A 2019 Guide to Twitter

I wrote my first  Guide to Twitter and Tweet Chats in August 2013 prior to the first #gyncsm (Gyn Cancer Social Media ) chat. This post updates that information and is in line with the current layout and usage of Twitter.

What is Twitter?  How do I get a Twitter account?

Twitter is an online social media networking site.  People who use Twitter write text messages known as “Tweets”. In 2017, Twitter raised the character limit from 140 characters to 280 characters for each tweet.

Go to twitter.com to set up an account. You will be asked to choose a twitter name and a password. People follow me on twitter at @womenofteal.  You will be asked to fill in a profile so you may add a brief description of yourself and your interests. Remember the default setting on Twitter is Public, so anything you post on Twitter will be public and available to the entire “tweetersphere”. In other words anyone, even if a person does not have a Twitter account, can read what you wrote. 

 

You can set up a protected account but you have to approve each and every one of your followers. In this case your tweets and comments are only visible to those you have approved. Check out the Help Center pages of Twitter for how to set up an account.

Once you have an account you can follow the tweets of people, companies and organizations you are interested in. You can browse categories or search for the name of the person or company you want to follow. Once you find their Twitter page just click on the “Follow” button.

What is on my Home Page?

On your Home page you will see tweets by the accounts you follow and in the column on the right side you will find suggestions of who to follow and current trends. On the menu on the top of the page you will see a house (your home page), a # (trending hashtags), a bell (notifications), an envelope (direct messages),  a search box and your photo with your name ( links to your profile page).  

 

On the # page you will see the trending hashtags in the country you reside. You will also see current news tweets as well tweets from categories based on who you follow. In my case I see Health Care News. 

If you click on the bell icon you will be brought to your notifications page. This page will show you all tweets in which your handle was used including tweets that were "loved" and retweeted. The mentions column shows all tweets that replied to one of your tweets. 

When you click on the envelope icon you are brought to the message page. On this page you can message a person privately. The person you are messaging has to follow you in order to have the message system work.

What is a hashtag ?
A hashtag is a word or phrase( no spaces) preceded by a # that identifies a topic. I post many things with #ovca which stands for ovarian cancer and #gyncsm ( gyn cancer social media). The hashtag #gyncsm stands for Gynecologic Cancer Social Media. If you search that hashtag you will see what others are posting about gynecologic cancers. You can add information, share links, and be part of the community of women diagnosed with gynecologic cancers ( ovarian, endometrial , uterine, vulvar, GTC, fallopian tube, primary peritoneal). We invite patients, survivors, families, caregivers, researchers,  and health care providers to join the conversation.  On the second Wednesday of the month the community will meet at the same time 9pm ET to discuss different topics.

 

Basic Tweeting:

 

What if I want to send a Tweet to my followers?  

On the lower right of the Twitter page you will see a blue oval with a +, a feather quill and the word Tweet.  Click on that button and a blue box will appear and asks "What's Happening". Click in the box and start typing. At the bottom right you will see a + . When you click on that you may add a photo ( mountain icon), gif, or a poll ( bar chart icon) to your Tweet. 

 

What if I want to reply to what someone wrote in a Tweet? 

Click the talk bubble on the bottom left of the Tweet and type what you want to say. A list of who you are replying to appears above the area where your text appears.

What if I want to share an interesting Tweet with those that follow me? 

Just click on the clockwise arrows (second icon from the left) at the bottom of the original tweet.  A box will appear that lists the options Retweet, Retweet with Comment, or Cancel. Retweet will share the original tweet. Retweet with Comment allows you to write text including hashtags and by clicking on the + at the bottom of the Tweet allow you to add a photo ( mountain icon), gif, or a poll ( bar chart icon) to the original Tweet.

What is on my profile page? 
Your profile page includes a cover photo as well as a profile photo along with a short bio.  The menu bar shows Tweets, Tweets and Replies, Media ( those Tweets which include photos or video) and Likes ( the Tweets of others that you liked by clicking on the heart ).

