6 Words You Need To Know When Using Twitter

When first introducing oneself to the world of Twitter, it’s easy to become confused by the culture of language that’s used. James Martell (host of the popular podcast called Coffee Talk) and Stephanie Lichtenstein of Micro Media Marketing had a discussion that allowed Lichtenstein, a social media expert that instructs at theschoolofinternetmarketing.com, to clear up meanings and business usages of some of the more confusing terms that Twitter developers coined upon its genesis.

1. #Hashtag

You may have heard the term “hashtag” and been completely confused. If you’ve ever seen a word or phrase (without spaces) and a pound sign at the front of it, that’s what a hashtag is. It’s Twitter’s way of grouping every tweet on twitter that is containing that particular hashtag. This is great for businesses because they can start conversations about certain topics using hashtags, and then you can monitor what other people are tweeting when they use the same hashtag.

2. @Mentions

A “mention” is similar to a photo tag on Facebook, as Lichtenstein puts it. It’s how you know someone is talking about you on Twitter, because they will type a @ sign and then your username (i.e. @CoffeeTalk) in their tweet. Instead of being overwhelmed with all of the tweets you see on your timeline, click on the mentions tab to see what people are saying to and about you. Those are really the only tweets that are important to you and your business.

3. Follow

When you follow someone, or they follow you, it simply means that you have subscribed to their tweets. They will pop up with the others that are being displayed on your home page timeline.

4.ReTweet

Lichtenstein compares a retweet to an e-mail forward. When someone says something that you find significant and want to share with your followers, all you have to do is press the retweet button. Twitter will automatically show your followers that you want them to see that tweet on their timeline. This is great for businesses that are receiving good testimonials via Twitter. You can easily show your followers what people are saying about your brand with the click of a button.

5. Direct Message

When you tweet someone with a mention, it is public for everyone to see. If there is some information that you want to send someone privately, Twitter makes this possible with a direct message, or DM. Lichtenstein reminded us in the interview that someone must be following you in order to receive a direct message from you, so keep this in mind when you want to share information with someone. There is a direct message button that will allow you to send a private message that only you and the recipient can see.

6. Reply

A reply is exactly what it says. When someone mentions you in a tweet, maybe a question or a compliment, all you have to do to reply is click the reply button. What this will do is start a new tweet with that person’s username and mention sign ready for you to fill out, this way no one has to remember or manually type anyone’s username during conversation.

For those who aren’t yet sure how they will use Twitter, all you have to do is integrate it with your website. One of the best platforms for building socially integrated sites is WordPress, by way of  WordPress Genesis Themes, which is the most professional and keeps your blog from looking like a blog and more like a professional business website. Plugins allow you to automatically update Twitter every time you update your website, which helps a ton with time management.

Now that you have the basic knowhow concerning Twitter Vocab, see if you can get on the site and communicate with your target audience. See how fun and easy it is to start building relationships with your target customer base, and others that you can network with that may be able to help your brand. With over 500 million active users, you’re bound to find people who can benefit you and your business.

Tori Reid is a freelance writer who specializes in Internet marketing and business. During her free time she plays with her dog, eats good food, writes in her blog and frequents sites like www.shopwpthemes.com to learn more about WordPress. She believes in a written word as her most viable source of communication aside from the music.

Post Tags: hashtag, James Martell, retweet, social media, Stephanie Lichtenstein, tips, twitter