Twitter: an online social network for companies, celebrities, and regular people just like you. Twitter is the best site since Facebook and could even be surpassing it, some say. Twitter has been around a lot longer than most people realize; Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone founded the popular social media website on July 15, 2006. Over the years, Twitter has become a favorite of people everywhere.
There are many pros to Twitter when compared to similar communication sites. Twitter is easy to navigate, update, and promote anything. You can reach beyond your circle of friends and follow just about anyone (unless blocked). The 140 character limit forces users to be more concise in their tweets. If used correctly, the more often you tweet, the wittier you become. Your Twitter Timeline is no different than our fast-paced world: constantly changing and always updating.
For those of you without a Twitter account (what are you doing with your life?), a hashtag begins with the # symbol and is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages so they can be easily searched. Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message shows you all other Tweets in that category. Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet and hashtagged words that become very popular are often Trending Topics.
As with everything on social media websites, there is proper etiquette to follow as a Twitter account user.
@_LilSassy’s Twitter Rules:
1. DO edit your Tweet before posting. Grammatical Tweets are easier to read and make you look smarter.
2. DO use hashtags but only on Tweets relevant to the topic.
3. DO create acronyms for inside jokes between you and your friends. Other people will read them and wish they knew what your hashtag meant. You’ll look cool.
4. DON’T #spam #with #hashtags. Over-tagging a single Tweet is annoying. (I recommend using no more than 3 hashtags per Tweet.)
5. DON’T over-Tweet, unless it’s funny or you’re trying to get @justinbieber to follow you. (Hey, it worked for me on @AARONCARTER!) Cluttering your Follower’s Timelines may result in an unFollow. #loser
6. DON’T Tweet about your boring/sad life. People read your Tweets because they’re looking for something funny or inspiring. Messages such as “I’m so depressed because I’m still single” aren’t cool. Seriously. Keep that #bittertwitter to yourself. #nosympathy
7. DON’T tell people to “RETWEET” if they agree. If they agree, they’ll reTweet you on their own.
Well, there you have it: @_LilSassy’s 4-1-1 on one of the Internet’s best social media websites. Twitter is a place to share your thoughts in a creative and witty way. So, what are you waiting for? Go Tweet!
Follow me! @_LilSassy
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter
Amber Oliver - Amber holds a B.A. in English and works as a freelance writer for various websites. She's smart, funny, single, and tweets like a beast.
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