This is the first of three posts where I will explain the basic functions of Twitter. Twitter has evolved in the last 6 months as more people have adopted the service to become easier and user friendly. In this post you will learn how to:

• 1.Post a tweet
• 2.Follow tweeps
• 3.How to properly retweet
• 4.Use hashtags in various ways
• 5.Shorten a URL.

Twitter is easy to use!
Twitter is not difficult, but at first like every application it takes a few hours to get the hang of it. Twitter users go through many stages when learning what it is they should be posting to their followers. I believe that it all comes down to what will be your niche?

Posting a Tweet
This is where it all begins, you have 140 characters to send out to the twit stream to entice or educate your followers. This acts in the same manner as a Facebook status, but should not be used to update your followers incessantly about what food you are eating at the moment, or constantly being negative. Treat the post as if everyone at your work will be reading it, if it is not appropriate for them then it most likely not be appropriate for your followers.

This is the place you will enter a tweet containing an interesting article you want to share, or reply to another follower.
To reply to a follower you would use the @ before their twitter name anywhere in the message, for example:
@colincavaliere “then the message”

Following Users
Twitter revolves around sharing content and developing relationships this happens when you follow users and they follow you back. When you follow someone you will be “subscribing” to the tweets that they post. There are multiple ways to follow users, here are a few ways to gain new followers:

1. Twitter Search- If you already know of a user on Twitter you can search for them by their username, email or their first or last name. This search works best if you are looking for someone specific.
2. Find on the Internet- Many websites and blogs have icons that will allow you to “Follow me on Twitter”. There are services out there that pairs your email contact list such as Gmail, and Yahoo! to your Twitter account.
3. Building Relationships- Over time you will engage with your followers on many different levels and obtain new followers as a result. This is by far one of the best ways to gain new followers to your list.

One way to get users to follow you back or initially follow you at all is to completely fill out your bio within Twitter. List your name, and a short blurb about what you are interested in on Twitter. If you do not have a website to link use yourlinkedin or Facebook page.

Word of Warning- You can raise a red flag to Twitter by following too many people too fast. This can get your account suspended.

ReTweeting Content
A ReTweet or “RT” should be used when you find a tweet interesting and want to share it with your followers while giving recognition to the person that originally posted the tweet. You used to have to copy the tweet and then paste it into the input box adding RT before sending it out. Twitter has recently added an easy Retweet button to instantly post the tweet with just two clicks!

If you find a Tweet that you really like and wish to save it to come back to later you can click the star in the upper right hand corner of the tweet. This will then save the entire tweet under your “Favorites” accessible on the right hand tool column.

Shortening your URL’s
Over the past year there have been an abundance of web sites created to help users shorten their long URL into one that is about 12 to 17 characters in length. URL shorteners take a URL, and condense it down, and provide a new shortened URL.

Once you click to Trim the URL it will be set for you to copy in its shortened form:

Hashtag Use
When you begin reading tweets that your followers are posting you may begin to wonder what the “#” symbol before a word or string of words means.

Twitter uses this hashtag to track what is currently a “trending” topic amongst all of the users. Hashtags will allow you to search that phrase and see what people are saying about it. You can insert them in the tweet at the beginning middle or end, or hashtag any word for that matter just don’t go overboard with it.

This is just a beginning to what you are able to do with Twitter. I will be posting more parts to explaining tools and functions that Twitter currently has available to make your experience more enjoyable!

Thanks!
-Colin