This is Twitter Week on Computers Made Simple. Today we’re going to give you a rundown on the basics, those little things that really aren’t explained anywhere else. Let’s get going:

1. What the Heck is Twitter Anyway? 

Twitter is a one-sided conversation, an endless series of quotes or a never-ending stream of consciousness poem. If one hundred people walked by you on the street and each of them said one or two sentences about how they felt, what they thought of the government, something they found interesting or what they had for dinner that day, you’d have a pretty good idea of what Twitter is all about. In 140 characters or less, millions of people do exactly that; sharing, describing, praising, hating, being silly, laughing, crying…basically just being themselves.

2. How Do You Get to Read What These People Write? 

It’s pretty simple really. Sign up for an account, all you need is an email address and a password, then start following people who interest you. Following is the same as ‘Liking’ something on Facebook. You find the person using the search space at the top of the Twitter page, click on their profile and then click ‘Follow’. Like this:

 

 

3. What If I Have Something I Want to Say? 

You compose a ‘tweet’. Twitter is made up of tweets, the millions of short paragraphs that people write every day.  Having a Twitter account does NOT mean that you have to tweet. Your account won’t be cancelled if you never, ever tweet but, hey, it doesn’t cost anything to speak your mind, does it? Most people address the fact that ‘this is my first tweet’ so, join the club and do the same. With the millions of tweets sent out every day, chances are that no one will even notice what you say. That part comes later. For now, talk about things you do, see, feel or think and hope someone discovers you.

4. I’m Interested in One Certain Topic. How Do I Find Tweets About That Topic? 

Twitter has a very powerful search engine that runs in the background every minute of every day. We searched for ‘ellen’ using the search window. Use the same window to search for tweets about any topic that interests you. Type in the word(s), hit Enter and a string of tweets pops up, complete with the names and profiles of the people who tweeted something that contained the words you searched for. After that, it’s as easy as clicking on a profile and deciding if you want to Follow that person.

5. What are the Rules About Tweets? Are There Any? 

Aside from obviously threatening tweets, the only rules are those that most of us follow in our daily lives. No swearing in public (although many stars still do that but that reflects their base personality anyway), no obvious implied violence, etc. If you act (tweet) the same way you would in a restaurant, you’ll be fine. Keep your comments to 140 characters or less, though. We’ll show you how to fine tune your tweets in another post but, for now, try to explain the universe or nuclear fusion in less than 140 characters. If you can do that, you’ll be an expert ‘tweeter’ in no time!

Today’s Homework: 

Get a Twitter account, find ten people who you think would be interesting to follow and make one simple tweet. Good luck! You just might find that some of those ten people will be as boring as stones so expand your world a bit. Search out comedians, actors, writers and so on. Tomorrow we’ll get into some tricks and tips that will help you get noticed on Twitter. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading! If you have questions about Twitter or anything else, make a comment below and we’ll respond almost instantaneously. Like us on Facebook and you’ll have direct access to us and our posts:

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