Can we talk about Twitter?

[lady lib]

I've had an account for about 2 1/2 years but only in the last week actually started using it - so I'm still in the learning stage.

How do you increase the number of people who actually read your posts? I saw someone describe it as "yelling in a room full of people where nobody is listening to you unless you have a large number of followers." That's just what it feels like! I suppose I could put a bunch of # and @ in the posts to link them to a larger audience, but that seems kind of desperate. Is it?

Also, is there any way for DU'ers to support each other on Twitter?

[hibbing]

1. I use it

I don't post hardly at all, I just follow a whole bunch of different kinds of people. I'm not checking my feed every second of the day so I miss a lot. It is great for live information from people on the ground at big news events.


I am not sure how many people on here use it.


Peace

[lady lib]

8. That was me until recently.

I loved just going in and soaking up the news from everywhere - quietly and anonymously. Once our Madam President is sworn in (whew!) and all the Trump hilarity/stupidity is over, I'll probably go back to mostly just reading.

[qnr]

2. Basically just take it slow.

Look for conversations and interests that intrigue you. Add those users and interact with them.
My more commercial one is https://twitter.com/WitsThe ( @WitsThe ) but I do all of my personal stuff on it too if you want to connect.

[lady lib]

4. Good advice, and holy Moses you have a lot of followers!

I'm clicking follow and adding myself to the crowd now. If you want to follow back with whatever account you use for political posts, that would be great!

[qnr]

5. I've added you back.

This is the account I use for political posts. However, I also use it for Atheism posts, and intactivism (anti-circumcision) posts, if that's likely to bother you.

[lady lib]

7. Not a problem and looking forward to reading your posts.

Thank you!

[NightWatcher]

3. Find people you like, follow them and respond to their tweets

It takes a while but they may respond.

Tweet about events or hobbies and use hashtags that others are using.

There is an DU Twitter handle @demunderground

I follow a lot of accounts for news, sports, and snarky comedians.

I started using it years ago when I started tweeting out reports from the Gulf during the BP Oil Disaster years ago.

[lady lib]

9. Solid advice, thanks.

Any recommendations for snark or news?

[lady lib]

6. You all can find me at

@daizydoodles

I'm pretty much all politics, all the time, except for an occasional cute puppy break.

[Fla Dem]

10. I use twitter as just another news feed. I follow certain reporters, pundits politicians news shows

but I also follow actors(actress) I like and are progressively active and my sports teams. I don't use it much to make comments and not at all to broadcast any personal information. The less out there about who I am, and what I do the better. Not even on facebook and frankly don't want a lot of followers. If someone follows me who I don't know, I block them. That may come across as paranoid, but so be it.

I really like twitter for the instantaneous reactions to event happenings. Here's a partial list of some those I follow. Don't expect any of them to follow you back.

Progressively Active Actors
@PattyArquette
@_juliannemoore
@DebraMessing

Government
@POTUS (Pres Obama)
@BarackObama
@FLOTUS (Michelle Obama)
@VP (Joe Biden)
@HillaryClinton
@elizabethforma (E.Warren)
@NancyPelosi

Reporters and Pundits
@MSignorile
@bobcesca_go
@EricBoehlert
@mtomasky
@KarlFrisch
@DavidCornDC
@samsteinhp
@ezraklein
@joanwalsh
@KeithOlbermann
@JoyAnnReid

News
@MSNBC
@cnnbrk (CNN Breaking News)
@CNN

[femmocrat]

11. I'm like lady lib.

I started to follow the political news on twitter. I don't really know how to "use" it though.

What is the difference between # and @ ?

[lady lib]

13. Here you go from the twitter glossary..

A hashtag is any word or phrase immediately preceded by the # symbol. When you click on a hashtag, you'll see other Tweets containing the same keyword or topic.

The @ sign is used to call out usernames in Tweets: "Hello @twitter!" People will use your @username to mention you in Tweets, send you a message or link to your profile.

https://support.twitter.com/articles/166337

[femmocrat]

14. Thank you.

So @ is only for people?

