Social Media – Some Twitter Tips

Whether you are using Twitter for business or personal purposes, are new to it or experienced, here are some tips to utilise the tool without falling into pitfalls:

Accessing Twitter

By going to www.twitter.com you will be able to sign up to the service, and will be presented with a means of posting messages (“tweets”) and seeing tweets posted by others.

Having opened an account you do not need to use Twitter itself. Popular alternatives “apps” are Tweetdeck, Twitterific, Hootsuite and a host of others. The choice is dependent on whether you are using a PC, a Mac, an iPad or which type of mobile phone. The format and way of working varies significantly, and as the apps are usually free, it is worth trying a few out.

Photos, Videos, Long Tweets and Scheduling

Tweets are short text messages, no more than 140 characters (140C), originally designed to be used in conjunction with SMS text messaging.

By including a weblink in the text, it is possible to link to photos, videos and longer text. It is also possible to pre-schedule tweets so they are made automatically at the appointed time.

Popular add-on tools include plixi.com, twitpic.com and twitlonger.com . You’ll see other people using other tools in their tweets.

Some of these tools can be used on their own, or with other tools such as Facebook. To use them with Twitter, the usual approach is:

• Log in to chosen Twitter account
• Find and log into the required add-on service using “Sign in with Twitter”
• Add photo etc to the add-on tool, which will automatically post into Twitter

Following & Consequences

There’s no need to post messages (“tweets”) to Twitter regularly. You can simply follow other people to read their tweets. These can be celebrities, friends or anyone who might be interesting.

Depending on the Twitter software tool you’re using, there is usually a “Follow” button next to their name. The consequences of following are:

• You will see their public tweets in your listing (“timeline”)
• They will be able to send you private “direct messages” (DMs) that no-one else will see
• Other people can see that you are following them
• They will usually be notified that you are following them, which usefully brings you and what you offer to their attention

Some people will follow you back, either automatically or when they see you’re following them. If this happens:

• You will be able to send private DMs to them too.
• They will see your tweets in their timeline

Conversely, you need to consider whether to follow everyone back or not, as both DMs and following can have drawbacks.

How Private are your Tweets

Unless you start a tweet “DM @recipient message” which will only go to the intended recipient you have to assume all tweets are public:

• Followers will see them
• They will appear in the list of tweets that people see if they view your account
• They will appear in the public timeline used for searches (which is how the Robin Hood airport tweet was spotted that resulted in a criminal prosecution)

If you start a tweet @recipient, this will not usually appear in followers’ timelines, but:

• Will also appear in the list of tweets that people see if they view your account
• Will appear in someone’s timeline if they are following both you and the @recipient

There are many other quirks to the way Twitter works. Further tips are in the “Twitter Away” blog.

.