Twitter is a great way to connect with people you know, but it can also be a good platform for sharing your ideas with the world. If you’re just getting started with Twitter, follow these tips to help you get off on the right foot:
Hashtags are preceded by the pound sign (#) and allow people looking for content around a certain topic to find them easily. You will see these used on TV or in print, or if you’re feeling particularly savvy, you can use them yourself! Just make sure the hashtag is concise and not too long — sometimes they get cut off when embedded in media.
Mentions: A mention occurs when someone tweets at another person using their handle — which begins with the @ symbol followed by their username. When this happens and people are “mentioned,” they receive a notification that they have been mentioned.
Direct Messages (DMs): DMs are private messages that can be sent between two users who follow each other. This feature is great because it allows for conversations that aren’t visible to everyone else on Twitter and presents an opportunity for more personal interaction with your followers or whom you follow (or both!). The DM feature is also useful when journalists want to reach out privately before publishing a story about someone, so as not to alert others of their intentions prematurely; this will help protect the reporter from being scooped by competitors!
Twitter can be a powerful tool for reporters and writers, but it can also be intimidating at first. Above are 10 more tips for when you’re getting started!
