Top Twitter tweet tips for beginners

Twitter is an easy-to-use popular social networking and micro-blogging website where people share news, opinions, thoughts, ideas and feedback with others. Like other social networking sites, the free service allows users to connect and stay in touch with others.

Although there are many social networking sites available today, Twitter is different from the others. Registered users update personal blogs by posting and replying to short messages or posts called Tweets. Tweets are short messages, limited to 140 characters in length, which are sent instantly to other users.

People on the contact list send and receive, or “follow”, one another in a variety of ways; the Twitter website, by email, mobile device, RSS feeds or by using third-party applications. Because the messages are limited in length, they fit nicely on a recipient’s mobile device.

Twitter Benefits:

• While many use the service for personal reasons, some are jumping on the Twitter bandwagon for self-promotion or business purposes. Twitter can be an effective marketing or fund-raising tool. The service provides another method to collaborate and network with coworkers and existing customers. It is also used to share links, set up meetings, find new clients, follow up with leads and hire new employees. Bloggers frequently use the service to network with other bloggers and drive more traffic to their sites.
• But whether it used for personal or business purposes, Twitter provides immediate feedback from other users, which can be invaluable. While many users integrate Twitter into their daily activities, some warn the free service is quite addictive!

Setting up a Twitter Account:

• Users must be at least 13 in order to sign up.
• To begin, users must first register for the service and create a new account.
• Signing up is simple and quick.
• The users full name and email address is required and then select a user-name and password.
• Once registering is complete, users can check existing Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail and other web-based email accounts to locate friends and family. In order to search the web-based email accounts, users must enter their email address and password in order to perform this function.
• Account settings include user location, time zone, adding personal blogs or websites, short bio, preferred language and mobile phone number.
• Users can also personalize the look of the Twitter page by using a variety of pre-made themes and background colors or create a unique look.
• A protection feature is also included. When this option is selected, the user will not be shown on the public timeline area.
• Users have the option of follow other users to “un-follow them.”
• The Twitter craze is so popular, it has a language all its own – Tweetups, Twittersphere, Tweeps, Twitworking, Twilit and Twittery, just to name a few. An online dictionary, Twittonary, is available to help decipher the Twitter language.

Launched in 2006, Twitter is a small company with a great big following. Thousands of new users sign up for the service every day and the site is so popular, even pets are signing up! Twitter is an acronym, “Typing What I’m Thinking to Everyone Reading.”

Twitter is not only entertaining and fun, it is a simple and easy way to stay in touch with friends and family and network with others.

6 Tips for Live Tweeting During an Event

Twitter is evolving from a casual forum for sharing “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less to a powerful marketing tool. Posting tweets while attending an event, called live tweeting, is a popular way to share important information about what’s happening for those participating and following at remotely.

Live tweeting is also a way for leveraging publicity and building buzz for a particular activity or event and establishing expertise within a particular industry. As it should be, there are no formal guidelines for live tweeting but these Twitter tips should prove useful.

Live Tweeting Tip #1: Know the Code, The Hashtag

A hashtag is a code inserted in a tweet, usually at the end, which makes it easy for people to find and aggregate related tweets. It’s a short code preceded by the hash symbol (#). Check with the organizer or the event’s website to find out what the established event hashtag is. Also use the search.twitter.com function to determine if anyone is tweeting about the event and if they are using a hashtag.

Using a hashtag prevents spelling out the event name with each tweet, saving valuable character space. Posting tweets from the designated hashtag chat room in TweetChat.com automatically inserts the code. Hashtags do not need to be registered. An example hashtag is the one used for the South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Conferences and Festivals: #sxsw.

Live Tweeting Tip #2: Spread the Love and Word

Prior to the event, connect with other Twitterers and if possible, meet up with them in person on site. Tweet on Twitter and post on blogs about the upcoming live tweeting efforts. If planning a Twitter-worthy event, establish a hashtag and let attendees know what it is through blog posts, event updates and in a media release. Successful live tweeting is a community effort. The more Twitterers reporting on the event the more buzz it will generate.

Live Tweeting Tip #3: Follow Them, They May Follow

Build followers by following other Twitterers who may be interested in the event. If it’s a film festival, follow filmmakers, entertainment publications and residents in the host city. Following a Twitterer does not mean they will reciprocate the follow but if the tweets are entertaining and have value chances are good they will follow.

Live Tweeting Tip #4: Keep it Real (Interesting)

Keep posts interesting, entertaining and authentic while live tweeting. Importantly, have fun! Engage all senses to keep aware as to what’s happening. Listen to what others are saying. Try getting a behind-the-scenes scoop on something and tweet it. At the same time, use discretion. There are just some things that should not be shared.

Live Tweeting Tip #5: A Thousand Words in 140 Characters

There are times when a photograph can say more than 140 characters. Upload and share photos with TwitPic.com. Show followers what’s happening during the event. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Live Tweeting Tip #6: Remember, this is Social Media

Checkout what others are tweeting about the event and interact with them. Respond to replies and engage followers.

Let the Live Tweeting Begin

Live tweeting is an inexpensive (most times no-cost) marketing tool for gaining event publicity and building credibility as an industry expert. There are no formal rules for live tweeting (yet) other than keeping the phone or laptop charged up.