Technical On Twitter: Learn The Twitter Basics and How To Use Them For Your Business
Now that you are comfortable with Facebook, let us explore all the opportunities other social media platforms, such as Twitter, has to offer!
First of all, what is Twitter? Well, in this 3 part blog, we will break down everything that has to do with that little blue bird. In general terms, Twitter is a social platform, where people share anything they want, as long as they keep it to 140 characters. Contrary to Facebook, Twitter was created for a way to quickly spread information over the web. Although it is much less personal, it gets the job done. Another thing Twitter simplifies is a users profile. Unlike Facebook, anyone has the ability to write and view your profile, unless you specifically change it to private settings, but then what would be the point?
Another difference one can quickly observe using Twitter is how “friends” are added. We are all accustomed to the “add friend” button Facebook has been using for some time, patiently waiting for the moment when a notification reassures you that cute guy accepted your request! On Twitter, those days of anxiety are over! The following button used to connect people is more of a way to interact in a short amount of time.
Like anything else, understanding the foundation of a structure helps comprehend the structure itself. For Twitter, this means understanding the words and definitions within the platform.
We begin by defining important terms within the page itself. How do people communicate? A Tweet! We see what you did there Twitter! Anyways, a tweet is a 140- character message that is made for someone or as a general status update. A Retweet is the ability to re-share or credit someone else’s tweet, kind of the same thing as the share button on Facebook. You will also encounter the Feed, or the stream of tweets on your homepage made up of tweets from users you follow.
On Twitter, a handle is another name for your username. A mention is a way of sort of tagging another user in your tweet.The way you mention is by using @ followed by the persons handle. While Twitter primarily focuses on short updates, there is still the option of sending or receiving direct messages. The direct message must still be up to 140 characters, but you have the option of receiving messages from either any Twitter user, or users you are directly following. On the other hand, you can only message a user who follows you. Finally, what we all have been waiting for! What is a hashtag? A hashtag is a way to include a certain conversation topic or a method of participating in a larger linked discussion. Hashtags are actually very useful, as they serve as both a means to find your own tweets and view the users that mention it, by clicking the hashtag itself.
Well, there you have it. Those are the basics of Twitter we can all learn from. Join us later this week, when part two will be up, and you can read how to truly optimize Twitter.
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