[lady lib]

16. As far as I know, yes.

[Phentex]

12. People follow me and I'm not sure why...

I got an account to keep up with local happenings, restaurants and school stuff. Then I followed some city accounts and some writers. I signed up for a few about pets and they got banned for spamming. But at least once every couple of weeks, I get a notification that someone else is now following me. I think I've tweeted or retweeted about 10 times total so I have no idea why someone wants to follow me. And I don't always follow the people who are following me.

I do remember that one of my first tweets was about a sidewalk and I got a mean tweet in response from someone I didn't know. Weird.

But a word of caution: I started following a favorite author and discovered I don't really care for the "real life" side of this person. They seem very shallow.

[femmocrat]

15. I did discover that you can block "followers"!

I don't know why anyone would follow me either. Maybe they were just trying to sell me something.

[lady lib]

17. You can mute them, too.

I have this one follower who likes to argue with people - constantly. It was stressing me out. What I don't know is if they can see that I've muted them.

After 2 1/2 years I went through my followers and found a couple that were porn so they got blocked.

[lady lib]

18. You too?

Early on I had like 30 followers and I'd say to my husband, "There are people following me and I have no idea why!" Not that I'm complaining, it was just weird.

I followed Anne Rice early on and discovered she's a huge Hillary fan.

[electron_blue]

19. short version: use hashtags until you have follower base

It took me a year to build up to several thousand followers, and now it's much easier to reach people. While getting started, use #s because many people use them to find others. It's not desperate. Focus - don't post on everything. Pick no more than 5 topics to post on, follow those who tweet similar topics, learn from them, unfollow them later if you want, engage in conversation with others.

[lady lib]

20. Okay, will do.

I don't use hashtags very much, but will add them in. Other than using the ones I see in other people's posts, is there a list of them somewhere?

[MrScorpio]

21. Pick an interest and start following other people who share that same interest

If they're cool, they'll follow you back.

I have over 1,300 Twitter followers.

[lady lib]

22. And now you have one more. Hi.

For the most part people have been very cool about following back.

[MrScorpio]

23. And I just followed you back

That's how it's worked for me.

[TexasBushwhacker]

24. Responding to others post can get you followers n/t

[LWolf]

25. I have an account that I don't know how to use.

I can't remember a password. I signed up on my computer when it first appeared, many years before my first smart phone. I never knew what to do with it, what the point was supposed to be, or what the mysterious hashtag was for. I still don't.

So I'll read through this thread to see if I'll ever find a reason to actually learn to use the account I've never used.

Edited to add: why do I want to "follow" someone? Is this like FB but with shorter posts? When and where would I look for posts?

[lady lib]

27. You can go to Twitter's help center

for directions on resetting your password or you can start a new account.

Follow anyone who you think is interesting enough that you'll want to see their posts.

You'll understand the hashtag pretty soon after you start using Twitter again.

[Orrex]

26. Twitter is a great way to receive high velocity ad content

I've made several attempts at using it, and I've found it to offer me nothing of value.

#crankyoldbastard

[lady lib]

28. Thanks everyone. I've been using everyone's suggestions

and they worked! They've gotten the ball rolling.

You guys are great. Much appreciated!

[Wolf Frankula]

29. Twitter? Isn't that a chat room for birds?

n/t

Wolf

[OriginalGeek]

30. I follow a lot of news and entertainment people but

the only time I ever post is when I'm playing #hashtagwars during @Midnight.

some day. Some day I'll get one of mine on screen during the next show.

Follow a lot of people and some will follow you back.

Post some things and hashtag them with things that relate. I mean, don't post "Trump is a dummy!" and then #Britneyspears. I nearly never tag a real person unless I specifically want them to (possibly) read it and even then almost always only if it's someone I actually know.

Some celebs like to play on twitter though and as long as you aren't being a dick it's perfectly fine to tag them and sometimes they even reply. I like to follow Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: Next Generation) because he's funny and a nice guy. And I'm a nerd. Comedienne Nikki Glaser once "liked" one of my tweets. I'm practically famous.