Learn how to start using Twitter by following this simple guide to setting up your account, adding your first posts and creating your network.

	Go to search.twitter.com and search for a subject that interests you	Tip: Get familiar with how Twitter works before you signup
	Go to http://twitter.com and click the “Get Started-Join” button.
	Enter your details and choose your username then click “Create my account”.	Tip: Avoid using all capital letters, underscores & pseudonym’s (unless relevant.)
	Now you can check to see if any of your contacts have a Twitter account by searching your Internet email account’s address book.	Tip: You can skip this step by clicking the “Skip this step” link under the “Continue” button.
	A list of suggested Twitter users will appear as an introduction to following people. Select who you would like to add or click the “Skip this step” link.	Tip: “Following” is similar to becoming a “Friend” on Facebook. It adds a user to your network and you will be able to “follow” their update posts.
	Success! You’ve created your account. Now, setup your profile by clicking “Settings” and fill out your profile completely.	Tip: A complete profile gives others a snapshot of your identity of a person. It will introduce yourself to others and encourage relevant people to follow you.
	Add a photo to your profile by clicking “Picture” and uploading an appropriate image.	Tip: If your image fails to appear upon your first try check that the image is less than 700k and in .jpg or .png format then try again.
	Before you start building your network add 10 posts to your account	Tip: Post interesting links to articles or videos you’ve seen recently or insightful updates about your day.
	Start building your network using search.twitter.com and by following people who your primary network follow.	Tip: Think of your network as quality over quantity. Aim to make real connections to discover the value of Twitter
	Remember - Give and you will receive.	Tip: Add value to your follower’s day and they’ll more then likely return the favour.

For a complete, illustrated guide to signing up and getting started with Twitter please purchase the “Using Twitter for Business” e-book.

Once you’ve started using Twitter you will find that Twitter has its own unique language and functions. All the essential information below answers the most common questions you will have.

Twitter FAQs

Q) What does @ mean?
A) The @ symbol is used when you want to reply or refer to a particular user. To reply to someone place the @ symbol before their username. E.g to reply to me on Twitter you would write @clarelancaster.

Q) What is a DM?
A) DM refers to Direct Message. It is a private messaging function used in Twitter that is also limited to 140 characters or less.

Q) Why do people write RT?
A) RT stands for Re-tweet. Use it when you want to share a message that you have received with your network. It is etiquette to credit the source with RT @username then their message. HT (hat tip) can also be used in this instance if you are quoting someone and adding your own message also.

Q) Are all my posts public?
A) Yes. All of your posts are public unless you have selected “Protect my updates” in your setting options.

Q) Why do people use the # symbol in their posts?
A) The # symbol is used to tag a subject or event in a relevant post. It becomes useful when searching Twitter to see the latest information and posts on that topic.

Q) How do I know if someone has mentioned me to get my attention?
A) To find out if someone has directed a post to you or re-tweeted your post you can click on @username link under the “home” tab on the right hand side under your profile.

Q) Why do the links look different?
A) You’ll see links in your Twitter that look like this - http://tinyurl.com/dzyrbw. There are tools available that will shorten a URL so that it contains fewer characters - making it easy to add a message plus a link to your post. A popular tool for doing this is Tiny URL.

Related information: Twitter Etiquette | How to use Twitter for Business