Hello there! Have you been struggling with the different lingo used on Twitter? Well, this glossary is sure to help you feel ready to conquer whatever gets thrown your way. Enjoy!
Hashtag (#)
The first thing that you will probably notice in the site is that the hashtag is often in use. People will
be talking about a football match, going back and forth as to what team is likely to win the game and they
will use this symbol to continue the conversation.
Take an example of West Ham vs. Man City; you can find a thread with #ManCityvsWestHam. In this way, if you want details as to what people have to say, all you have to do is to enter hashtag in the search box, and voila, you will have a thread to last you through the match. Also, if you wish to contribute to the conversation, you too can type in what you have to say followed by the hashtag.
@
Another commonly used sign is the @ which is visible in your username. Suppose your username is @glossary, anyone who wants to mention you in a post will use the @ sign followed by your name, and you will thus get a notification that someone has mentioned you in a tweet. Also, if they wish to link your profile in a text or send you a message, they will use this sign. How creative is that?
Username
As stated before, the @ symbol is present in your username. This name is what other people call you while
on the site. It is your identifier, and no two people can share the same name.
However, there are
similarities in the names such that though you may be @glossary, there could be a user by the name
@glossary1. It is thus essential to know the names of the people you follow; else you could end up tagging
the wrong person in a tweet. It might not end well. However, positivity in mind, you could end up getting a
new fan.
Bio
Who are you? What are your interests? What are you looking to find on Twitter? Can you answer these
questions in 160 characters or less? Well, your bio requires that you be straight to the point. Things such
as personal trainer, human rights activist, blogger, and other descriptions work great in the bio. The idea
is to give someone a quick glimpse into your life.
Keep in mind that though short, it should be appealing enough to make someone want to take a quick tour of your profile as they get to know you on a deeper level. Work on it as it could be the difference between 1 and 1000 followers. Be sure to keep in mind that most people on this platform love it for its simplicity and direct nature.
Block
Is there someone whose tweets you would rather not see? It could be that there is a person who likes
attacking you by tagging you on mean posts or commenting harshly on what you write. The good thing about
this uncomfortable situation is that there is a way out. Yes, you do not have to sit there and take it, and
you can opt out by blocking them.
Once you do this, not only can’t they see what you have to say but you also get relief from not having to see what they say about you. That means that if they go ahead and mention you in a post, you will not see it in your notifications. And you know what they say; what you don’t know can’t hurt you.
Connect Tab
Maneuvering your way through numerous profiles as you try to find old friends as well as people with whom
you share an interest is no easy fete. You can choose to do away with all the hard work by counting on this
feature which quickly connects you to accounts in which you may have an interest.
Supposing you are an ardent sports fan and are looking for someone who feels the way you do, this tab will help you connect with people with similar interests.
Also, by going through your address book, this feature enables you to find people you are on the site. And since you already have a connection in one way or another, you can take your interaction to the next level by going through each other’s posts.
Deactivation
Sometimes, taking a break from social media does one a whole lot of good. If you are at that point where
you need to unplug and focus on something else, you can easily do so through deactivation.
Once you take
this step, you cannot access your feed for thirty days. If at the end of this period you are still leaning
towards doing away with the account, you can do so.
Direct Messages
Tweeting is exciting as you get to have reactions from a large audience, and this adds on to the fun of
interaction. However, you may find that the nature of the topic you are about to discuss is not suitable for
the public. You may be reconnecting with a long lost friend, and you may need their contacts.
You cannot go to their page and ask for this information as it is sensitive and you would thus require a private forum which is available in the form of a direct message. In this way, only you and the recipient would have access to the communications. You can also use this feature to interact with groups if you wish.
Follow
Someone tells you to ‘follow’ them on Twitter, and you can’t help but wonder what they mean. It is pretty
easy as they are asking you to subscribe to their posts and all you need is to click on the ‘follow’ prompt
on their profile. With this out of the way, you can see what they post as it will appear on your homepage.
They can also send you direct messages if they wish.
There comes a time where you may want to change direction as to what material you wish to see on the platform. Or you could find that someone’s posts are too offensive or self-centered or other nature that makes them unappealing to you. In these cases, you can choose to unfollow a person as you look for someone with whom you share interests.
This option is available without limits. However, blocked accounts cannot follow and unfollow at will, owing to the measures put in place by those who barred them.
Follower
Once you start gaining traction on the site, you can attract an audience. Anyone who subscribes to your
tweets is a follower with whom you can interact on your posts and direct messages. Note that you should be
polite to people who read your posts.
As a brand, you should try and engage your followers to keep them interested. And where you have been dealing with a particular topic, e.g., sports news, be sure to stay on track, or you could end up losing a significant portion of your audience. Keep in mind that the 'follow' counts are unstable and that one wrong move could cost you significantly.
Hacking
As you gain a large audience on the site, you will become vulnerable to hacking. An easy way to describe
this would be a situation where another person gains unauthorized entry to your account. Often, when people
do this, they start posting things that you usually would not do.
And this results in numerous questions from your followers, some of whom may choose to leave, especially where the tweets in play are no longer in line with what you practice. You can always restore your account. However, that is not to say that it will be without damage, some of which can be irreparable.
It is thus essential to stay safe by logging out of devices when you are no longer using the site and choosing a strong password which you should keep safe.
Geotagging
This feature has become popular over time. It allows people to know where you were when you posted
something on your page. However, it has its downsides. Supposing you tweet a lot, it is probably not a good
idea to use this option often.
It enables people to track your trends, and you never know what people may
have in store for you as not everyone has good intentions. Sometimes, it is better to keep them guessing. A
little mystery inevitably goes a long way, especially when it comes to social media.
Header Photo
Now that your followers have a sneak peek into your life, what would you like to show them? The photo that appears on your profile says a lot about you and a careful selection is thus necessary. Suppose you are all about sports, having a packed stadium as your photo points to your interests. It all depends on what your interest is in the site.
Impersonation
Now let’s get a little earnest. First things first, you should know that pretending to be someone you are
not is a violation of the site’s rules. In this age of social media where people live two lives, it is easy
to get carried away with the pretense.
However, it has to stop somewhere, and that is none other than on
this site. Any fake accounts get deleted. But if you are looking to have some light moments, you can always
set up a parody account, something which is not against the rules.
These are the most useful terms. The rest will come to you as you further explore the site. Have fun!
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