I’m not a Twitter pro by any means. I typically only use it to follow specific meetings and to find out why the helicopters are overhead ahead of the official news sites.
But I do have a few tips for users that aren’t familiar.
1. Make your messages as short and to the point as possible. Keep in mind that people may want to add a comment to your message when they re-tweet.
2. If you’re responding to a particular tweet, but want the response to be public, put a “.” (dot) in front of the response so that it doesn’t just go to the person you are responding to. Here’s an example:
.@LostChalkKitty thanks for the update about The-Big-Draw.com! #DrawnInChalk
Without the dot at the beginning it just goes to @LostChalkKitty – not everyone in my Twitterfeed.
3. When you’re retweeting, use RT at the beginning of your Tweet. Here’s an example:
RT @LostChalkKitty Come see me at The-Big-Draw.com chalk art festival in Pleasanton on Saturday, 5/11. #DrawnInChalk
4. Hashtags. Don’t go crazy, but do be consistent if you’re promoting an event, like #DrawnInChalk. From Twitter (either online or the app), you can search for a specific hashtag and see all the posts mentioning what you are looking for. So when I want to figure out why the helicopters are flying overhead, I might search on #Oakland and see what the most recent posts are mentioning. Maybe you want to follow the latest A’s game or RocketSpace meeting/event.
5. If you want to let others know about another Twitter accounts worth following, use FF at the beginning of the post. For example:
FF @LostChalkKitty @CSUImpressions
6. Don’t just post Twitter addresses. I’ve seen it lately and I don’t get why. (I admit, I might have missed that memo.)
7. Shorten URL’s using Bit.ly or TinyURL.
8. If you comment on a post you are retweeting with a comment, try to make the comment obvious. Here’s an example:
RT @LostChalkKitty Like me on Facebook! http://tinyurl.com/bvdrevw // I’m going!!
9. For personal pages, I recommend restricting access to keep the spammers out and those wacky stalkers.
10. If something isn’t safe for work, put “NSFW” in your Tweet.
Go forth and Tweet!
Joanna 