Everything You Need to Know about Twitter and Tweeting

Posted on 29. Aug, 2010 by in Web

UPDATED as of December 2011

By: Hillel Fuld

This post is going to be a little different. Over the past three years, ever since I joined Twitter (Follow me here), I, along with many people I know, have had a lot of questions about the micro blogging service. I have tried to cover the topic from all possible angles, and when I am asked about Twitter, I generally send the person an email with a whole long list of links to posts I have written.

I decided it was time to put all that Twitter material into one place, so if someone has a question or simply does not get it, I will be able to refer them to this post.

The questions I have been asked and asked myself have been anything from “What is the point of Twitter?”, “I signed up, now what?”, “Who do I follow?”, “How do I get people to follow me?”, to “Why do I want to know what you are eating or when you go to the bathroom?” and “Why do I need Twitter if I have Facebook?”

I tried to make the titles of the posts clear and obvious enough so you know what to expect. Most of them are organized into lists, so they are easier to digest. I hope you find the information useful and of course, feel free to pass it on to anyone who does not yet get the Twitter concept.

The following is a list of Twitter articles (plus two bonus posts at the end) that should answer any question you have about the micro blogging service that has gone viral over the past few years:

The Basics

Following/Followers

Advanced Tips/Updates

Major No-No’s

Apps

Other Awesomeness

Bonus Posts

I would love to hear your thoughts on some or all of the above articles. Please drop a comment below or reach out to me on Twitter with your feedback. As always, thanks for reading.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

40 Responses to “Everything You Need to Know about Twitter and Tweeting”

  1. Nicki Weinberg

    26. Aug, 2010

    You help so many people to understand the nuances and concepts behind technology. And your tips are practical too. It helps that your website is really clear and easy to follow. Lots of good info. Thanks!

  2. Diana Adams

    26. Aug, 2010

    Wow, this is a great resource! I’ve put together these types of posts before, I know how time consuming it is. Thank you for all your hard work!! ;)

  3. hilzfuld

    26. Aug, 2010

    Do you know how happy it makes me every time you comment here, Diana? You rock! Thanks.

  4. don don

    26. Aug, 2010

    How to gain followers?

  5. Wrenaria

    26. Aug, 2010

    Useful resource. Thanks for compiling/sharing it. :)

  6. Gina SuuperG Stark

    26. Aug, 2010

    I love this! All in one convenient location – kind of like a suuper mall ;) I think no matter how long you’ve been using Twitter, or how many tweets you’ve posted, it still helps to rethink and clear your head as to why you’re here and why others may be here…so you can really reach out and help *them* with their purpose. And how to do that effectively and efficiently. Thanks, Hillel. Another great post (I’m favoriting it) Cheers! G

    • hilzfuld

      26. Aug, 2010

      Thanks Gina, means a lot to me… :)

  7. K8tyS1980

    27. Aug, 2010

    This is gr8 info for a Twitter newbie like me, I need all the help I can get, haha. Thanks :)

  8. Rashi

    30. Aug, 2010

    great – couldn’t have come at a better time to share with a client gearing up for a new SM campaign… perfect – thanks :-)

  9. hilzfuld

    31. Aug, 2010

    Thanks Rashi, happy to be of service, hope this guide won’t replace ME as your SM guy. Haha :)

  10. Marcome

    31. Aug, 2010

    Wow! what an extensive list! Great job you did there!

  11. Steve

    09. Sep, 2010

    Great resource for a total newbie like me. I am confused though. Downloaded official twitter app for iPhone but you are suggesting other apps please explain here or email me if possible, thx.

  12. Farida Ahmed

    14. Sep, 2010

    This is really exceptional! Am still navigating through the twitterverse and its so easy to lose direction. I intend to keep revisiting your post! Plus now its going to be so easy to explain the Twitter craze to people who keep asking me what the flutter is all about :)

  13. Keren

    16. Sep, 2010

    Great tips, really, as a newbie I learned so much. I even tweeted about it. :-)

    One friendly question, though:
    How would you solve the conflict of running too many private conversations with all your ‘new’ tweeter friends and not losing interest from other followers?
    (Hint: as a follower it is quite annoying.)

