In Part 1 of Twitter for Beginners, I covered the history and basics of Twitter. This time I’ll be covering the language used on Twitter. It can be confusing when first trying to figure out the purpose behind the social network, but once you have someone to help guide you through the style of engagement, it begins to make sense.
Engaging in the Twittersphere
Twitter has its own language. And as a new user, it’s important to become familiar with the best practices for interacting on this social network. 140 characters is not a lot of space, so you need to make the most of that space with every interaction.
Replies and Direct Messages: messaging used to communicate between users
o When used at the beginning of a Tweet, “@” denotes a message sent to another Twitter user, but is only sent to that user.
o When used at the beginning of a Tweet, “.@” denotes a tweet sent to another Twitter user, but with the inclusion of the period at the beginning, the Tweet is published to the whole online community
o Like a Reply, a Direct Message is a method of communicating privately with another handle. To Direct Message another user, use the envelop icon located in the top navigation bar of Twitter on a desktop and in the bottom navigation bar in the Twitter app.
Retweets and Modified Tweets: messaging used to “share” information from other users, help to grow communities and make people feel good
o When used in a Tweet, “RT” denotes the exact message shared from another user plus it gives you the opportunity to include a small message about the Retweet when it’s applicable.
o Twitter has now automated the option to Retweet a user, so you can click on the “Retweet” button to directly share from another user.
o Like a Retweet, a Modified Tweet (MT) is for sharing another user’s Tweet, but the original message is altered (modified) slightly due to the character restraint.
This section covered the language used on Twitter. To find out more about how to seek out conversations through hashtags and interact with others in conversations you haven’t started, check out part 3 of Twitter 101.