A Guide for Baby Birds

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If you, too, are new to the wonderful world of Twitter, here’s an abbreviated list of terms/concepts you should know [or click for the complete Glossary]: 

• At symbol [@] : used to call out usernames in Tweets if you are tweeting an individual. When a username is preceded by the @ sign, it becomes a link to a Twitter profile. When you use the @username, the message you write appears in that person’s inbox on Twitter.com and on any of the desktop or mobile clients they might be using. According to Suster, “… if you’re really responding to somebody and you don’t want all your followers to see it (but you don’t necessarily want to send a private message via DM or you can’t because they don’t follow you) then start with an @. Otherwise make sure it has text in front of it.” [See Direct Message below for really private Tweets.]

• Bio : Describe yourself in 160 characters. [Talk about creating a 90 second commercial to introduce yourself!]
• Chat : Twitter conversations already in progress. Some include gathering on specific days and times. [See Hashtags for more.] Read Don Power’s Twitter Tip Join a Twitter Chat.
• Direct Message [DM] : these Tweets are private between the sender and recipient.
• Email Notifications : Preferences you set to receive notifications via email about events on your account, such as new followers and new direct messages.
• Favorites [represented by a small star icon next to a Tweet] : used when you like a Tweet. Favoriting a Tweet can let the original poster know that you liked their Tweet, or when you want to save the Tweet for later reference.
• Handle : A user's "Twitter handle" is the username s/he has selected and its accompanying URL [mine is: http://twitter.com/Beets1278]. [See Also User Name.]
• Hashtags [#] : A clickable link and convenient way to become part of chats and discussions that share the latest news, resources, and ideas. If you click the hashtag in any tweet, you’ll display a live feed of every tweet that has that hashtag in it. You can find the most up to date tweets by clicking the bar that says “x new tweets.” According to Power , hashtags have to be one continuous keyword, with no spaces in between words are not case sensitive. To find a hashtag, try 20 Hottest Hashtags for Teachers on Twitter or take a look at the Twitter chat schedule, which includes a description of hundreds of chats, their host/moderator, a link to the chat, and a calendar of days/times you can participate in real-time chat. 

• Lists : Curated groups of other Twitter users (does not include yourself) creating a group on your Twitter account. You can create your own lists or subscribe to lists created by others. Viewing a list timeline will show you a stream of Tweets from only the users on that list. [Lists are used for reading Tweets only. You cannot send or direct a Tweet to members of a list, for only those list members to see.] List names cannot exceed 25 characters, nor can they begin with a number. 

• Retweet [verb] : The act of forwarding another user's Tweet to all of your followers. Abbreviated RT and placed before the retweeted text when manually retweeting a message. Some articles have a widget that allows you to Retweet without having to sign into your Twitter account and do a manual post. 

• Search [Integrated Search] : A box on your Twitter homepage that allows you to search all public Tweets for keywords, usernames, hashtags, or subject. Searches can also be performed at search.twitter.com. 

• Timeline : Real-time list of Tweets on Twitter. When you log in, your Tweets timeline view will appear on your homepage. The home timeline is a long stream showing all Tweets from those you have chosen to follow on Twitter displayed in reverse chronological order with the newest at the top. Interact with Tweets from within the timeline by hovering your mouse over a Tweet to reply, retweet, or favorite. 

• Tweet [verb] : The act of posting a message on Twitter. 

• Tweet [noun] : A message posted via Twitter containing 140 characters or fewer. 

• Twitterer: An account holder on Twitter who posts and reads Tweets. [I am now a Twitterer!] 

• URL Shortener: Used to turn long URLs into shorter URLs. Twitter automatically shortens URLS but you can also use services like Bitly to do so before posting your Tweet or even referring to a long URL in a paper, email, or your blog. 

• Username : Your Twitter handle must be unique and contain fewer than 15 characters and is used to identify you on Twitter for replies and mentions. While your username appears in your profile URL and is unique to you, it’s not the same as your real name, which is also displayed in your profile page and used to identify you to friends, especially if your username is something mysterious [like Beets1278].

• Widget : Bits of code you see on websites  that allow you to Like on Facebook or lead you to a Twitter Homepage. [Did you notice the Twitter Updates I added to the sidebar of my blog?]
  


Works Cited:
“20 Hottest Hashtags for Teachers on Twitter.” Best Colleges Online, N.p., 18 January 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2012/01/18/20-hottest-hashtags-teachers-twitter/>.
Power, Don. "How to Use Twitter Hashtags." SproutInsights. N.p., 17 May 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2011/05/how-to-use-twitter-hashtags/>.
-----. “Join a Twitter Chat.” SproutInsights. N.p., 11 January 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2011/01/join-a-twitter-chat-twitter-tip/>.
Suster, Mark. "6 Tips for Using the @ Sign in Twitter." CloudAve. N.p., 4 Aug. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.cloudave.com/1769/6-tips-for-using-the-sign-in-twitter/>.
“Twitter Chat Schedule.” From GoogleDocs. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://bit.ly/o4A4cTZ>.
"Twitter Glossary." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <https://support.twitter.com/articles/166337-the-twitter-glossary#>.