    I only mean well, if you find a solution for that it might worth a post :-)
    All the best and Shana Tova.

  14. Martha

    31. Oct, 2010

    So so helpful to a tech dinasaur like me!

    How do people who tweet for a living charge for their services?

  15. Mysticminds26

    10. Nov, 2010

    One of the best consolidation on twitter n tweeting. Thanx for consolidation so much, it’s a big effort n time consuming. I’ll retweet it to my ppl.
    @mysticminds26

  16. Eleonora

    06. Dec, 2010

    Again, a new great post, concise and precise ! Thanks again !

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. 4 Exceptional Bloggers You Don’t Know, Yet. « New Media Consulting Blog | Oren Todoros - September 1, 2010

    [...] has helped a lot over the years, but my record day was when I wrote a post that offered users a comprehensive Twitter guide. The post went viral on Twitter and had close to 1,000 tweets from key influencers on its first [...]
  2. Did Twitter Just Become Mainstream Thanks to Techmeme? | Mobile and Social Media - January 21, 2011

    [...] about Twitter a lot. In fact, I am pretty sure I wrote the Web’s most comprehensive guide on what to do and what not to do on Twitter. It has been a while since my last Twitter post, and there is a reason for that. The Twitter talk [...]
  3. Twitter and Social Media Mistakes that Drive Everyone Nuts | Mobile and Social Media - March 30, 2011

    [...] Social media  and the Web in general is always evolving, but as things stand today, there are some serious fundamental mistakes being made both in theory when it comes to how social media is perceived, as well as in practice. Anyone who has ever spent twenty seconds on Twitter has seen examples of all of the above. If you are new to Twitter and social media, or if you want a small refresh about the do’s and don’t's as well as a highlight of some of the leading tools and strategies, check out this complete guide to Twitter. [...]
  4. The Down Sides of Social Media! Yes, There are Some… | Mobile and Social Media - April 10, 2011

    [...] exposed to the power of social media.  Having said that, I think by now, that topic is pretty much covered from all angles. What is not covered and what people like to brush under the carpet, are the potential down sides [...]
  5. 6 Blatant Lies You Are Being Sold about Social Media | Mobile and Social Media - May 19, 2011

    [...] same problem applies to social media, and the buzz around this new platform is unparalleled and in my opinion, unwarranted (OK, maybe [...]
  6. 10 Modern Dilemmas Twitter Presents on a Daily Basis | Mobile and Social Media - June 2, 2011

    [...] 2: Thanking for a Retweet: One of the first things you will notice on Twitter is that everyone is really nice, seriously. People are much more willing to help each other out on Twitter than in real life, to the point that I have been asked on numerous occasions, why people are so responsive on Twitter, what is in it for them? This complicates things when someone retweets your tweet. If you do not know what I’m talking about, check out Everything You Need to Know about Twitter and Tweeting. [...]
  7. A List of Interviews with Superstars Made Possible by Twitter | Mobile and Social Media - June 17, 2011

    [...] up Twitter, wrote to the person asking for an interview, and the rest is history. If you are not on Twitter yet, you are missing out on great potential, no matter what you do in life. Building relationships [...]
  8. Fundstücke vom 12.07.2011 « daniel rehn – digitales & reales - July 12, 2011

    [...] Everything You Need to Know about Twitter and Tweeting Die Sammlung stammt zwar aus dem August letzten Jahres, ist aber nach wie vor mehr als hilfreich, wenn man Twitter erklären soll und nicht einfach nur „google das doch“ sagen mag. Die hinterlegten Quellen decken so ziemlich jeden Aspekt, der in den ersten Wochen und Monaten des Twitterns auftreten könnte, ab. – via @frischkopp [...]
  9. How to Get Ahead on Social Media (Minus the Buzz Words) | Mobile and Social Media - July 17, 2011

