Exploring Twitter: From special terms to detailed explanations of functions
What is a Tweet?
On the Twitter platform, the messages posted by users are collectively called Tweets. The content of Tweet can be ordinary text information, or you can add multimedia elements such as pictures, videos, and links. It is worth noting that although Twitter once limited the length of Tweets to 140 characters, content such as usernames, photos, videos and initiated votes in Tweets are no longer counted in the character count, which means that users are posting Tweets have greater flexibility, making Twitter an ideal platform for account marketing and promotion.
The wonderful use of Hashtag
Hashtag is a tag formed by adding a “#” sign before a word or phrase. It is mainly used to mark the core topics of Tweets, and when users search for specific keywords, they can find all information containing the corresponding Hashtag. This mechanism is very effective for creating and promoting specific topics and increasing the popularity of keywords. In China, Sina Weibo also uses a similar “#” tag system.
Mention and private message functions
Mention refers to the use of the “@” symbol followed by the username in a Tweet. For example, “@小明”, this method is called “Aite” for someone, and is used to attract the attention of a specific user. For example, if you post the following Tweet: “@B is having dinner with me today,” then everyone who follows you will see this message in their Timeline. But if the Tweet starts with the “@” symbol, for example: “@B let’s go to dinner today”, then only users who follow you and @B at the same time can see the message, which makes such messages more private. Suitable for discussions within “small circles”.
In addition, Twitter also provides a Direct Message (DM, private message) function, allowing users to communicate with each other through short messages. However, it should be noted that only people who follow each other can send private messages.
The concept of attention and fans
In Twitter, following refers to the act of following someone. Once you follow a user, you can see all the messages posted by that user in your Timeline. Follower refers to the number of users who are following you, that is, your fans. Following indicates the number of users you are following.
The power of Retweet
Retweet (RT for short) refers to the act of forwarding other people’s Tweets through one’s own account. When your followers see the content of your Retweet, they will know it was shared by you and can see the source of the original Tweet. This feature helps information spread quickly and expand its influence.
Trending Topics: Track hot topics
Trending Topics (hot topics) refer to the topics currently being discussed most among Twitter users. These topics usually reflect the focus of events or phenomena that people around the world care about. By clicking on any hot topic, users can browse to the most popular Tweets on that topic. This feature helps users stay abreast of major events happening around the world.
List: customized information flow
List allows users to group other users based on different criteria. For example, you can create a list of all nonprofits and charities to make it easier to track relevant information. By subscribing to the list, users can focus on viewing Tweets of a certain category, thereby improving the efficiency of information acquisition.
Understanding the above-mentioned special terms and functions on the Twitter platform will help users integrate into this social network more quickly and make full use of its services.