CollinsTwitter Account: Twitter is Social networking that was created by Jack Dorset, Noahs Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams in March 2006 and launched in July of the same year. The site boasts a large number of users. Unlike other forms of social network, Twitter allows posts with a limit of characters which was formerly 140 but has since been increased to 280.
It is argued that the limit allows people who post on the network to be more creative and pass information quicker without boring readers. Posts on Twitter are referred to as Tweets and users on the network are called Tweeps.
Features of Twitter Account
Tweets
Like was mentioned in the previous section, this is what updates on the network is called. It has a character limit of 280. The limits can now be overcome by adding other tweets to the first to complete an update that needs more characters than the limit will allow. This is called a thread.
Home
Users do not always have to be online to view tweets that were made. The home, which is a small house icon, shows tweets in chronological order. Users can keep up to date by regularly checking their home.
Notification
This comes as an alert (if set) that informs users when something that affects their account occurs on the network, this includes; mentions, newest followers, tweets, likes and replies. Sometimes notifications can appear if many of the account a user follows interact with an update.
Messages
Also called DM which means Direct Message. This feature allows users send private tweets between each other and it works just like how other inbox services works only that it has a limited number of characters allowed per message.
Following
Following is the major feature that makes the Twitter network exciting. When you follow people, you get to see their posts appear on your home timeline. Following people also means you see posts that they retweet and sometimes, like.
Followers
Your followers are not your disciples but they are users who get to see your posts when you make them and even when they are not online at the moment of creating the update, it appears on their timeline. Followers help give users relevance.
Likes
Liking posts show that either it touches you or you agree with what the user tweeted at that time. Liking is done by tapping on the small heart icon below a tweet. People get notified when their posts are liked but this feature can be turned off.
Retweets
A retweet is a way to make your own followers view the post. When posts are retweeted the user retweeting it will be making the tweet appear automatically on their timeline. This can be done by tapping on the small cycle icon below a tweet. There are options to either just carry out a retweet or add a comment to the tweet that has been retweeted this is the quote tweet option.
Pinned Tweets
Pinned tweets are most likely the most important tweet a user has ever made. When a tweet is pinned it is the first tweet that is seen when their profile is opened even when newer posts have been made.
Tweet Alerts
Alerts can be turned off and on. Sometimes, users who receive a lot of likes on their posts tend to turn off their alerts to avoid it constituting a nuisance and some users who want to keep track of a thread may turn on notification alerts for that tweet.
Night mode
This option allows users to choose the type of view they want, the normal view is of a white background while the night view is made of a dark blue background.
Benefits of Twitter Account
- Friends and family can keep track of each other and keep others updated by regularly making tweets that are about themselves and tweeting photos as well.
- By following accounts of things you have interest in; you can follow-up and know what is happening. Sport updates can be monitored to know what is happening in that world and what people are saying about it.
- Politics and elections can be followed when you follow accounts that tweet about this.
- Individuals, businesses and organizations are allowed to use Twitter to promote their business, spread news about upcoming events and share details about products and services that can be rendered.
- Using Twitter properly can help in making research easier and more fun. People are always talking about many topics and Twitter users are arguably more of an intellectual crowd, so opinions about a particular issue is always diverse and researchers have enough material to work with.
- The network can be used to promote websites and blogs by adding links to them on tweets.
How to Create a Twitter Account
- Visit Twitter.com and tap on the Sign Up icon.
- Carefully enter your email address and select a password.
- Tap o the Create my account icon
- Tap on the Next icon.
- To start building your timeline, the Twitter network will ask you to follow 3 people from a selection it gives you, then you are to follow 5 more people and 5 more that you may know (this can be gotten from location)
- Confirmation of your email will be done by a link sent to your inbox.
- You will be asked to upload a profile picture, follow the given instructions.
- You can upload a header photo as well.
- Add website if you have any.
- Add a bio which is a brief description of yourself and what you are about.
- Tap on the Save Changes icon. To see your completed twitter profile, tap on the Me at the top header.
Welcome to the Twitter network. Share and enjoy conversations that will change the world.
Collins