Help for the Twitter challenged

[flabbybody]

I don't intend to become a Twitter troll but I have some questions about it's functionality. Actually the whole thing baffles me.
I didn't want to highjack Willie's thread and this is not about stalking famous people.

If you start your tweet with "@" followed by the person's handle, does it go to their news feed page? Let's say I've just watched my favorite commentator on the Racheal Maddow Show. If I see his tweet on my feed, what's the best way to comment back to him? Obviously I'm following him but he's not following me.

What's the difference between starting a tweet with "@" versus "#" ?
How do any tweets get noticed? I hear them quoting regular people on TV all the time.
:confused:

[GroobyKrissy]

@ designates a person. # designates a subject.

To "tweet" someone, use the @.

To get noticed, you've got to be followed or else use #'s to help narrow the subject.

I am on my Lumia right now but if no one else does, I'll go into more details later.

[GroobyKrissy]

oh... Just quickly. # is also a clever way of stating something shortly instead of using up your 140 character limit. #wendysummersdoesthis #dontdoitunlessyourewitty

[Willie Escalade]

Pretty much what @Krissy4uTgirl said #smartgirl

[flabbybody]

someone created #newpope. It already has thousands of tweets

[MdR Dave]

The old pope blocked me on Twitter a few months back.

That's when it started to go downhill for him.

[GroobyKrissy]

OK. On a computer now so here you go. I'm assuming you wanted a real answer to your question so...

You use the @ symbol when you want to address someone directly... it is like starting a conversation with somebody by saying, "Hey John, let me tell you..." You've got to be careful as many famous people have false accounts out there so you can't just assume someone using (for instance) @kimkardashian is actually THE Kim Kardashian. Best to do a little research and make sure the person you're meaning to tweet is actually that person or else you could end up really embarrassing yourself.

You should also use the @ designation when you're quoting "retweeting (RT)" somebody. If you want to build followers and get yourself noticed, learning the correct way AND courteous way to "retweet" someone is key. Retweeting someone is basically a statement to the effect that either you agree with the original or you want to broadcast it to your followers. You should do this carefully. People who use Twitter seriously, dislike following people who simply retweet other people all the time without ever saying anything original. There are correct and incorrect ways to RT someone. If you're modifying their tweet in any way, you should use MT (modified retweet). YOUR addition / comment goes BEFORE the RT / MT.

Correct:
This person has a lot to say! RT: @personyouareretweeting Blah Blah Blah And On...
This person has a lot to say! MT: @personyouareretweeting Blah Blah Blah & On...

You should always be courteous and ALWAYS attribute the person you are retweeting (especially if it is a known, media personality).

If you tweet someone and they don't respond... too bad. Don't be one of those people who sends a celebrity a Direct Message (DM) about how mad you are they didn't respond. Many famous people have others who handle their twitter feeds, so it is questionable whether they're actually even tweeting at all. DM'ing someone is like sending someone an email... unsolicited, it will probably result in you being blocked or reported for spam, especially if you don't know the person personally.

As for #'s.
In my opinion, it is best practice to think your hashtags through before using them. It makes no sense to just hashtag things for the fun of it. The idea of the # is get your tweet recognized by people interested in the same subject or to convey an idea in a short and witty amount of characters.

Typically, before I # something, I'll do a search on it and see how it is being used and if it has any steam. Which is why I rarely # things unless I'm just playing around. If you can get it trending, then great...but unless you're famous or have thousands of followers, that is a pretty long shot.

Basically, a # should be something that people are searching for. In your case, you could post a tweet about the person you mentioned and then maybe hashtag #rachelmaddowfans or #rachelmaddowcommentators (I haven't checked these out at all) on the end of your comment. If you use a good # that a lot of people input into, it can be a nice way to collect followers.

You can also use #'s to mention something or someone that you want to appear in the SEARCH for, but do not want to appear on their official timeline or bring that much attention to yourself. For instance, my Twitter feed (@krissy4utgirl) is adult in nature. But, occasionally I may tweet something like, "I love Twinkies". Well, I don't really want kids looking for @twinkies to get to my feed but since it could possibly trend, I may use something like #twinkiesareawesome or something similar instead of using @twinkies. It is a way of making a "stealth" comment on a subject while still getting some search benefits.

Anyway. Hope that helps. You're probably asking how can something only 140 characters long need so much explanation?

Well, honestly, it really doesn't. The main thing about Twitter, if you're just using it to follow people you like, is have fun with it. Keep plugging away and addressing people, even if they totally ignore you. Eventually, you'll get a retweet or a follow and that's really all you can ask for with Twitter.

If you're a serious Twitter user though, there are definitely rules and courtesies that have grown up around it... familiarize yourself with those as you go!

Hope that helps!

[bluesoul]

The old pope blocked me on Twitter a few months back.

That's when it started to go downhill for him.

interesting confession right here considering there were rumors of the vatican having communication with homosexuals. just never thought it would come from hung angels

[flabbybody]

Kick ass info. Thx Grooby

[Willie Escalade]

...and that's why I like Krissy.

Well that and those pink heels lol...

[Wendy Summers]

oh... Just quickly. # is also a clever way of stating something shortly instead of using up your 140 character limit. #wendysummersdoesthis #dontdoitunlessyourewitty

#donttrythisathomeimaprofessional

[GroobyKrissy]

#donttrythisathomeimaprofessional

I think you left four letters off the last part of that #.

[hippifried]

...tweet tweet...

Louis C.K. Hates Twitter - Conan on TBS - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSSDeesUUsU)

[MdR Dave]

interesting confession right here considering there were rumors of the vatican having communication with homosexuals. just never thought it would come from hung angels

My comments were purely theological.

Besides, he doesn't have breasts and he dresses like a drag queen. Not my thing.

[flabbybody]

oh... Just quickly. # is also a clever way of stating something shortly instead of using up your 140 character limit. #wendysummersdoesthis #dontdoitunlessyourewitty
little confused about tweeting versus retweeting.
I'll use the Rachel Maddow example. Lets say I'm watching her on the tube and she says something I'd like to comment on. I start the message @Rachelmaddow. (a new tweet to her)
so how is that different than responding to her tweet I see on my feed? how do I do that?

[MdR Dave]

Have you considered buying a Jitterbug phone, Flabby? That may solve some of the problems.

Seriously, though- I think some of the issue is just the language- it is non-standard across similar platforms (twitter, FB, etc) that do similar things.

[betts]

little confused


http://support.twitter.com/groups/31-twitter-basics#

[GroobyKrissy]

little confused about tweeting versus retweeting.
I'll use the Rachel Maddow example. Lets say I'm watching her on the tube and she says something I'd like to comment on. I start the message @Rachelmaddow. (a new tweet to her)
so how is that different than responding to her tweet I see on my feed? how do I do that?

In your example there is no difference. A "retweet" is quoting a person in their tweet's entirety or modified if you need space for your comment.

You use the @ to tweet someone you want to address.

You SHOULD use the @ plus the person's name of anyone you retweet, unless they are linking to their own material somewhere. Even then though, I usually try to put the person's name in there... it is just courteous, like attributing a quote to someone.

[flabbybody]

well I made my first tweet. It was about the Miami Heat basketball team. But I forgot you have to write the subject as one word so it floated into an abyss, never to be read by a human soul. I guess I should have typed #miamiheatwinningstreak

It doesn't matter. I'm done.

[housekeeper]

Tweeting 101 by groobykrissy, that should get ya going lad. The only thing I could add is to check your mentions regularly as they'll be some fake nicks along the way that will spam you or spread malicious links.