What are lists? 

A Twitter list is a group of Twitter accounts that is curated. I own a few different lists which are groups which I created of accounts that are related to specific topic. You can add to an account to a  list when you follow an account. I have a list for cancer centers which is public but I also have a few private lists for important contacts, cancer doctors etc.

 

Now you are all set to join Twitter.  I hope you to see your tweets at #gyncsm. 

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing!

Now Let’s Chat – A Guide to Twitter and Tweetchat – Part II

Second in a two part series. A Guide to Twitter and Tweetchat Part I  was posted August 22, 2013. Updated 8/29/13.

Hopefully you have spent some time on Twitter and are feeling a bit more comfortable sending, reTweeting and favoriting Tweets. Now let’s get ready to take part in a chat.

What is a Tweetchat?

A Tweetchat is a virtual gathering of people discussing a particular subject. Using a hashtag helps identify the tweets that belong to the discussion. We will use #gyncsm in each chat. The conversation happens in real time and can take place at a fast pace. As with any tweet the character limit is 140 characters.

The first time I joined the #BCSM (breast cancer social media) chat, I searched for #bscm on twitter and followed along. I wrote some tweets but I forgot to use the hashtag twice and had to type in the tweets again with #bcsm . It was a bit of a challenge remembering and following along with the questions and comments.

So I researched Tweetchats and found that there were sites that were set up to make it easier to follow along and join in during a chat. The sites automatically add the hashtag to each tweet you write. I use Tweetchat (http://tweetchat.com/).

All you  have to do is go to the site, sign in with your Twitter account  and enter #gyncsm in the “Hashtag to follow” box. When the page opens you will see a box at the top of the page where you enter your tweet. Below that you will see all the tweets in the chat room. You can set the rate at which the chat window refreshes, the character size on the page and reTweet and reply all from one page.  

Others use Hootesuite (https://hootsuite.com/signup?planId=1 ) or Tweetdeck. (http://tweetdeck.com/). Feel free to check them out. I recommend that if you use those other sites you don’t wait till the night of the chat to sign up for the site otherwise you might miss some of the chat.

So what happens on chat night?

The #gyncsm will take place on the second Wednesday of the month at 9pm EST. Our first chat will occur on September 11, 2013.

A few minutes before the 9pm EST start sign in to Tweetchat or the site you prefer. You will see that some of us have already tweeted using the hashtag to remind our followers to join us.

Our #gyncsm Chat Format

Introductions  (9:00-9:10 pm EST)

All moderators will introduce themselves. We will then ask those who feel comfortable doing so to introduce themselves. Don’t worry if you feel like just “eavesdropping” on the conversation that is ok. You can always tweet us (@gyncsm) or e-mail us (gyncsm@gmail.com) with questions/comments after the chat is over.

Questions/ Discussion (9:11- 9:49pm EST)

Each chat will have a specific discussion topic.  The moderators will be prepared to share links that relate to our night’s topic. The discussion will revolve around 3 questions or comments regarding the night’s topic.  As we post each topic /question everyone is invited to comment. We ask that you be sure to use T1,T2 &  T3 in your reply so that we know which Topic you are responding to. 

In the future we may have special guests (authors, researchers or social workers) join us for a chat so the format may be modified for those occasions. We have put together a list of topics for discussion but feel free to let us know what topics you would like to talk about by sending a tweet (@gyncsm) or 

e-mail us (gyncsm@gmail.com).

We will have physicians and other medical professionals join us as moderators during the chats.  Please  refrain from asking them questions about your own personal health issues.  Rather jot those questions down and call or speak to your doctor at your next visit. 

Summary /Closing Remarks (9:50- 10:00pm)

During this time we will review the discussion and ask you to share what you learned by using "TIL"- Today I learned in the tweet. We will also remind you of the date / time and topic of our next chat. 

Chat Tips

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are new to chats:

·      As with all tweets, you are only allowed 140 characters per tweet.

