Twitter 101

Twitter 101 1

What is Twitter? Twitter is an online news and social networking service where users post and interact

with messages known as tweets.

Why use Twitter? Twitter benets from being a relatively open platform. Think of it like the yellow pages of

the internet. Twitter democratizes conversation by allowing you to connect and communicate with others

around the world without having to “follow” them like you would on other social media networks.

Hashtags

hashtag: A word or phrase preceded by a pound symbol (#) used within a post on social media to identify a

topic or keyword and facilitate a search for it.

Whenever a social media user includes a hashtag in their message, it can become indexed and

discoverable on the social network by other users. When users click on a hashtag, they are directed

to a page that aggregates use of that hashtag in real-time. This gives users access to other ongoing

conversations surrounding the topic in question.

Including a hashtag in a post is as easy as typing a hash mark or pound sign (#) before a word or phrase

(without spaces or punctuation). Hashtags are not case sensitive. The most important thing is to include

the pound/hash sign!

Remember, the primary functions of a hashtag are categorization and discoverability. If your

account is public, anyone on the social network can nd your post when searching the hashtag. Likewise,

to ensure that other accounts can see your message, make your Twitter account(s) public.

Note: On Twitter, as long as your account is public and your tweets aren’t protected, your posts will show up

in a hashtag search. Having your tweets listed as public is Twitter’s default prole setting.

Twitter basics

Character limit: Twitter only gives you 280 characters to compose your tweet. So, when writing tweets,

don’t save the best for last. Put your most valuable information front and center! Remember that if you’re

including a link in your tweet, the link will account for 23 characters. Photos no longer count toward your

character count.

How to compose a tweet: Start by typing in the “What’s happening?” box above your feed. You can also

compose a tweet by clicking the tweet button on the top right corner of your screen.

Pro tip: Enhance your tweet with photos (up to four), videos, GIFs and polls. For best results, hold your

camera horizontally when taking pictures and shooting videos that you’d like to post. Also, take pictures of

people engaged in an activity or conversation. No one wants to see a picture of the back of people’s heads.

Twitter 101

Twitter 101 2

Handle/username: Everyone on Twitter has a unique username (or handle). In order to talk to someone

on Twitter, you have to address them by their username preceded by an @ symbol. For example, @Amer-

MedicalAssn is our username.

Prole picture vs. cover photo: A prole photo is the thumbnail that accompanies all of your tweets. Your

cover photo is the big banner photo on your prole.

Favorite: Favorites are when someone clicks the little heart underneath your tweet. Favorite a tweet to

show your agreement and/or appreciation. Favorites are also used for easy reference later on. You can go

back and nd the tweet in your “likes” tab. Note: Likes are public.

Veried accounts: A veried account is an account that has been

deemed “legitimate” by Twitter. This helps clear up confusion be-

tween an actual brand, celebrity or journalist’s account and copy-

cats. The AMA is veried. Veried accounts have a blue checkmark

next to their handle.

RT vs. Quote retweet: A RT = retweet without comment. A quote retweet is a retweet with your own

comment (or commentary) added, which will appear as coming from your handle above the original tweet

you’re retweeting.

Reply: If you want to reply to someone who has posted an update on Twitter, just start your message with

@[their handle] to direct it “at” them. However, remember this isn’t a private conversation!

Pro tip: When beginning a tweet with a handle, if you want your message to go out to all of your followers,

make sure you include a period or some type of message in front of the “@”—otherwise, it will only go out

to your mutual followers.

Twitter 101 3

Examples:

• @AmerMedicalAssn, do you have any recommended resources on combating physician #burnout?

• Hi @AmerMedicalAssn, I was discussing the implications of physician #burnout with my colleagues. Do

you have any helpful resources on this topic?

Mention: When your tweet includes someone’s handle, you are “mentioning” them. When someone

tweets using your handle, that is them “mentioning” you. You can lter notications by mentions.

Direct message (DM): In addition to public tweets, you can start a private conversation or group conver-

sation with anyone who follows you. Additionally, anyone you don’t know can send you a direct message

if you’ve opted to receive direct messages from anyone or you’ve previously sent that person a direct mes-

sage. To access the direct message function, navigate to the “Message” button located under the prole

picture of another Twitter user.

Pro tip: You can receive messages from anyone if you check the box next to “Receive direct messages from

anyone” in your privacy and safety settings.

Pro tip: Anyone in a conversation can send direct messages to the group, and everyone in a group can see

all messages even if everyone doesn’t follow each other.

Pro tip: In group conversations anyone in the conversation can add other participants. However, newly

added participants won’t see the prior history of the conversation.

Trends: The most popularly used hashtags at the moment are considered to be “trending” on Twitter. You

can see this list by looking at the column “Trends for You” located on the left-hand side of your screen.

Lists: Lists of Twitter users are a great way to arrange users—and their conversations—according to a simi-

lar characteristic or interest(s). You can create your own lists or view lists created by others. Lists can also be

public or private.

Pro tip: Click here to access a list of AMA-aliated twitter accounts, and click here to access our “First

Follow” list—some of our go-to Twitter accounts for the latest in health care news.

Follow the AMA on Twitter: @AmerMedicalAssn and @AMAmedstudents