twitter101

We know you've heard about this website called Twitter that's seduced everyone from Ryan Buell to William Shatner. Don't be put off by its trend status; it's really a practical real-time messaging system that's great for breaking news or even stalking your friends. So here's a newbie's guide to the platform so you won't end up befuddled and publicly confused.

What Is Twitter?

Twitter is the most popular platform for micro blogging (short messages) around. It lets you decide which Twitter users you want to follow so you can read (and reply) to their messages all in real time.

Twitter is a free service and that's designed to work as well on a mobile phone as it would on a computer. Just makes sure what you have to say fits into the 140 character limit, short messaging is what makes twitter attractive.

Why Would I Tweet?

The main reason most people tweet is simple - to have fun. But for others it's a networking tool, news service and a global instant messaging system all in one place.

When used correctly twitter can be a powerful tool in all types of promotion (yourself or your product). Or if your online persona is more passive, it's also a great place to follow friends, products, celebrities and lifestyle channels for all types of information and links.

Most recently it has become powerful in spreading news on world events. A phenomenon occurred with Michael Jackson's death; so many people were relaying information about the pop star that the system crashed momentarily, with twitter tributes accounting for over 30% of tweets. Previously we might have learned of a global event via TV, or a friend or coworker: now it all happens on social media.

How Do I Start?

Go to twitter.com, and click the "Get Started - Join" button. After joining you'll choose a username (it's best to use some version of your real name so friends can easily find you) and password. Now you're ready to Twitter, so tweet.

Who Should I Follow?

Who Should I Follow?

Twitter doesn't get interesting until you start following fascinating individuals. To follow someone you just go to their page and click, "Follow." Why not start with some of your favorite A&E shows like Intervention? You will begin seeing updates from Intervention on your timeline. You can then respond to the things they are saying publicly, or if you liked something Intervention said and want to show it to your followers, you could also Retweet.

Twitter is the perfect venue to find out what your favorite celebrity or websites are doing on a regular basis. It provides a platform for quick and pithy thoughts and it's a conduit for people to interact directly with entities they find appealing. Where else can you go to read what Criss Angel ate for breakfast and respond to him directly?

When it comes to media, twitter is also the best place to discover new content and trends. Whenever information appears on websites, twitter is the ideal promo place for real time feedback. If you wanted to know what was happening on your favorite TV show like THE FIRST 48 - follow it on twitter - and you'll already be ahead of the curve whenever new developments break.

What Are The Basic Codes?

@username + message = Public Response to a User

D + username + message = Private direct message to a User

F+ username = Follow a User

RT + username + message = Retweet

#yourtaghere = Categorize your tweets with a tag.

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