·      I realize that the pace may be quick at times with participants commenting but please don’t be discouraged. You can scroll back in the conversation to catch up.  We hope to make a transcript of the chat available.

·      Please try to stay on topic. Side conversations are distracting and will make a crowded discussion more difficult to follow.

·      Try to keep retweets to a minimum so that the discussion can flow smoothly. 

·      The chat is not the place to promote your project / book / event/ fundraiser. We know you are all doing wonderful things please feel free to share with all after the chat is completed.

·      Be mindful that although we may all be dealing with a gynecologic cancer the experiences we have may not be  the same.  Please do not criticize another’s treatment decision.

We hope you will let us know what we can do to make this a supportive, welcoming and informative chat.  

A special thank you to the ladies of #bcsm for being a model of  how a successful chat is run.

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing!

A Guide to Twitter and Tweetchats- Part I

In anticipation of the new #gyncsm chat in September I will be writing posts that will provide a short guide to Twitter and tweetchats.

What is Twitter?  How do I get a Twitter account?

Twitter is an online social networking site.  People who use Twitter write text messages known as “Tweets”. There is a limit of 140 characters for each tweet.

If you don’t have a twitter account just go to twitter.com to set up one. You will be asked to choose a twitter name and a password. People follow me on twitter at @womenofteal.  You are asked to fill in a profile so you may add a brief description of yourself and your interests. Remember everything you post on Twitter will be out there for the entire “tweetersphere” to read. The default setting on Twitter is Public. In other words anyone even if they don’t have a Twitter account can read what you wrote. You can set up a protected account but you have to approve each and every one of your followers and your tweets and comments are not visible to those you haven’t approved. Check out the Help Center pages of Twitter for how to set up an account.

Once you have an account you can follow the tweets of people, companies and organizations you are interested in. You can browse categories or search for the name of the person or company you want to follow. Once you find their Twitter page just click on the blue “Follow”.

On your Home page you will see tweets by the accounts you follow. On your @connect page you will see tweets you are mentioned in, when your tweets are favorited and when your tweet is retweeted (more about that later). On the #Discover page you will see tweets tailored to what topics/ people you follow. On the Me page you see all the tweets you have sent. From your Me page you can send a private message to people you follow, see how many people follow you, change your profile, etc.

You can browse through tweets in the feed on your Home or Discover pages. But what if you see something that interests you or someone asks a question that you want to answer?

If you want to make a comment or answer a question you just hit “reply” in the original tweet.

Remember only 140 characters are allowed and that includes the characters in the account name you are replying to.

Twitter seems at times to have its own vocabulary..  What if you want to share an interesting tweet with those that follow you? Just click on retweet in the original tweet.  RT  will appear in the body of the tweet you post.

What if you want to share a tweet but you want to comment or add to it?

You use MT (ModifiedTweet) in the body of your tweet. This abbreviation lets others know that you changed the original tweet. When would you want to do this? I use it if I want to add a hashtag or comment and/or when I exceed the 140 characters.

Hashtag # ? What is #? A hashtag is a topic people add to their tweets. I post many things with #ovca which stands for ovarian cancer. If I go to the search box and put in #ovca I will see what others are sharing about ovarian cancer. When Superstorm Sandy hit my state last year I would follow #Sandy to see tweets about the electric grid, gas lines, recovery efforts, donation sites etc.

The hashtag #gyncsm stands for Gynecologic Cancer Social Media. If you search that hashtag you will see what others are posting about gynecologic cancers.. You can add information, share links, and be part of the community of women diagnosed with gynecologic cancers ( ovarian, endometrial , uterine, vulvar, GTC, fallopian tube, primary peritoneal). We also invite their families, caregivers and health care providers to join the conversation.  On the second Wednesday of the month the community will meet at the same time 9pm EST to discuss different topics. More about how that will work in a future post. 

I hope you to see your tweets at #gyncsm. 

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing!