Tweeting & Other Addictions (Part 2)

Earlier today I made a rather spectacular confession: I am a daily Twitter user.  A progressive addiction, the wonders of Bebo, Facebook, and blogging eventually led me into the "hard" stuff of Twitter.  This, the second in a two-part series, provides some hints and a Twerminology, so that you too can start down the slippery slope towards Twitter.

Some Hints

Twitter Help Centre

If you need help, use it.  The Twitter Help Centre provides information on everything from the Basics through to Apps, SMS, and Mobile.  To access Help, click on the Gear icon on the top right to open the dropdown menu, and select "Help".

Lists

I strongly endorse lists.  Lists is a function available from your profile page that curates groups of Twitter users.  You can only read the Tweets of people in a list - it doesn't allow you to "bulk Tweet".  Lists can include people you do and don't follow.  I have created some lists around topics like "Journalists & Editors" and "Higher Education".  You could create your own list or subscribe to someone else's.  Information on lists (and everything else) is available through the Twitter Help Centre. 

Finding People 

"Who to follow" is a common complaint.  The Huffington Post seems to suggest listening to your existing pool (if any); friend recommendations account for 69 per cent of follows.  Twitter offers some good advice.  I personally recommend using the search function to find Tweets, people, images, and videos of interest.  For example, if you like Massey University, searching "Massey University" will bring up a list of people and Tweets about this topic.  Give it a go.  It could surprise you.

Twerminology

• At sign (n.): The @ symbol used in tweets to call-out to a specific user.
  I sent a Tweet to @TeachingConsult.
• Direct message (n.): A private message visible only by the sender and recipient.
       I tried to send him a direct message, but he wasn't following me.
• Follow (v.): Subscribe.
       I followed @KimKardashian and @KateEMiddleton.
• Follower (n.): Someone who subscribes to someone else's tweets.
       I have 103 followers. 
• Gear icon (n.): A tab on the top-right for editing your profile, getting help, or accessing your direct messages.
• Hashtag (n.): The # symbol used in tweets (without spaces) to mark keywords and topics.
       I searched for #justsaying and found too many Tweets.
• Home page (n.): Where you land when you sign into Twitter.
       On the right of your home page is your timeline.
• Me (n.): A tab on the top navigation bar used to open your profile page.
• Search (n.): A box on the top navigation bar for finding Tweets and people. 
• Timeline (n.): The stream of the Tweets made by those you follow.
• Tweet (n.): A 140-character, publicly-visible post.
       I deleted my Tweet, because it made me sound like a twit.
• Tweet (v.): To compose and make publicly visible a 140-character post.
       I clicked on the blue, quill button, and Tweeted the link.
• Twitter (n.): A social media site.
       Someone saw my Twitter profile and signed up to follow me.
• Username (n.): Or "Twitter handle". Identifier of 15 characters or less.

Tweeting & Other Addictions (Part 1)

I have a confession to make: I am a daily Twitter user.  I gained this addiction progressively, moving from the "soft stuff" of Facebook to the "hard" world of Twitter in what seemed like moments.  Once I hooked my Twitter up to automatically update my work Facebook profile and page, I never looked back.  It was a fast and glorious fall.

If you're new to social media, Twitter may seem ridiculously complicated.  Don't worry; you're not alone.  The Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that while 66 per cent of online adult Americans use Facebook, only 16 per cent use Twitter.  The Otago Daily Times reports a rise from 12 per cent (2011) in New Zealand to 19 per cent (2012).  Despite the article's title, I'm not sure Kiwis really are "tweety birds".

The difficulties of negotiating social media (and its wider societal implications) can make even well-respected bloggers cautious. And that is why this hardened social media addict is here to save the day, providing advice to the Twitter newbie.

How to Twitter

Create An Account:
Visit https://twitter.com/ and complete the "New to Twitter?" box.  On the next screen, read the Terms and Conditions and click "Create my account".

Find Somebody to Follow:
Twitter will offer you a list of popular profiles to follow.  You must select (or find) 10 in order to progress to the next stage.  (Don't worry.  You can always "Unfollow" Kim Kardashian later.)  I recommend following @TeachingConsult.  Why?  Because it's me, of course.

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

An option is offered to search your Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or AOL contact lists.  You can select "Skip" to move on.

Build Your Profile:
You can now upload a photo of yourself and write a 160-character bio.  Or you can select "Skip" to move on.

Confirm Your Email Address:
Twitter will ask you to reconfirm your email address.

Get Tweeting!
Click on the blue, quill button on the top right.  A box will appear.  Type something spectacular.  Click "Tweet".

(Then Deleting...)
Twitter regret is more common than people like to think.  To delete that errant Tweet, click "Me" on the top navigation bar to open your profile.  A list of your Tweets will appear.  Locate the Tweet.  Hover your mouse and click "Delete" when it appears.  For more information on deleting, see the Twitter Help Centre.