Getting the most out of your 140 characters

Everyone has a preference towards a certain social media website or app. Whether you are all about poking your friends on Facebook, Instagram-ing your favorite meal, blogging on Tumblr, or squeezing all your thoughts into 140 characters on Twitter, we all tend to lean towards one or another. One of those social media outlets, however, has pioneered its way to the top.

Twitter has accumulated millions of users since being founded in 2004 and is continuing to tweet to the top. Paying homage Facebook’s popular status update feature, Twitter has created a way for people to quickly connect to one another with ease without all the extra applications.

The social media site gives its users an opportunity to communicate directly with other users who have opted to connect with them. In order for others to see what you write on your Twitter, they must follow you (and if your Twitter is set to private, they must be accepted or declined — sorry Mom and Dad). Therefore, Twitter allows its users to personally choose exactly whose tweets they view and gives them control over who can see what they tweet out. Want to see what an ex has been up to since your big break up? Check their Twitter feed! Want to get lunch with your four best friends? Tweet at them! Great, right?

Well that’s not all. Because of Twitter’s ability to make communication with mass audiences more personal, businesses have taken advantage of tweeting to innovate boundless marketing antics. Want to know what deals they currently have at the frozen yogurt shops around the block? Check out their tweets!  Due to only being able to use 140 characters per tweet, Twitter creates a quick and easy way to share information — making Twitter the powerhouse it is today.

Personally speaking, Twitter has not only helped me stay in the loop with all my friends from high school but has also been the chief tool I use to reach out to members of organizations I am involved in on my university’s campus. Twitter gives me constant access to let everyone know when I need to make sudden plan changes and also is a huge asset to our fundraisers. Through Twitter alone, I have been able to reach out to ten different associations to help support one of our fundraisers — doubling our number of participants.

If you are new to the Twitterverse, it can seem a bit daunting connecting with people at first, but let us help you on your path to Twitter success!

Here are some tips to help you connect with like-minded individuals on Twitter:

• Follow your friends — You will gain confidence in following people you do not already know this way!
• Look at who Twitter suggests — Twitter uses your basic information to help find people like you on Twitter
• See what’s trending — This is Twitter’s version of headlines and could spark your interest
• Search hashtags — If you love pizza, searching #pizza could connect you with people who share your pizza cravings and businesses who serve some quality pies
• Don’t be shy — Twitter is all about being able to express oneself and communicate with others

If you are new to Twitter, stay confident and remember your Twitter is based on whom you want to follow and your interests alone.  It’s a fun and easy way to connect with people who share the interests and places that you love.

All in all, Twitter has paved the way for social networking sites and has established an easier way to quickly communicate with the world around us. So whether you are new to the Twitterverse or an expert Tweeter, this social networking site is not one to miss.

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