A Twitter Primer

So you’ve heard about Twitter but you don’t know how or why you should use it.  This post provides a quick primer to get you on your way to Tweeting like a pro!

TwitterSpeak
Commonly used words/acronyms that every Twitterer (if confused, see below) should know:

Twitterer -A group of people whom have Twitter accounts
Tweets - A post on twitter
Twoosh - A tweet that is exactly 140 characters (it’s tricky tweeting a true twoosh)
Tweeps -Twitter + peeps (friends)
Tweetup - A gathering of folks based on a twitter conversation (often impromptu)
Tweetin - When a twitter agrees to tweetup
Mistweet - A tweet in which one later regrets (usually occurring after copious amounts of tequila: see “Dweet” below)
Twarf- A single word tweet
Dweet – A tweet while under the influence of alcohol
RT – Shorthand for retweet.  Used when reposting another person’s tweet.

Want more?  Visit an online dictionary for Twitter at Twittonary



So you’ve heard about Twitter but you don’t know how or why you should use it. This post provides a quick primer to get you on your way to Tweeting like a pro!

TwitterSpeak
Commonly used words/acronyms that every Twitterer (if confused, see below) should know:

Twitterer -A group of people whom have Twitter accounts
Tweets - A post on twitter
Twoosh - A tweet that is exactly 140 characters (it’s tricky tweeting a true twoosh)
Tweeps -Twitter + peeps (friends)
Tweetup - A gathering of folks based on a twitter conversation (often impromptu)
Tweetin - When a twitter agrees to tweetup
Mistweet - A tweet in which one later regrets (usually occurring after copious amounts of tequila: see “Dweet” below)
Twarf- A single word tweet
Dweet – A tweet while under the influence of alcohol
RT – Shorthand for retweet. Used when reposting another person’s tweet.

Want more? Visit an online dictionary for Twitter at Twittonary

Twitterquette
As with every type of communication, there are certain etiquette that should be followed to ensure that you grow in popularity and don’t annoy your followers. And let’s be honest. When it comes to the Internet and social media, there needs to be some boundaries, less we all get into some type of uncomfortable, unfortunate situation involving you stuttering a terrified apology to an angry stranger. Enter: Twitterquette

To Update or Not – It’s about quality, not quantity!
If you post too many tweets you may find that you will lose some followers.  It’s better to post three to five good tweets a day than twenty about something that doesn’t matter to your followers. No one really cares that your cat sneezed, thus causing her to fall off the coffee table. Save that kind of talk for your weekly calls to grandma.

Plagiarism
When a person you’re following posts a tweet that you think your followers would enjoy, it’s important to let your followers know that it’s a retweet.  Your followers will appreciate the retweet and they might gain a few more followers to boot. Plus, you’ll have less of a chance of ticking-off the 245 pound Italian biker whose tweet you copied. Use the following:
RT @ORGINAL-POSTERS-USERNAME The original tweet text

Spam
Everyone has something to plug, whether it’s a new product, event or blog post.  Be mindful of how many of these types of posts you make.  If all you do is plug things that only benefit you, prepare to be removed by some of your followers.

Profanity
If you have an affinity for profanity, that’s ok. Just don’t pollute Twitter with it.  Remember that there are all types of ages using the service and you don’t need to ________ their innocent mind. Use something like  #$%^&* instead. Or be creative and make up your own word. Be a responsible potty-mouth.

Find New Twitter Friends
Once you have the lingo down, you’ll need some followers. The old saying, “Be a leader, not a follower” is currently undergoing a Joan Rivers-esque type face-lift. Social networks have all but thrown that adage out the proverbial window by embracing the uninhibited “following” of the worldwide masses. Find followers for personal use or business use, it’s your call.  Either way, these sites will get you up and going. Go ahead, find some people to follow and let others find you!

We Follow
We Follow is a twitter directory that is user powered and allows users to view a plethora of popular twitterers, from Brittney Spears to John McCain to CNN Newsroom. You can also search by popular tags if you are more interested in a topic and not a person. But let’s be honest, we are all interested in Brittney’s tweets.



TwitteRel
TwitteRel connects Twitter users across the globe with other users who share the same interests. Just log in with your Twitter info, type in a few keywords based off of your interests, and BLAMO! you have before you a group of like-minded individuals who will most likely think you are the bomb-dot-com.



Just Tweet It
Along the same lines as TwitteRel, JustTweetIt lets you drill-down to a specific category in the directory to find other twitter users who share the same interests as you, whether you’re an Archaeologist, a parent, or are just interested in connecting with people who have an affinity for technology.



Twannabe
This nifty little application let’s you see who your Twitter Hero is following and will display that person so that you may follow them, if you find them worthy of your attention. FYI: This application will only work if your “hero” has an open account.



Qwitter
Qwitter sends you emails when someone stops following you on Twitter. The email also lets you know after what post that person dumped you. Be forewarned: Don’t be a twitter quitter!



What’s Hot? Tools to Search Twitter

Twitter Search
Search Twitter is the Twitter search engine that allows you to find out what topics are most popular (trending topics).  Enter the word that you’re interested in and it will return all of the relevant posts.



WhosTalkin
WhosTalkin is a tool that lets you search for conversations based on the keyword(s) you enter.



Useful Twitter Apps
Useful applications to make you’re tweeting easier!

Twhirl (Thanks Loic!)
Twhirl is a desktop client for social software like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinedIn, etc, based on the Adobe AIR platform. Twhirls goal is to streamline and improve the overall user experience for multiple social networking programs, and by golly, we think they’ve done it!



TweetDeck
Also an Adobe Air application (frankly, Adobe rocks our socks off), TweetDeck is designed to gather all of your social media info and display it neatly in columns so that you can make sense of it all. It also allows you to group your friends, family, and work colleagues together so that each has its own window so you can have neat tweets.



Twitzu
Twitzu lets users promote their business, display special offers, promotions and events.



TweetLater
Sometime you have a really good tweet to post but it’s not an optimal time.  This app will let you schedule a tweet at a later date and time.



Twitpic
Have photos to share?  No problem. Twitpic lets you share your photos on Twitter.



Mr Tweet
Mr. Tweet is your very own personal networking assistant that tirelessly works for you and your social networking life. He will pick out some relevant followers for you, he’ll talk you up to other users, and he will compute some handy-dandy Twitter usage statistics for you. He is the whole-package ladies and gentleman.



Twittertise
Twittertise allows you to advertise on Twitter and track the success of branded communications with your customers.



Go Mobile with Twitter
Twitter for iPhone: The following list of applications will let you tweet on the go! 
Ok, so do we really need to provide iPhone users with app information?  Probably not, but it may be useful to some.

Twitterrific
This little app let’s you read and post tweets from your iPhone or iPod Touch so you are never out of touch with your followers.  Download from Apple app store.

Twittelator
The Twittelator Pro is a new version of a powerful Twitter client, designed for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Once you download it, you can start following, searching, tweeting, posting picture, maps, whatever you’d like.
Download from Apple app store.

PocketTweets
Yet another Twitter client for the iPhone, this software allows you to update your status remotely, view your most recent tweets, or catch-up on what’s going on around the world via the “public timeline.”
Download from Apple app store.

Hahlo
Hahlo is an excellent and fully featured Twitter client for your iPhone and iPod Touch.

We hope this has been helpful :)