances are, many people had some kind of involvement in that topic, and they contributed by wrting something about it or pointing out to some useful resources or information, and all that can be really helpful.
Also, they can even ask their followers about specific topic of research and many would be kind enough to help and share their knowledge…
There are many other ways Twitter can help, it’s just a matter of how creatively is being used.
I wish you all the best with your class and thanks for reading! :)
December 6, 2009
- i just love to Twitter everyday with my friends. Twitter is much better than blogging in my opinion and it is very addictive too.
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December 25, 2009
Twitter is some ways is much better than blogging. I love to Twitter my everyday activities on my friends and relatives.
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January 25, 2010
Why do I need to twitter when email lets me do the same at length?
January 25, 2010
Maybe because you don’t need someone’s email address to tweet them?
February 9, 2010
I feel like I’m completely out of touch. Although I have been hearing about twitter for a very long time I have not looked into it. Had not idea how it really works and still feel like I need to read the complete idiots guide. Thanks for the intro.
February 14, 2010
I am new to twitter but would like to continue to write to like minded people.
February 19, 2010
how different twitter is from orkut/ facebook?
February 19, 2010
Facebook appeals to people looking to reconnect with old friends and family members or find new friends online; the mashup of features like email, instant messaging, image and video sharing, etc. feels familiar, while Twitter is a bit harder to get your arms around at first.
Most people can very quickly grasp how to use Facebook to connect to friends and family, using it to share thoughts, images, etc. Like MySpace but more geared to adults than teens, Facebook is a social networking Portal; beckoning you not to leave but rather to stick around and communicate within the network.
Twitter on the other hand, encourages you grab ideals in byte-size chunks and use your updates as jumping off points to other places or just let others know what you’re up to at any given moment.
The usefulness of Twitter is not readily as obvious to some people as Facebook; although it may be more addictive once you get the hang of Tweeting; you get more immediate responses and it seems to live somewhere between the worlds of email, instant messaging and blogging.
I hope that cleared some of your dilemmas…
March 13, 2011
Guess I’m completely out of it re Twitter. Somehow I presumed that it was useful for commenting on various sites, blogs, etc.
But such is not at all the case, right??? Therefore, why do sites show the Twitter logo?? Duhh???
April 2, 2010
Hi, my friend Twitters & I’m still trying to get my head around it. I have to access her Twitters via my PC (via an email msg). So why not just send me an email pointing me to her website??
April 20, 2010
Excellent and useful guide.
April 27, 2010
I love to use Twitter whenever i want to know the latest buzz about my friends. I also use Twitter to know the latest buzz from famous persons :
June 4, 2010
hey! thanks to u i’m officially a twitter! now that sounded funny. but thanks anyway
June 17, 2010
You mean thanks to me you are now officially a Twitterrer? :D You’re welcome!
December 7, 2011
I have Twitter on my PC, my iPhone,and my iPad2. I just read this article but I still feel in the dark. Where do I find information on how to tweet, manipulate the function keys, know the signs/symbols people use such as # and when do I use @bjrooney_5? I know I am a come idiot but I do not understand half of the stuff being tweeted, how to pick some one, etc. Now, I know this is a first to get this moronic of tweetism. :) :(
January 29, 2012
I completely get your point. Don’t worry, you’re not the only one, and it certainly isn’t “moronic”. :) I know it can be tough to get it at the beginning, and especially because of those technical details.
I’m currently working on a post which will explain to you in full detail how every one of those things work, and how and when to use it. Stay tuned. ;)
July 17, 2010
I am also a rookie in this department. Can I use twitter when I am overseas and what does it cost to twit? Thanks for the guidelines. Can you twitter from all cell phones?
Bye
January 18, 2011
Sorry to be so thick, but I’m at a bit of a loss as to how twitter’s supposed to work. I’m following various people, but have 4 followers myself at the moment. My main question is: how do I get more – do I just have to be as interesting as I can, and hope that people will spot my tweets somehow? I mean, I assume the people I’m following don’t just automatically follow me, so I guess I’m thinking, if I’m going to be so interesting (or even boring :¬) how is anybody going to know about it, apart from my 4 followers? How does that part of it work?
January 20, 2011
You start interacting. You start replying to other people’s tweets and soon you will be noticed.
They will want to see who replied to them, they will see your profile and updates, and if they like them, they will start following you too.
As you gain followers, it will be easier over time.
June 21, 2011
If I receive a twitter on my cell phone do I pay for it? If I send a twitter on my cell phone do I pay for that? Is a cell phone the oly way to send a twitter?
Sorry, but I’m a senior and don’t catch on so quickly anymore.
Cheers
Carole
July 18, 2011
No, Twitter is NOT only for cell phones. Actually, that is totally optional way of using Twitter. It’s the same as using Facebook from a cell phone.
You can send tweets from your pc. Just go to twitter.com – log in, and you can start posting your tweets and following other people.
February 2, 2011
I liked the brief intro to tweeting. I want to know before I do.
Can insert tweet about how to handle a dishonest provider from my medicare insurance network who is harassing me by overbilling insurance and then demanding the excess amt from me thru a bill collection agency. i hope some twitter may know how a retitired senior can frugally deal with such cheaters?
which other web site can be effective?
Sam
February 2, 2011
Yes, you can.
In fact, Twitter is being used by many customers of various companies, and customers spread either good or bad things that they experienced with that company.
Twitter is a great tool for spreading out the word out there.
