Twitter is a site where you can update family and friends on what you’ve been up to, by posting quick tidbits of information sent through the Web or via text messages. To learn how to Tweet, choose from the following options:
- Read through a step-by-step instruction guide
- Read a short & sweet version of our instructions
- Watch a video on YouTube
- See fun pictures and screengrabs along with comprehensive access notes
Examples
The best way to understand how Twitter works is by experiencing it. Here are two examples of Twitter updates:
“Getting the kids ready for Canada Day celebrations at Memorial Peace Park. The mapleridgeweekends.com site has tons of information.”
“Just found out that Maple Ridge Weekends is hosting a photo contest. Will be sending my pics soon! More details on mapleridgeweekends.com”
Twitter is quickly growing into one of the most used social networks online. Over 500,000 Canadians are already using it.
Step-by-Step: How to Tweet on Twitter
Signing up for Twitter is as easy as using Google or Hotmail. To join Twitter, go to twitter.com and click on the big green “Get Started – Join” button. Fill in the fields required then click the “Create my Account” button.
Remember that your username will be visible to everyone.
Next you’ll be directed to an e-mail account page. The e-mail addresses you provide here will receive a message asking them to join Twitter. If you prefer to skip this step, you’ll find a link at the bottom of the page.
Congratulations, you’re in! You can now look up family and friends who are already on Twitter by using the “Find People” search function on the top-right navigation bar. Once you find someone who you’d like to follow, click on the
‘Follow’ button next to their names. To stop receiving updates from a specific Tweeter, simply click the ‘Unfollow’ button.
Now it’s time for you to tweet! You can type in messages of up to 140 characters and update these ‘micro-blogs’ as often as you like. Keep in mind that the point of Twitter is to answer the question, “What are you doing?” Keep your tweets interesting and you’ll have a following in next to no time!
Tweets can also be used to ask questions, provide information, or direct other tweeps to an important or interesting website. But do keep in mind that Twitter is a tool best used for communicating with a group of people, rather than with an individual.
Short & Sweet: How to Tweet on Twitter
- Go to twitter.com
- Click the big, green button “Get Started-Join”
- Fill in the required fields
- Skip entering in your email information
- Use the search bar to find friends and family who are already on Twitter
- Click on their names then click on the follow button under their picture
- On the Home page post a message (also called a Tweet) up to 140 characters long
Note:
- Tweets should try to answer the question “What am I doing” while aiming to be interesting to others and stimulate conversation
- Give public responses to other’s posts using @Twitterusername of the person
- Give a private direct response to other’s posts using DM @Twitterusername
- Repeat (or “retweet) someone’s update, by typing RT @Twitterusername (Twitter username of the original person who wrote the tweet that’s being forwarded), followed by the text that you’d like to relay.
Instructional YouTube Video:
- Click here to watch the Twitter Tutorial
Detailed Instructions on Getting Started:
- Click here to read detailed instructions