Twitter has come a long way from its early reputation of inane tweets.
- Oh, inane tweets still exist
- Some have dedicated sites
Along the way, individuals and businesses discovered the power of 140 characters.
- Or less
- Ideally less
- Or so THEY say
I’ll admit, I was a Twitter snob. Who would want to get involved with such a self-indulgent platform?
Slowly, I became a convert. I am by no means an expert on the social media platform. And I am still learning how to make Twitter work for my business.
But I like the sense of fun you can have with Twitter. I have always believed you could mix fun with business and remain professional.
I thought I would share some random Twitter tidbits. You decide if they are inane/helpful. Feel free to share some of your own tidbits in Comments. I promise not to judge.
Twitter Tidbits
1. World News
Do you want your tweets to be seen by the world? Well, at least your little corner of Twitter. This tidbit is known to many; however, I only recently learned this. Hey, I admitted I dragged my feet on the platform.
A tweet starting with @username is seen only by the followers that you and the person you’re tweeting have in common.
For example, let’s say you see a good industry article that you’d like to share. So you tweet − @IndustryMagazine has a good article at ______.
Only your followers who follow that magazine will see your tweet. Probably not what you intended, right?
One suggestion I read to fix the problem is place a period in front of the @ sign: .@IndustryMagazine has a good article at ______.
I never noticed tweets that start with a period but that could be my aging eyes.
2. #Hashtag Mania
In the event you are not a Twitter follower, allow me to explain the use of the hash (or pound) symbol #.
If you’d like to start or follow a discussion on a particular topic, you enter a keyword after the symbol. Let’s use the TV show NCIS for an example. (Not the LA one − can you guess which one I follow?)
- #NCIS becomes a link to discussions related to the show
- You can tweet your own #NCIS message
- Or search for #NCIS to read other tweets about it
Hashtags are not limited to Twitter. Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and Google+ started using them, too.
When used well, hashtags come in handy.
- Provide insight to trending topics
- Used for conference updates for attendees
- Offer real-time access to breaking news
I find myself going to Twitter more often to receive updated information − like updates on weather disasters or other current news.
As you can imagine, you can have too much of a good thing.
- Various studies show the use of too many hashtags reduces engagement
- Anyone can create a hashtag − some may have you scratching your head
- Some have multiple meanings for the same hashtag, which can be confusing
#3. Twitter Language
Twitter has its own language. The following are a few I needed to look up. I realize my age is showing on some of these. Hopefully, I am not alone.
- MT − means modified tweet. Replaces the RT in a retweet if you alter a portion of the original tweet. Not everyone uses the MT, but it’s nice to know what it means.
- tl;dr − too long; didn’t read
- TMB − Tweet me back
- TQRT − Thanks for the retweet
- TFTF − Thanks for the follow
- SMH − Shaking my head
- ICYMI − In case you missed it
The Ultimate Twitter Tidbit List
If you are really into Twitter trivia, check out this CNBC article − 140 Things You Don’t Know About Twitter. Fascinating read.
One last thing before I turn it over to you. You can go to this site to discover the first tweet you sent − or the first of any other Twitter username you know.
I was happy to see my first tweet was actually the share of another site’s tweet. At least it wasn’t ~ I’m at #starbucks.
What Twitter tidbits do you have?
What do you like/dislike about Twitter?
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The next several posts turn our attention to various social media platforms. I would love to hear your point of view. What are your favorite platforms and why?
I learned a lot here Cathy.
A good tip for me is MT. I frequently have to modify a tweet because it’s just too long for the 140-character limit once the RT @Username is added.
My tip: keep your tweets relatively short if you want a lot of retweets.
Thanks, John. Good point about the short tweet for RTs. I, too, find I have to modify for RTs to meet the character length restrictions. When I 1st saw MTs, I thought they were typos. 😉
Oh, and I’ll often add a hashtag or two to a RT or MT. I just did it with this post by putting # in front of the Twitter in your title: #Twitter.
And I appreciate that, John. 😉 I would say hashtags are a much needed area for improvement for me. I just forget about them all the time.
Thanks for always having my back, John.
good tips, Cathy… mt, rt, etc.
Thanks
Thanks, Anne. Or maybe I should say TY. 🙂
I didn’t realize Google+ and Pinterest, etc used hashtags the same way – I thought the people using them on those sites just forgot they weren’t on Twitter.
I had to be coerced to join Twitter, but now I really like it – especially the immediacy. As in real life, conversations either happen or they don’t, and no one expects you to read your entire Twitter feed if you’ve been gone a few hours or days. It feels more organic, as if people are speaking with you not talking at you.
Thanks for the link to look up your first Tweet. Mine wasn’t terribly original, but not too embarrassing either: A writer with nothing to Tweet? Since when am I lost for words?
Paula, I think your experience pretty much mirrors mine. And I was also relieved to learn my first tweet wasn’t too embarrassing. 😉
Thanks, Paula.
Great tips Cathy!
Twitter is my primary social media tool at the moment.
I find I use it to stay up to date on the latest news and have learned so much from clicking on links to great blog posts.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Marie. 🙂 I am working at getting better with Twitter for business purposes. I think I’m getting there.
Thanks for stopping by. See you in the Twitterverse. 😉
That MT tip alone makes this a keeper, Cathy! 🙂 Plenty of good learning here.
Thanks, Sharon. I thought I was the last to know what MT was. I appreciate your kind words. 🙂