March 8, 2011
OK so I’m totally tech stupid, why do people use the@ and # signs in front of words in their tweets?
Also if you follow someone like Fox News, how do you prevent getting tweets from all the people ‘affiliated’ with them for lack of a better word?
I get tweets from people I don’t know or follow. I follow 3 people but have pages of these tweets I could care less about.
April 15, 2011
Most people can very quickly grasp how to use Facebook to connect to friends and family, using it to share thoughts, images, etc.The usefulness of Twitter is not readily as obvious to some people as Facebook; although it may be more addictive once you get the hang of Tweeting; you get more immediate responses and it seems to live somewhere between the worlds of email, instant messaging and blogging
May 9, 2011
I signed up for twitter briefly but was put off by someone whose identity I’ve no idea of signing up to get my tweets. Having unknown people able to read my posts would seriously limit me wanting to say anything personal that I might otherwise want to share with my friends.
Is there any way at all of controlling who can follow your tweets and removing them if say someone who you wanted to avoid started following you on twitter?
May 10, 2011
I haven’t got website….
May 20, 2011
It’s ok. You don’t need a website. You just go to twitter.com, register a new account and start following other people.
May 13, 2011
I’m with Cheyenne. Why do people use the @ and # signs when twittering?
May 16, 2011
I’m embarrassingly new 2 this twitter world, so I want 2 know if u can make new friends on twitter. Do u have 2 know the person 2 follow them. Do u send invites or requests?
May 20, 2011
No need to be embarrassed, I can help out.
To answer your questions:
Yes, you can make new friends on Twitter. No, you don’t have to know the person if you want to follow them. You don’t need invites nor requests. You just click “follow”, and voila, you receive their updates in your Twitter stream from now on. And they will be glad you follow them.
I will be writing a more detailed post for twitter beginners that will answer these kind of questions. Stay tuned.
June 24, 2011
very simple and clear explanation. I can’t believe I’m twitting
July 18, 2011
I’m glad you managed to get started. Enjoy!
July 1, 2011
iam new to twittering,but it looks interesting,i hope to find my way arrond it shortly
July 16, 2011
Can you message me with some tips about how you made this site appear this particular amazing, Id appreciate it!
July 29, 2011
This twitter and facebook crap is for young computer geek kids.
to this senior citizen it is a bunch of foolishness and people who can’t communicate face to face.
August 22, 2011
Actually, there are about 30-40% of senior citizens on Facebook…
I agree that people should communicate more face2face, but this could be used as an additional means of communications between distant friends that you can’t meet otherwise…
August 23, 2011
You only covered what Twitter is – there’s nothing about how it works (how to work it).
August 24, 2011
I know this is just shallow coverage of what Twitter is all about. I am writing a series of posts to describe in deeper detail on how it works, how to work with it and how to utilize it in the best possible way.
Thanks for reading.
Stay tuned. ;)
October 13, 2011
I am very interested in learning to tweet as well. I am curious to see what comes of it.
September 5, 2011
(1) If I make my tweets public, will they go out to everyone on Twitter or will they go only to people who follow me? (2) If I follow someone and send them a tweet, will all of their followers also see it?
September 8, 2011
1. Your tweets only appear to people who follow you.
2. Yes and no. There are two ways, you can send a public reply to their tweet, and theirs and your followers can see that tweet, or you can send them direct message which is private and only you two can see the conversation.
November 2, 2011
I am keen to learn if some could show me how its done properly.
December 14, 2011
I am on Twitter and following a certain celeb but when I write a “tweet” it goes on my wall, how can I instant message on Twitter or is it just status updates?
January 29, 2012
The tweets you write are like Facebook statuses. They get posted on your wall, and on walls of those who follow you.
If you want to refer to someone (equivalent to tagging in Facebook), you can just add “@” in front of their username and add that to the content of your tweet. That way, even if they do not follow you, they will be able to see your tweet.
Hope this clarifies things a little bit.
I will be writing a post explaining all these technical things in detail, as I see many people have problems starting with Twitter. Stay tuned. ;)
February 5, 2012
Good article, twitter is a recommended way for a anyone selling or creating themselves as a brand to spread the word. I myself am working towards being a REALTOR, and its a great way to get info out, and share facts and figures. follow me, @mikeatexit
March 2, 2012
How do you find your friends/family, etc? Is there a limit to characters? Thanks!
March 3, 2012
There is a limit of 140 characters that you can write in one message (tweet).
But then again, you can write more than one message, so you can fit in what you wanted to say. Although, I would avoid long things to say on Twitter, since it is mainly used for quick updates and short sentences. People don’t want to read anything long.
And you can find your friends by searching for them on http://search.twitter.com – you can also use this search tool to find conversations that you are interested in, and maybe join in with your 2 cents. That way, you can meet new people, and find new followers.
March 16, 2012
Can you read twitter post with out bring there friend
March 17, 2012
Yes, Mary, you can read other people’s posts even if you do not follow them, or they’re not following you. As long as they didn’t set their posts to be private, which rarely happens on Twitter.
April 7, 2012
if i follow someone, I know that i can see their tweets but do they see mine?
April 7, 2012
They can see your tweets only if they go to your profile page. But if they follow you too, then your tweets will show up in their tweets feed (or news feed that is constantly updated with new tweets of the people you follow).
April 10, 2012
Thank You -I’m old & just didn’t get what it is or does until now. Your mother should be proud!