How Does Twitter Work?
What makes Twitter a mainstay in the ever growing social media sphere is its ability to connect people instantly over a common interest or theme. One person likened it to “Communication at the speed of thought.” Twitter enables users to give their expertise on a subject and receive breaking updates and news instantly on their smartphone devices.
Brush Up on Your Twitter Terminology
Okay, so now we have a reason to look into Twitter. Let’s take a look at the most common terminologies used on Twitter:
- Tweet: A message made up of 140 characters or less sent on Twitter.
- Follow and Unfollow: In order to read what a person has tweeted, you need to click the follow button on their page. If you do not care about what the person has tweeted anymore, you need to unfollow them.
- Retweet (RT): If you find another person’s tweet interesting, you can share it by retweeting it.
- @: The symbol is used whenever you want to address or reply to a person directly.
- Direct Message (DM): You can send one of your followers a private message if you do not want it to be disclosed with the rest of the public.
- Hash Tags (#): Hashtags are used by people to find information on a specific subject. For instance, if you wrote an article on “Why You Should Use Twitter,” you might include relevant hashtags like #Twitter #socialmedia in your tweet linking to the article.
- Follow Friday (#FF): On Fridays, people use this hashtag to recommend their followers to follow someone.
Benefits of Using Twitter
With all the social platforms that are out there it may seem redundant to have yet another avenue of communication. So why has Twitter done so well? Why do people keep coming back to Twitter?
Instant News
On Twitter, you will find every magazine, newspapers, and your favorite person of interest online. In addition to this, you will also find Twitter pages dedicated to your hobby or local events that you want to keep track of.
By following selected users, you will receive updates quickly. Also, you will come across articles or blogs, and if they interest you, you can click on the link to read or share if you liked it.
Increased Involvement
If an issue is of importance to you, you can comment on it and share your opinion with your followers. Through Twitter, you can connect with celebrities and local politicians. Even though your tweet might not get a response, if it seems important, they may read it. Celebrities, on the other hand, often have an assistant that picks and chooses the best tweet for them to respond. Just remember to keep the Tweet under 140 characters.
Stay Connected
If your family lives in another state, country, or you simply do not get enough time to spend with them, you can use Twitter to stay connected. You can interact with them and view pictures and videos they put on Twitter. If you want, you can do the same.
Self-Promotion of Blog or Business
Entrepreneurs running a business can promote their company or their personal blog on Twitter. Twitter enables you to connect with like-minded people and influencers.
Time to Sign Up
Now, you are ready to create an account, look through suggestions to follow people, create a profile, and send your very first tweet! Head over to Twitter to get started (and make sure to follow us!)
SeniorAdvisor.com Staff
Senior Advisor's knowledgeable writers blog about senior care services, trends and more.
