Tips for Using Twitter

The @ sign

Placing the @ sign in front of someone’s Twitter handle (with no spaces) ensures that the user in question will

see your tweet. This sign can be used in one of two ways:

1) If someone’s Twitter handle is the first thing you type in a tweet, only that user and the people who follow

both you and that user will see your tweet in their timelines. In Twitter “grammar,” a handle at the beginning

of a tweet is akin to addressing that user directly. For example, the tweet shown below should be read as the

AACR speaking directly to the user @theNCI:

2) If you want to begin a tweet with a Twitter handle without directly addressing the user, place a period before the

user’s handle, as in the tweet shown below. Otherwise, try to place at least one word in front of the handle.

The tweet from @AACR above would be seen by all of the @AACR’s followers, regardless of whether

they follow @CancerTodayMag. The tweet would also be seen by @CancerTodayMag, regardless of

whether that user follows @AACR.

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Hashtags (#)

The pound sign, known in Twitter as the hashtag, is used to tag a tweet with a searchable keyword. Tags can be

general or very specific. For example, adding #cancer to a tweet will make that tweet searchable for people

looking for tweets about the disease or the astrological sign. During the 2012 EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, people added #ENA2012 to talk about the meeting.

The hashtag for the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 is #AACR and should be included in your tweets

about the meeting.

Whenever possible, try working a hashtag into the content of your tweet to save characters. (For

example, “I’m on my way to D.C. for the #AACR Annual Meeting.”)

If a hashtag cannot easily be worked into the content of a tweet, it is usually placed at the end of a tweet.

(For example, “I’m looking forward to hearing Frank McCormick speak today. #AACR”)

Hashtags can include letters and numbers, but no other characters. Adding any other types of characters

will break the tag.

Retweets (RT)

Retweets, or sharing someone else’s tweet with your followers, can be used to spread information, comment on

a conversation or even say “thank you” without actually thanking someone. You do not have to follow or be

followed by someone to retweet that user’s tweet, but retweeting others’ tweets is often a good way to attract

new followers. If you see a tweet you would like to share with your followers, you can retweet it by clicking on

the tweet (or the “Expand” link directly below the tweet) to select the tweet and then click “Retweet.” You’ll be

asked to either confirm the retweet, or cancel it.

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Tweets that have been retweeted by someone you follow will appear on your timeline, even if you do not follow

the user who originally sent the tweet. This type of tweet will look like the one shown below.

If you’d like to add your own comment to a tweet (using a computer*), copy the entire tweet and paste it, with

the RT prefix and the user’s handle, after your comment.

Alternately, you can add your comment to a retweet (using a computer*) by copying the entire tweet and

pasting it within quotation marks including the user’s handle and a colon. When using this style, your comment

can be placed either before or after the original tweet’s content.

*Retweets are slightly different when using a mobile device. The exact method varies depending on the

platform you use, but in general you will have the option to add a comment to a retweet without having to copy

and paste.

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Conversing on Twitter

Whether you’d like to initiate a conversation or are responding to someone, all Twitter conversations rely upon

including in each tweet the @ sign followed by a Twitter handle (with no spaces). You can start a conversation

with someone by composing a tweet that begins with @ and the user’s Twitter handle (see page 9 of “Setting

Up a Twitter Account” for information on composing a tweet). Once you type @ and begin to type the user

handle, Twitter will automatically show you a drop-down menu of handles you follow that match what you’ve

begun to type. If you do not follow the person you’d like to chat with, you can continue to type the full handle.

You can also start a conversation by navigating to the profile page of the user to whom you’d like to tweet. One

way to do this is by searching for the user’s name or handle in the search bar at the top of the page.

On the left side of the user’s profile, toward the top of the page, there is a text box prepopulated with the user’s

handle. You can type your tweet in this box and click “Tweet” to send it to the user.

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If someone has sent you a tweet, you can click on “Reply” to send that user a response (see “Finding Your

Recent Interactions,” below, to learn how to see when other Twitter users have interacted with you). Twitter

will automatically populate your response with the handle of the user to whom you are responding. If more than

one user is mentioned in the original tweet, the additional handle(s) will also auto-populate in your response.

Finding Your Recent Interactions

Click on “Connect” in the toolbar at the top of the page. This leads you to the “Interactions” screen displaying

recent follows, retweets and mentions (when someone includes your handle in a tweet). If you only want to see

tweets that mention you, switch to the “Mentions” screen using the menu at the left side of your screen.

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Favorites

If you see a tweet that you like but do not want to retweet, you can bookmark it as a favorite. You can reference

your favorite tweets at any time, but keep in mind that other Twitter users can see your favorite tweets as well.

To mark a tweet as a favorite, click on the tweet or hover your mouse over it. Several action options will

appear; click “Favorite.”

The favorite tweets of any non-private user can be viewed by navigating to that user’s profile (see page 4,

“Conversing on Twitter,” for help with navigating to a profile). In the menu on the upper left side of the profile,

select “Favorites.”

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Direct Messages (DM)

If you’d like to send a private message to a Twitter user who follows you, you can send a direct message. (You

can only send a DM to users that follow you.)

To send a DM, select the gear icon at the top of the page and click on “Direct Messages.”

Your DM inbox will appear. Click “New message” to begin composing a message.

A pop-up labeled “Direct messages > New” will appear. In the first text box, type @ and the handle of the

Twitter user to whom you’d like to send a message. In the second, larger text box, type your message. When

you are finished, click “Send message.” Please note that you cannot attach a photo to a DM.

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Alternately, you can navigate to the user’s profile and click the envelope icon located beneath the header photo.

Your inbox will appear, and you can draft a DM taking the same steps as described above.

Character Counts

Although you are allowed a maximum 140 characters per tweet, we recommend trying to use no more than 120

characters whenever possible. The remaining 20 characters will make retweets easier for others, especially if

they want to add a comment to the retweet.

Sharing Links

Twitter will automatically shorten any URL you add to your tweet. However, you may prefer to use a URL

shortening tool, as these may use fewer characters. A URL shortening tool provides a very short link that

redirects to your intended website. Most URL shortening tools also allow you to track the number of clicks your

link receives. Some Twitter apps, such as HootSuite, include native URL shortening tools. You can also use a

service like bit.ly or to.ly to shorten URLs.

Warning: If you use a tool create a shorter URL, it’s best to copy the new URL and paste it into your tweet.

Typing the URL could lead to a typo that could potentially lead your users to inappropriate content.