Getting Started on Your Tweets

By April 17th, I would like for my COM 130 students to have a Twitter account, and be familiar with how it works. On that day, the Keyword Search Assignment will be about social media. As a media professor, I feel I would be doing you a disservice if you did not understand Twitter by the end of the semester.

I'm giving you some lead time, because, unlike Facebook or Myspace, Twitter takes some time to really get involved with and understand. You'll need to check in on the "tweets" from the folks you've chosen to follow for a while. You'll need to understand "replies", and ways to "brand" your tweets.

Here's a short video featuring Twitter creator Evan Williams on how Twitter evolved. It's from TedTalks (one of my favorite websites, by the way):



While there's no shortage of Twitter information available online, I've selected a few websites and articles I think you'll find helpful. I hope they help you get started on your Twitter journey:

PCMag's Top 10 Twitter Tips for Beginners

Twitip - a blog dedicated to using Twitter

Problogger's 35 Twitter Tips from 35 Twitter Users

Once you set up your account, look for me @jillfalk. Then, check out who my followers are and start adding familiar names. Good luck my Tweeps!