If you are just starting out on twitter, you may not know about the twitter terms. Here is a list of twitter terms which you should know when using twitter.
twitter handle
It is your user name on twitter like mine is @rshahbaz or you can find me on www.twitter.com/rshahbaz
Tweet
Anything you write and publish on twitter call tweet, it is similar like you update your status on the facebook. Only difference is that twitter limits the words you write in a single tweet.
You can use maximum 140 characters in one tweet.
Twitter teach you how to write brief, sweet and effective.
Follow
If you want receive tweets from some one then you have to do the following:
1. Go to their twitter profile e.g. www.twitter.com/rshahbaz
2. Look for the follow button under the profile picture and click on Follow, job done now each time I tweet, you will receive that.
Isn’t Great?
Follower
When you follow me, I can see you in my followers list. By now you can receive my tweets but I can’t see yours ); because you followed me, I haven’t yet.
What I will do is go to my followers list and click on follow you so I can receive your important tweets and we can start two way communication instead one way.
Following Back
As I explained in Follower section, when some one follow you and you return the love by following him back called Following Back.
@Reply
When you want to mention some one in your tweet then you use @username of the relevant person. E.g. if you are tweeting something and you want me to mention within the tweet, then you will use @rshahbaz within your tweet.
What it will does it, whenever some one uses my twitter handle in their tweets I get a special message in my twitter account under “mentions” in this way I can find out who is talking about me and I can reply accordingly if required.
Direct Message (DM)
DM is the same like e-mails, you can send direct message to any one within your twitter client but it will be a private message between you and receiving person.
You cannot send direct message if some one is not following you.
Hashtag #
If you are tweeting about a particular topic or an event, you want people to find all the tweets around that topic or event in one place. Then you use #tag after every tweet.
E.g. If I want to find all my tweets around twitter tips at a later stage, then I will add #twittertips at the end of each tweet. When I need to find all my tweets on twitter I will search using #twittertips and all the tweets will appear in one place.
Tweet up
When you chat people on twitter using certain #hashtag called tweet ups like meet ups.
Twitter Stream
Everything you tweet, it goes into your twitter stream, you can find my twitter stream here to get the idea www.twitter.com/rshahbaz
RT or Retweet
You are following me and you are finding my tweets really interesting 🙂 and would love to share with your followers. You can do this simply by clicking retweet button on your twitter client.
This will forward the same tweet to all of your followers.
Twitter Lists
If you have reach to a stage where you are following too many people and it is hard for you to read important tweets then you can create a lists e.g.
- Family
- Friends
- Business Partners
- Mentors etc
In this way you can read only those tweets which you want to read. This is how people manage their twitter account who follow thousands of people.
Have I missed anything here? Feel free to add in the comments below
