Twitter 101 #CTACCC #Rocks What is Twitter anyway? • A real-time information network made up of 140-character messages called tweets. • An easy way to discover the latest news • …and get quick info on important events • …or find out what Kim Kardashian is having for lunch. Terms Tweet: A 140-character message. Retweet (RT): Re-sharing or giving credit to someone else's tweet. Feed: The stream of tweets you see on your homepage. It's comprised of updates from users you follow. Handle: Your username. More Terms Mention (@): A way to reference another user by his username in a tweet. Direct Message (DM): A private, 140- character message between two people. Hashtag (#): A way to denote a topic of conversation or participate in a larger linked discussion. Joining Twitter • Visit twitter.com/signup • Pick a “handle” – can be changed later. • Upload a profile picture • Enter a short bio Following and Followers • You can read anyone’s public feed • Or you can follow them to see their tweets in your feed • You can import your contacts to find those on Twitter • Twitter will also suggest users to follow based on your interests Tweet Away! • Browse the twitterverse and start • It’s best to start with reading the feed and replying to interesting tweets • Follow “Trends” – Trends are most popular words used in tweets – You can view the global or local Trends Got nothing to Say? Retweet! • Retweeting is a great way to share interesting tweets • Two ways to retweet: – Click ‘retweet’ to share in one click – Or copy tweet and add @handle #Hashtags • # in front of any word turns it into a hashtag • Can be broad or as specific as you like – #Teaching – #CTAGTCN • No spaces! • Great way to pool related tweets Photos & Videos • Twitter started as a text-only service • As of 2013, photos can be easily uploaded with any tweet – Or auto-upload through Instagram • Videos can also be uploaded – By using a 3rd party service: Vine.co – Or tweeting a YouTube link Questions? • Do you have to sign up to read tweets? – No! • Can I have a private profile? – Yes! • Can I prevent people from following me? – Only if you have a private profile. • Can I send private messages? – Yes, but only to people that follow you..