This article is for people who are just starting out on Twitter. These tips were created especially for newbies. Sure, there are millions of people on Twitter already but there are new people joining every day. Twitter is fantastic but it takes a bit of practice to get it right. I don’t even want to tell you how long it took me to get my first tweet correct! It was funny and thankfully I had a friend to help me.

I will be your patient friend for a while and help you with some Twitter basics with this week’s Fab Five Friday.

What is a tweet? A tweet is a 140-character message posted on Twitter. There are different types of tweets as well.

This is an example of a tweet that I sent with all the essential ingredients:

  • Text fits in the 140 character length
  • Interesting content
  • Link to a great resource
  • @mention of the source of the content
  • #hashtag to help people find the content

A hashtag is “the # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.”

First, please complete your profile and add a picture. Profiles using the default egg for the photo are pretty much ignored by everyone. It may seem scary to put a photo of yourself on the internet but this how it is done on Twitter and millions of people added their photo. It’s not so scary once you do it.

What is a retweet? “A retweet is a re-posting of someone else’s Tweet. Twitter’s retweet feature helps you and others quickly share that Tweet with all of your followers.”

Here are five great resources for you to use to learn the lingo, get some smarts and start tweeting!

  1. 7 Ingredients in the Perfect Twitter Profile
  2. Trendspotting #TwitterTips
  3. The Golden Rule: Tweet others the way that you want to be tweeted
  4. The Twitter GlossaryBookmark this!
  5. How to Use Twitter: A Simple Infographic & Slideshow

There are no set social rules for tweeting properly (Twitter does have rules) but watch how others do it and learn the ropes. It takes time to get it right and with practice you will seem like a pro in no time. Ask questions of people who you see on Twitter who seem to have it down. Don’t be upset if you don’t get a response from someone right away, if they have a lot of followers it may take them time to respond or they may not respond to everyone. So, sorry to burst your bubble but while celebs are on Twitter, they don’t actually tweet people directly very often.

Make sure that you share your @mention name in your email signature and other profiles so that people can find you on Twitter.

I hope that these tips will help you as a new tweeter! Stick with it and I know you will enjoy it!

Tweet me at @PegFitzpatrick and say hi!

Featured photo courtesy of Rosaura Ochoa via Creative Commons.