Like it or not, many of us are still not well-versed with Twitter and are just using it without even knowing the correct terminology.
Well, we all know what Twitter is and we are also aware of the fact that the social networking site is stuffed with features which make it useful and interesting for many. Now let's talk about how Twitter works and it's correct terminology.
How Twitter works?
The first step is to signup on Twitter, like in any other networking site. Once registered, you are ready to access its features to the fullest. You build your own profile, with all your basic details. You can add your profile picture so that your followers can know you better. There is a Author Bio, you can write to describe yourself in 160 characters or less than that, just to make your profile more elaborate. You get the option to follow people whom you like, like celebrities, famous personalities or your friends who are on already on Twitter. After this, you will be able to receive their updates.The Tick Mark in Twitter
The blue tick mark is the verification badge provided by Twitter to a verified account. This ensures the other users about the authenticity of a Twitter account. The badge is shown in the profiles of users belonging to areas like politics, religion, music, acting, fashion and such other areas of prime interest. Linking the Twitter account to an official website is another way to verify an account.
Attractions in Twitter
Trends: On the left side of the Twitter page, under any one from the Home, Connect, Discover or Me tabs, a column named Trends, can be seen. As the term suggests, these are the current happenings going around you.
Click on the Change button, and select the Keep Tailored Trends. This way a list of trends matching your choices and preferences depending on whom you you follow, will appear. Or, even specific locations can be chosen to filter the list of trends accordingly.
When you click on a specific trend, you will get to see search results for that trend. All the tweets including that phrase will be displayed. You will be enabled to see what the world has to say on that topic. You can also post your views on the same to become a part of the trend. The list displays the trends which are popular in the most recent times.
Hashtags: Any word or phrase, prefixed with the # symbol, is called a hashtag. The text with the symbol is clickable. It is a direct and easy way to have a look at the collection of all the posts based on a common topic and containing the keyword. These are quite similar to Trends, but they can be used for more random topics as compared to trends. The difference is that trends may include both hashtagged text as well as plain text. Whereas, the link of the hashtag will take you to only the conversations including the hashtagged word.
Hashtags helps the message to reach a larger number of readers. All the followers, as well as the ones following the hashtag can view the post. It is appreciated to be a little careful while using hashtags. Using too many hashtags in a post would rather result in reducing its usefulness. The suggested maximum number of hashtags in a post is two. Relevance should be taken good care of, hashtags should match the agenda of the post. The hashtag can appear anywhere in the text, in the middle, beginning or the end.
@ sign: It is used in a post when a Twitter user is referred to and the same is to be made noticeable to the referred person. It is written as @username. The other place where the @ sign is seen are the messages which are posted by clicking at the Reply button and can be seen with @ reply. All these are called Mentions. The targeted user will receive the particular post in the Mention Section in the Connect Tab. A number of names can be written using the @username format, all of them will receive the post in their mention tab.
Knowing Twitter
Home: The first tab that appears in the top right corner when you open your Twitter account. As the name suggests, homepage is the first thing you see after logging in. It is the time based record of all the update of those whom you follow. Immediate updates are shown first.
Connect: This tab lets you know what and how much response you are receiving. The tab is further divided into two sections as follows:
Interactions: It shows your interactions with the others on Twitter. For example - If someone has added you in a list or followed you, if someone has retweeted your post or marked your post as favorite.
Mention: This section enables you to view all the @replies and @mentions you receive. Basically, all your mentions are present in this section.Discover: As clear from the name, this tab lets you discover new things on Twitter. It is divided into the following sections:
Tweets: Displays the top tweets which have become the much talked about topics of discussion on the site.
Activity: Lets you know the recent activities by the ones you have followed.
Who To Follow: Twitter gives you some suggestions regarding whom to follow as per your past choices.
Find Friends: You can search for your friends who are already on Twitter and invite new ones through your other accounts like Gmail.
Popular Accounts: This is the list of most popular user accounts in the current time, segregated in appropriate categories.Me: This tab enables you to see your own profile, literally. All the tweets you have posted, all those whom you follow and your followers are shown. You also get an option to edit your existing profile.
The Twitter Dictionary
Follow: To follow someone means that you have asked Twitter to show all the updates of that person. You will receive all the information of that person provided on Twitter.
Tweet: Tweet is both, a noun and a verb. Any text, picture or video you post on the site is a tweet, the noun. The act of posting anything on Twitter is refered to as tweeting, the verb.
Retweet: It also falls in both the categories of noun and a verb. When a tweet is reposted by some other user, it is called a retweet, the noun. The act of reposting someone else's tweet is called retweeting, the verb.
Reply: When you read a tweet and click the Reply button, your message is sent to that person as as a response to the particular post. It would start with @username.
Username: It is the identity of a user on Twitter, also known as the Twitter Handle. All the replies and mentions will be referred to by this name.
Tweeter: Anyone who has a Twitter account, who reads or posts tweets is known as a tweeter. The other word for them is Twitterer.
Benefits of Twitter
Stay connected: Twitter users are increasing in number. You can communicate to anyone who is on Twitter, be it a family member, a friend, a teacher or even your favourite celebrity.
Keep yourself informed: Twitter does not only lets you know the latest trends but also awares you about what is happening in the world around you.
Get a variety of views: Twitter has expanded the limits of a search. You can collect the various views on a topic, different people have.
Easy to make announcements: One can inform about a particular thing to a number of people at one go. Just one tweet and all the followers can view it. The need to send it one by one to all is eleminated.
How can Twitter help businesses
The main aim of any business is to sell its products or services to the maximum. For that, it needs to reach out to a large number of consumers to invite new customers and maintain good relation with the existing ones. Twitter is just the place to do all that in an efficient way. As the number of Twitter users is increasing at a high speed, Twitter can act as an amazing way to popularize a business.
Ways to use Twitter for businesses
The most prominent benefit if Twitter for any business is that it enables it to communicate more and more with its customers. The two way communication helps the business to leave a positive impact on the mind of the consumers. Following forms of communication can be helpful:
- Informing your readers with the recent additions or changes you have made in the list of your products or services. This would keep the reader updated and invite them to try the change.
- Keeping the track of latest records becomes very easy with Twitter. Both, the business as well as the consumer gets to know about the current fashion. Research in the market becomes easy.
- With Twitter, the businesses get a better chance to receive feedbacks from their customers and also make the customers feel more connected.
- Twitter can also help to enhance the post-customer services and acknowledge the queries as and when required.
- Twitter helps you to create an image or enhance the existing one in front your present customers and also attract new customers.
Follow your customers: To make the bond stronger.
Introduce new offers: Special offers can attract more customers. But do not make the updates about the offer too frequent, it may irritate the reader.
Keep a regular check: Visit your account regularly so that you do not miss to attend to your customers.
Make lists: Twitter allows you to segregate the tweets you receive from different people. Make your lists according to preferences, so that the important messages are not missed in the increasing noise.
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