Twitter is an online powerhouse. It has played an important role in political protests in Tunisia, Egypt and Iran. Many use Twitter to give quick updates to friends and family. They share a small part of their day or say they're running late. Others use it to promote their business.
- Hashtags
With millions sent each hour, messages can be difficult to follow. Hashtags help you overcome this. Just place a hashtag (#) directly before relevant keywords or topics. When you see a hashtag in a tweet, click it. This brings up other messages on the topic. Hashtag place an important role in twitter. An appropriate keyword with hashtags make your message complete.
- Replies
Replies start with @username. When you see your username, someone is replying to you. Click the tweet to see the original tweet, along with other information. You can also insert @username to mention someone in a tweet. Mentions appear on the Mentions tab. This helps you see who is talking about you. To search for mentions on others, use @username in the search box. Mentions are a great way to build followers.
- Retweets
Retweet option will be shown below a tweet to share it. Retweeting is a nice way to make others know that you appreciate their tweets. Retweets are easy to spot in the Timeline. You'll see the retweet icon, along with the username beside the tweet. Retweet is good way to impress your followers. Doing retweet is a good practice
- Direct messages
To send a direct message, click the Messages button. The following page shows your message history. Click New Message. Enter the username for the recipient. Write your message and click Send. You can even send direct message which makes the more private with your followers.
- Lists
Following others on Twitter is easy. Find the person to follow and click the Follow button. If a user has protected tweets, they must approve you. When you follow someone, their tweets appear in your Timeline. You can then scan related messages easily. To create a list, visit a user's profile. Click the person icon. On the Actions menu that appears, click "Add to list." Enter the information for the list and choose public or private.