    [...] you can easily acquire the knowledge of how to use Twitter (start off by reading Everything you Need to Know about Twitter) or Google+, what is a little more difficult to learn are the skills needed to excel on these [...]
  10. How Social Media is Evolving Before our Eyes Thanks to Mobile Technology | Latest Technology News - July 18, 2011

    [...] aside all the buzz, the truth is that using these platforms whether it is Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, enables users to communicate and connect with people from around the world they would [...]
  11. 6 Blatant Lies You Are Being Sold about Social Media | crowdshifter - July 22, 2011

    [...] same problem applies to social media, and the buzz around this new platform is unparalleled and in my opinion, unwarranted (OK, maybe [...]
  12. Twitter: To Follow Back or not To Follow Back? How to Decide! | Mobile and Social Media - August 4, 2011

    [...] to use Twitter. Well, that is not entirely true, there are some wrong ways. There are also some right ways. Having said that, everyone uses it for their own purpose and in their own way. The methods I use [...]
  13. Five Ways Twitter Imitates Real Life | Mobile and Social Media - October 16, 2011

    [...] the @, #, and abbreviations (RT, DM, etc), and I have written a pretty comprehensive guide called Everything you Need to Know about Twitter and Tweeting. Having said that, I think Twitter and possibly the social web in general can be summed up in one [...]
  14. Five Ways Twitter Imitates Real Life - November 10, 2011

    [...] the @, #, and abbreviations (RT, DM, etc), and I have written a pretty comprehensive guide called Everything you Need to Know about Twitter and Tweeting. Having said that, I think Twitter and possibly the social web in general can be summed up in one [...]
  15. Four Unfortunate Ways Twitter Is Killing Tweetdeck | Mobile and Social Media - December 12, 2011

    [...] Twitter, as a company, has made its share of mistakes over the years. These include implementing its own retweeting system that makes it significantly more difficult to see how many people retweeted you and who they are (not to mention the fact that when I use the Twitter retweet, I can’t add my two cents to the original tweet, it all kind of defeats the purpose), the Twitter URL shortening service, which seems to break more links than it shortens, or many others. But the good news was that with all these issues, I always had Tweetdeck to fall back on. Then Twitter bought Tweetdeck. [...]
  16. Finally Joined Twitter? Please PLEASE Don’t Make These Mistakes | Mobile and Social Media - January 18, 2012

    [...] if you are new to Twitter, I highly recommend you read this complete Twitter guide I have written on how to get started. It includes tips on what to do, what not to do, who to [...]
  17. How Pinterest Will Play A Major Role in the App Discovery World of 2012 - January 20, 2012

    [...] have a problem. I don’t learn from my mistakes. Let me explain. When Twitter launched and people started telling me I need to get on this new micro blogging platform, I, like [...]
  18. You Know You’re a Geek When… (VIDEO) - January 26, 2012

    [...] of the geeky references in the video include Twitter, Pinterest, Foursquare, TechCrunch, Leweb, Ashton, Tumblr, Quora, Instagram, Pandora, iPhone, [...]
  19. You Know You’re a Geek When… (VIDEO) | Android - January 26, 2012

    [...] [...]
  20. How Pinterest Will Play A Major Role in the App Discovery World of 2012 - March 27, 2012

    [...] have a problem. I don’t learn from my mistakes. Let me explain. When Twitter launched and people started telling me I need to get on this new micro blogging platform, I, like [...]
  21. Twitter for Futurists #apf #futrchat #socialmedia - April 24, 2012

    [...] For more detail, here’s a basic list , @mashables tips, twitter.com’s best practices, and Forbes business tips will fill you in on any other questions, like what’s a retweet (rt) or a # hashtag. If you’re giddy for more, then check my mega-list of links or this list of good articles.   [...]
  22. You Finally Started Tweeting? Great! Here is the Only Tip You Need to Know | Mobile and Social Media - May 14, 2012

    [...] is why I find myself sending people this guide at least once a day. It is a lot of reading but it covers all topics pertaining to Twitter and [...]

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner