Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Twitter 101: Creating an Account

The regular Wednesday segment, 5 Easy Questions with..., will return next week.

Susan J. Reinhardt of Christian Writer/Reader Connection suggested a post on Twitter basics. Since I regularly receive e-mail and comments with questions about blogging, Facebook, and Twitter, I realized a post on this topic could benefit many people unsure of how to tweet.


Twitter is a fun, non-threatening, quick way to meet new people. Some of the manners we use in everyday life do not apply on Twitter. It's okay to jump into conversations with people you don't know, and you can follow anyone and not be considered a stalker. On the flip side, it's fine to not show up for days at a time, and if you never feel like saying a word, you don't have to. However, you'll find the experience more rewarding if you check in regularly.

Twitter excels at bringing together like-minded people for jags of conversation. It's easy to use, non-exclusive (you don't have to send a request to follow someone, and you don't have to follow anyone back), and full of information. People show up under their username, which always has an @ symbol before it. You would see my tweets under @jillkemerer. If I mention I desperately need coffee, you could tweet me back with a quick, @jillkemerer Here's a cup of joe!

All correspondence must take place in 140 characters or less, so think short and sweet. You can also link blog posts, websites, and any online article. Go ahead and create lists for friends, agents, publishers, even cat-lovers (yeah, I watch Must Love Cats and found a slew of people like myself; someone tweeted me "Whiskertastic!" and it's become my new favorite word).

Sounds good, right? But how do you get started?

I will take you step-by-step through creating an account and setting up a profile. First, head to Twitter. It's linked through a pop-up window for easy reference back to this post.

1. On the top, right-hand side, you'll see a New to Twitter box and a button to sign up.

2. Click on the Sign Up button.

3. Fill out the information: Full name, Username, Password, E-mail, and click on the terms of service agreement. Then click Create Account. **If you are a writer, use your author name as your username. This will help people find you from your other social sites. If you're already published, readers will search for you by your author name. Make it easy on them! If your name is taken, consider adding a middle initial or "author" to the end. Example: If jillkemerer had been taken, I could have used jillrkemerer or jillkemererauthor. Or I could have included underscores, Jill_Kemerer.**

Congratulations! You have an account!

Now I'll walk you through setting up your profile. At the top of the screen, you will see a search box, Home, Profile, Messages, Who to Follow, and your username. Click on Profile.
A new screen will appear. Click on the Edit Your Profile link.

1. An account page will show up. Read through and modify it to your taste.

2. Next to the account tab is a page to change your password if you desire.

3. Next to the password tab is a mobile tab to set up your phone to tweet. This is optional. I do not tweet from my phone, so I never filled this out.

4. Next to the mobile tab is a notifications tab. This determines which information you will be e-mailed about. If you want an e-mail to let you know you have a new follower, check the new followers box and so forth.

**Mine is set up to only notify me when I get a direct message. This keeps my in-box from filling up with needless information.**

5. Next to the notification tab is the profile tab. Click on this.

a. Upload a photo or gravatar of yourself in the Picture section. Don't use the generic egg--many spammers use this.

b. If you're comfortable including the region you live, add it. If you have a blog or website, add the URL. I linked my website because anyone can get to my blog through it. But if your website isn't updated regularly, you may be better off linking to your blog instead.

c. Fill out your bio. Think casual. This isn't a business profile. You want people to see what you're about and that you're a real person. Mine reads as follows:

Author of sweet, emotional, sparkling inspirational romance novels, encourager, coffee guzzler, obsessed with fluffy cats, and addicted to magazines


d. Click on the Save button at the bottom of the screen.


6. Next to the profile tab is the design tab. Choose the background you would like for your profile. You can also upload a custom background if you click on Change Background Image. Click on Change Design Colors to modify them. Save the information.


7. Next to the design tab is the connections tab. This will show any sites you've allowed to access your account. For instance, I have my blog posts fed into my account through Twitterfeed, so Twitterfeed shows up in this area.


Guess what? You're done! Now you can start using Twitter!


Tune in on Friday for Twitter 101: Beginner's Tips.


Have a terrific Wednesday!

24 comments:

  1. Great basics. I, um, posted about Twitter too but had advice for using hashtags. :)

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  2. Jill, you have great info! I hope you keep up the series. I like your easy, simple steps.

    Laura, I'll have to check out your blog on hashtags!

