Twitter is just one of those things… you either love it or hate it (like Lady Gaga or Rubinoff). If you’ve already got a Twitter, you’re probably on your way to being a full-blown addict. Like me, you probably find yourself tweeting in between classes, while sitting at Hillside, and complaining about the weather. You check it when you wake up and before you go to bed, and can’t help but tweet #GAMEDAY before football games.
Then there are the rest of you. You’re the ones that laugh at the word “Twitter,” making dramatic accusations that it’s creepy, stupid, or pointless. Maybe you think it’s an unnecessary version of Facebook statuses. Maybe you’re worried that you’re not interesting enough to think of good tweets (commonly known as “First Tweet Syndrome,” an intense, irrational fear that you’ll sound stupid). Maybe you initially thought it was dumb, but are now realizing all of your friends have accounts. Maybe you want to join the millions of people with Twitter handles, but feel nervous about how it all works.
Whatever your reason for still being Twitter-less, it’s honestly time that you make an account. Obama has a Twitter, Boston College has a Twitter, the Pope has a Twitter… even my mom has a Twitter! It’s taking over the world, as the company’s CEO Dick Costolo announced at a recent press conference that “there are now 100 million worldwide active Twitter users monthly…and half of them log in every day.” Despite 230 million tweets sent daily, almost half of Twitter users just read and don’t actually tweet themselves.
Why you should get a Twitter
Most people without a Twitter have false, preconceived notions about the site. It’s so much more than a place to post your status updates. Shauna Niemeier, a junior at BC, decided to get a Twitter account because she thought it sounded interesting and wanted to try it out. She soon discovered it’s “actually a great way to stay connected and up-to-date on current events.” Shauna is now a talented Tweeter and jokes that maybe she tweets too often! She thinks it’s fun, explaining “when something comes to mind and I feel like sharing it, I tweet it.”
There are so many reasons why you should get a Twitter:
- To stay connected with friends and families. You’ll be surprised just how many people you know already have a Twitter.
- To get discounts and deals with your favorite stores, companies, and venues. Companies and brands promote themselves through social media, offering exclusive sales and announcing events.
- To be informed on local, national, and worldwide news. Whether it’s about BC or the Middle East, you’ll stay updated on breaking news and trending topics. You don’t have time to scroll through headlines online, but Twitter brings the most relevant news straight to you.
- If you want to enter the professions of marketing, advertising, science, technology, fashion, music, entrepreneurship, business, medicine, politics, graphic design, etc. Many people use their Twitter account to network with other professionals or stay current on their industry. At the minimum, everyone should be following their employer or company to stay informed of the content it’s publishing.
- If you are funny (it’s just selfish to not put your humor out there for others to enjoy). As Rachel Tang, a junior at BC, explains, “Twitter is the place for everything you can’t say on Facebook!”
How Twitter works
I know one of the major reasons people still don’t have a Twitter is that they just don’t know how it works. I was overwhelmed at first too, so I’ll break it down in simpler terms for you.
Tweets: A Tweet is basically anything you want to write, as long as it’s no more than 140 characters. You can even include photos or links to websites.
Following: Unlike Facebook, relationships on Twitter are not mutual. You can choose to follow someone, which allows you to read their tweets, but they don’t have to necessarily follow you back. When you follow someone, their tweets will start to appear on your Twitter homepage and mobile device, like a Facebook News Feed.
Followers: These are the people who choose to follow you and can read your tweets. You can set your privacy to “protected tweets” so that people need your permission to follow you.
Lists: You can create lists to help you organize the people you follow (for example, a list of your friends or a list of your favorite companies). Your lists can be made public so your followers can read them, or they can remain private to only you. Similarly, others can include you in a list.
Hashtags: Hashtags (#) can be placed in front of any word or combination of words (ex. #school, #bostoncollege, #ilovehomework). This basically makes the word a hyperlink, allowing you to click it and see other tweets that have used the same hashtag.
Mentions: Everyone has a Twitter handle, which is denoted by an @ symbol, followed by their account name. You can find someone’s handle on their page under their name, like @hercampusbc. This is how you find specific people and also “tag” someone in a tweet (like on Facebook). You simply type their handle, including the @ symbol, in your tweet. This tag appears on your Twitter feed, but only notifies the person you mentioned (it doesn’t appear on their Twitter feed, like a Facebook tag would).
Retweets: Retweeting is a way of putting someone else’s tweet on your own Twitter page (if you really like what they said or it’s good information to share). There are two ways to do this:
- Basic retweet: When you hover over said tweet, images appear below it. Clicking “retweet” will simply post that exact same tweet (including the person’s picture and Twitter handle) directly onto your page for your followers to see.
- Quote retweet: You can quote retweet by copying the text from the tweet and pasting it into your own tweet. You preface this by writing “RT @_____” (so your followers know you are retweeting someone else).
Who to follow
Now that you understand how important Twitter is and how exactly it works, you are ready to finally make your own account. To help you out, here are some suggestions for who to follow:
- Your friends
- Your favorite celebrities, actors, musicians, and sports teams (ex. @kanyewest, @justinbieber, @ochocinco, @SHAQ, @realpatriots). Sometimes you can mention celebs in your tweets and they reply to you! Rachel Tang confesses, “All I want in life is to be retweeted by Rajon Rondo!”
- Your favorite stores, brands, and companies (ex. @starbucks, @elpelontaqueria)
- News sources and magazines (ex. @TIME, @SELFmagazine, @glamourdotcom, @ESPN, @nytimes)
- BC-related accounts (ex. @hercampusbc, @brostoncollege, @bostoncollege, @ugbc, @TheRealBCGirl, @rustedrev, @BCHysteria)
- Comedians and funny fake accounts (ex. @SingleGrlProbs, @Lord_Voldemort7, @themime, @chelseahandler, @rainnwilson, @azizansari,@theawkwardtweet)
Get Tweetin’!
Sources:
http://adage.com/article/digital/twitter-100-million-active-monthly-users-ceo/229688/
Photo Sources:
http://www.examiner.com/lauren-conrad-in-national/lauren-conrad-as-the-twitter-bird-for-halloween-photo
http://ihatelc.blogspot.com/2010/11/lauren-conrads-2010-halloween-look.html