Back to Basics : 22 Basics for getting up and running on twitter

Hi, this post covers some of the main things you need to do to get up and running on twitter.

I am going to do another post probably in the New Year to show some of the tips and other applications on making the most of twitter

1.       It’s easy to get an account set up on twitter – all you need to do is go to www.twitter.com and sign up for an account

2.       You can call yourself either your real name as your user name, or something related to what you do , or your business name – for instance my full name is Claire Chapman, but my twitter name is coachclaire.  Think about what you want to call yourself to get maximum benefit from your name!  Also make sure your real name is available so when people start building connections with you they ca reference to your real name as well!

3.       In twitter you have following and followers.  Following is when you choose to follow someone, to be able to see their updates.  Follower is who is following you, and can see your updates.

4.       A message is a tweet.  Tweets are limited to 140 characters – it’s been likened to microblogging.  The good news is that you can see how many characters you are at.  Makes you think more concisely!

5.       Updates are how many times you have tweeted on twitter!

6.       On the twitter page you have a navigation menu that shows home, @replies, direct messages, favourites, everyone, following.

7.       @replies are messages that are…replies.  On twitter you can reply to anyone, regardless of if they are following you or you them, with @twittername.  So to reply to me, it would be @coachclaire and then the message you wanted to send.

8.       The @replies shows messages that have been sent to you as a reply to what you have written to the other person, or that they have replied because they are interested in what you are saying

9.       Direct messages can be made directly on twitter by using dusername.  So to direct message me, it’s dcoachclaire.  Direct messages go to just you.

10.   In direct messages on twitter there is a tab for your inbox and a tab for direct messages you have sent, so you can remember who you have been in touch with

11.   Favourites are any updates that you really loved.  You make a favourite when you read a twitter and click on the star on the side of the tweet

12.   Everyone – does what it says on the tin!  It is everyone who is tweeting.  Because twitter is so immediate and easy to update, on your first screen the history is likely to not go back that far.  Mine today for instance is showing as less than 5 seconds ago!

13.   Following shows picture profiles of who you are following. You can click on these to be taken through to their profile.  Good to click on followers of people you are following – good way to find out simply via twitter who they are following – they may have people interesting to the work you do

14.   On twitter itself there is an option on the menu at the top of the page to search people.  You can either upload your email address list or invite by email

15.   Twitter settings.  Account, password, devices, notices, picture, design

16.   Account shows all the information about you. Basic information you’ll get / be able to put in here relates to you setting up your account for use:

a.       Your real name
b.      Your twitter user name that gives you your unique twitter URL – mine is www.twitter.com/coachclaire
c.       Email
d.      What timezone you are in
e.      URL – it’s a great idea to add either your web or your blog – wherever you want people to go to find out more about you.  Without this, it’s difficult for people to build up more of a picture of you and the work that you do
f.        One line bio – 160 characters or less.  This is your chance to give people who see your profile an idea of what it is that you do or stand for.  As an example, mine is

g.       Location – where you are based. Keep yourself safe – only put as much info on here as you are happy being freely available on the web!

h.      What language you are using – English etc

i.         If you want to protect your updates.  If you are using for biz, I advise that you don’t choose this option – it means no one out there other than people you invite or allow can see what you are saying!

17.   Password – where you can change your password. Useful to do every so often for a security check

18.   Devices – this is to set up your mobile.  Please note if you are based in certain places, including the UK you can’t currently receive updates via your phone due to twitter (being free!) wanting to keep their costs down.  You can set up your mobile to send out tweets to your twitter account if you are away from home – costs apply obviously!  You can read more about what numbers you need here https://help.twitter.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=412
19.   Notices – this is where you set what you see – if you want a reminder if you haven’t updated in 24 hours, what @replies you want to show, and if you want emailing when you get new followers, direct emails and updates from twitter.

20.   Picture – most people on twitter have a picture for their badge – either of themselves or of their biz logo.  It’s good to have a picture of yourself to continue to build trust.

21.   Design is what your twitter page looks like. You can either select a theme – the ones that twitter have, or choose to create your own custom background by uploading a graphic.  I uploaded one I have of my business logo and this is then tiled – means it is a good reminder to people of what I do when they see my  twitter page if they are using twitter directly

22.   There are also people who design custom backgrounds for you.  One example is (Disclosure - I just won a competition to have my page designed by them!)  http://twitterwebs.com/