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  3. Okay, I just set mine up like three weeks ago but I rarely use it. I feel so technically-dumb with it. LOL This is great info here. I didn't know how to set up a background. Now I'll go look around.
    Thanks Jill!

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  4. Good morning!

    Laura: Fabulous! Twitter doesn't make sense to everyone, but learning how to use hashtags can go a long way to making it fun!

    Jessica P: Thank you! I will continue the series. :)

    Jessica N: I'll follow you! Yay! Twitter is so much fun when you get comfortable with it. You'll see many, many friends over there!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  5. Hi Jill .. thanks for this - really useful to have step-by-step instructions .. and the Beginner's suggestions on Friday .. no tricks please!! Cheers Hilary

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  6. Okay, too funny b/c this is what we were talking about yesterday! ;)

    And thanks for the double WW today. I felt the love two-fold!

    ~ Wendy

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  7. Hilary: Don't worry, I'm not a trickster! Just basic, simple information!

    Wendy: Heh-heh! You're very welcome. You might get triple. :)

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  8. The trickest thing for me with twitter, is I want to tweet on the fly, but can't with my phone. That will change soon, I hope! Great explaination on how to use it! Thanks!

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  9. Thank you for this informative post, Jill. Twitter is in my very near future. I will use your valuable tips that you’ve posted here. Thanks again.

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  10. Lynn: If you go to the notifications tab in the Edit Your Profile section, you should be able to add your mobile information. Have fun!

    Loree: It's super easy when you get the hang of it! I look forward to your tweets!

    Thank you so much for stopping by!

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  11. Jill,
    Thanks so much for this post. Last year, I set up a Twitter account to secure my name. (@susanpanzica) But I've been Twitter-phobic and haven't entered the fray yet. You've given me a gentle push to get back into it. My biggest worry is that once I get going it will be a time-suck. I'll need lots of self-discipline ;)
    Susan

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  12. Thanks for the Twitter basics, Jill. Looking forward to reading more on Friday.

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  13. Susan P: I like to jump on Twitter for a few minutes several times a day. Some days I spend 5 minutes, others 45 (if I see tons of great blog links!). It's the least time-consuming site for me!

    Brandi: You're welcome!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  14. I joined Twitter about a month ago, but I read all this over to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Hmm, I didn't use my real name for my @name, but I did put my real name WITH my account/profile. I do come up in a search, so I guess I'm okay. Hope so. I think I did everything else right though. ;o)

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  15. Brilliant post. I couldn't have said it better myself.

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  16. Thanks, Jill. I can always use more tips on all things technical. Appreciate the assist!

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  17. Carol: Yay, you took the plunge! I'll stop by later and follow you!

    P.W: Ha! You're way too kind!

    Patti: Me too. I'm always on the lookout for tips!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  18. I am loving twitter. People are so fun in one or two sentences! And hey! That's how I found you:)

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  19. Jill,
    I did a little research and realized I set up two Twitter accounts, one of which has one follower. And I sent your post over to my husband who wants to start tweeting. Thanks for being such a valuable resource! I shared your email and blogtips with my writers group a few weeks ago. All is much appreciated.
    Blessings,
    Susan
    ps - follow me at @sapanzica when I get started ;)

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  20. Jill,
    I did a little research and realized I set up two Twitter accounts, one of which has one follower. And I sent your post over to my husband who wants to start tweeting. Thanks for being such a valuable resource! I shared your email and blogtips with my writers group a few weeks ago. All is much appreciated.
    Blessings,
    Susan
    ps - follow me at @sapanzica when I get started ;)

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  21. Hi Jill -

    Thank you SO much for this tutorial. I'm reassured that:

    1) It isn't complicated.
    2) I can use it from my computer.
    3) It's the least time-consuming social media.

    I also appreciate the link. :)

    Blessings,
    Susan

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  22. I've been wrestling with Twitter for ages...I'm too shy to just ping a stranger, so I've found it more useful for chatting with people I already know. I just don't know that many people who use Twitter! :)

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  23. Thanks, Jill! I didn't know how to get onto Twitter, so you've saved me a ton of time explaining it!

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  24. I heard a statistic a year or so ago that a fairly huge percentage of people who join Twitter end up letting their accounts go inactive within so many months. A lot of people join for whatever reason but just don't bother to go. I'm kinda one of them. I use Facebook a LOT more. I just like the interface over there.

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