Twitter Tips Part One: Essential Basics

My Twitter tips go beyond a simple “how-to.” I want to help the Twitter newbies and those who aren’t using the site effectively. Why? Because  I love Twitter and when you’re in love, you want to share it. I’m Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah’s couch. I’m Star Jones planning her wedding on The View. And I’m just plain nice.

Twitter is an unbelievable experience, but you have to know what you’re doing.                  

Here’s what I wish I’d known from the get go.

1. NICHE: If you don’t have a purpose for using the site, then you’re wasting your time. My goal was and still is to feel a sense of community with other writers. To that end, I only follow writers, literary journals, literary agents, bloggers similar to me, some local Tweeps, and publications focused on Jewish life (I guest post for one of them and it’s a personal interest.) Celebrities? Nope. News organizations? Absolutely not. When I want the headlines, I read the paper or a news site. When I want to know what Ashton Kutcher thinks about anything–well, that will never happen.

An exception to the rule: I follow back people I know in real life. Because even I’m not that much of a Twitter snob. And I unfollow people who are constantly on Twitter clogging up the Twitter stream. Overtweeting is a real thing!

NOTE ADDED on 2/15: One last thing about niche. I’m not suggesting you only follow people you agree with or who are exactly like you. My category of “writers” for example includes people from all walks of life, not just people who write in the same genre.

2. MAKE LISTS: If you don’t use lists, you’re missing the Tweets you really want to see. Keeping the people you follow unlisted is like storing your forks in your sock drawer. It’s too much trouble to find what you’re looking for and wastes a lot of time. Start those lists. And use them! (If you don’t know how, finish reading this post then go direction to PART TWO.)

3. USE HOOTSUITE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT: I rarely use the actual Twitter site–what a clunker. Options like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck make the Twitter experience a breeze. Hootsuite allows me to see my lists next to each other, including the @mention, “Retweets of me,” and “favorites” categories.

4. UTILIZE THE “FAVORITE” FUNCTION: When I’m reading Tweets, I favorite the ones I want to check out later. Later might be weeks away–that’s fine. People appreciate the RT of their link whenever you can get to it. Why would anyone want all their link promoting to happen in one day? Spread out the love, people!

5. KNOW HOW TO RT: Please commit this one to memory. When you start a Tweet like this—> @NinaBadzin–ONLY the people who follow BOTH of us will see that Tweet. That type of Tweet is called an @reply. So when you’re RTing someone’s link as a nice gesture (and you should do that regularly on Twitter or you’re COMPLETELY missing the point) then it’s not all that generous to write a Tweet like this—>@NinaBadzin wrote a must-read post about the ins and outs of Twitter.

Wrong! It should look like this—>A must-read post by @NinaBadzin about the ins and outs of Twitter. Another option—>.@NinaBadzin wrote a must read post about the ins and outs of Twitter. Notice the . in front of the @–That little . makes all the difference. HOWEVER, don’t start throwing a period in front of every @. (See below)

6. KNOW WHEN TO START WITH @: We’re getting down to the nitty-gritty of Twitter etiquette. There’s a time for a less public Tweet. If you’re thanking someone for a RT or giving a specific response to an article/post, then an @reply is totally acceptable. Sometimes it makes sense for just the people who follow both of you to see that Tweet. There’s nothing wrong with using the @reply (I wish people would use it more often), but understand that if you’re trying to promote someone’s post, then you must stick a word or a period before the @. (See #5)

7. KNOW WHEN TO DIRECT MESSAGE: Nothing irks me more than a long personal conversation on the public feed. Like I said above, a few Tweets back and forth are appropriate and expected. (I absolutely do this.) But an endless back and forth is bordering on rude. If you have that much to talk about, take it to the Direct Message function or exchange email addresses. It’s great you found a friend on Twitter, but please spare the rest of the us the giggle-giggle, wink-wink. Twitter isn’t Facebook.

8.KNOW WHEN NOT TO DIRECT MESSAGE: Do NOT auto-DM the people who follow you with seemingly friendly notes like, “Thanks for the follow. I hope you enjoy my Tweets.” I suppose people who do this think it makes Twitter more personal. It doesn’t. It makes you look like an automaton. Authentically interacting makes Twitter more personal (responding to general questions, RTing someone’s Tweet).

9. BIO AND PHOTO: Speaking of spambots, make sure to fill out your bio as thoroughly as possible. Upload a picture. Most people avoid following the eggs.

10. KEEP YOUR HANDLE (Twitter name) SHORT: LISTEN TO ME–keep your handle short. When people RT your link, your handle counts against the 140-character allotment. And if you want a certain Tweet RTed, you always want to keep it well under 140 anyway. (Your handle, the RTer’s handle, plus the actual link count against the 140.)  Therefore, if your handle is anything like @NinaIsaWriterPleaseLoveHer, then you’re screwed. It’s never too late to change your handle. Announce the change a few times when you’re on Twitter and people will catch on. You won’t lose followers. SIDE NOTE: I think writers (aspiring and published) should use their real names. Names like @writergirl or @lovestowrite are generic and forgettable. Be YOU.

That’s all I have! I hope it helps you maximize your relationship with Twitter.

(Go to Twitter Tips: Part Two)

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Nina (@NinaBadzin)

Nina is a freelance writer living in Minneapolis with her husband and four children. Her essays on parenting, marriage, friendship, improving my habits, social media etiquette, books, Jewish life and more appear in the Huffington Post, Kveller.com, The Jewish Daily Forward and on numerous other sites. She's thrilled to participate in the 2013 cast of Listen to Your Mother in the Twin Cities and to co-lead the book review site GreatNewBooks.org.

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