What is Twitter?

Twitter is a social media platform and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and receive short posts referred to as tweets, limited to 280-characters. Twitter defines itself as what is happening now. Users are able to report what is happening around the world in real-time making it a great source of current news. Though it’s a social media like the others, it is a unique platform and most people say that they struggled during their first days on Twitter. Twitter has a language of its own, and by understanding it, you can grow your account or brand easily.

What is Twitter lingo?

Twitter lingo or language is the combination of the vocabulary and slang words used to describe on the describing the users, functions, or the service. How you apply the lingo can determine the outcome of your goal on the platform be it to grow your account or brand, or to make sales. Below is a sneak peek into Twitter’s language/lingo.

Tweet

A tweet refers to a message posted by a Twitter user on the platform. Tweets can only be in the form of text, photos, videos, or a link. Twitter says that a tweet can be used as a noun or a verb. Remember without a tweet there’s no Twitter it makes up the whole platform experience.

Follow/Following

Once you join Twitter, you will need to grow an audience or get people to share with. A follow or following refers to the people (Twitter users) whom you are following. You will be able to see updates of their activity on Twitter on your homepage. Remember that when you follow someone it’s not a must that they will see your updates, they must follow you back you to see your updates. So, you will see their updates but they can’t see yours. You follow a person by hoovering your cursor on their name and the follow button will show up or by searching their username or Twitter handle and clicking on follow.

Twitter Handle, Username

A Twitter handle is basically a username that those joining Twitter select (@username). Each handle is unique and cannot match others (Walker, 2021). Also, it contains a unique URL added after twitter.com URL (Http://twitter.com/username). If you search someone’s handle, you can click on follow button and you will become a follower of their account.

Follower (s)

A follower is a person who follows you on Twitter. They will be able to see your updates but it’s not a must you see theirs. You must be following them to see their updates as well. Followers are your direct audience on the platform, so remember to post the right content for your target audience or ensure your profile appeals to your target audience as it will determine the engagement on your account.

Engagement

Engagement refers to the conversations and relationships you form on Twitter. Engaging entails sharing (RT), talking(replies), listening, reacting(like), and mentioning (@usersname). Engagement is the most important metric for any user or account to observe. So, whatever move you make on your social media, ensure it is focused on creating engagement. Your Call to Action (CTA) should focus on generating engagement e.g., comment below, like, visit and follow my account.

@Mention

As we said the @icon appears before your username and very important in identifying or mentioning you on a tweet. Since the usernames are unique you can ensure the person you want to see a tweet sees. Twitter describes the @ as a means of getting the attention of others by mentioning their name (Speak the language of Twitter, n.d.). You just need to type @ and then select the person you want or type their name. A mention is one way of showing you are getting engagement.

Reply

A reply is a type of engagement with a tweet that you posted or wasposted by another user. You reply by clicking on the reply button. It automatically picks the other persons handle starting with @username.

Retweet

A retweet usually abbreviated as RT is a tweet that has been shared orresent by another user on Twitter. Retweet or retweeting is the act of sharing another person’s tweet to your audience. Retweeted tweets are very popular and gets the highest engagement levels.

#Hashtag

A hashtag is a keyword or phrase starting with the # symbol EXAMPLE: #Twitterism. Hashtags on social media are used as a means to popularize a topic. You do that by adding or creating an attractive title or keyword to your tweet because that determines whether people will like it and use it. People who agree with your topic of discussion will add the hashtag #Twitterism on their posts, and soon it will be trending meaning more people will be able to see the tweet. If someone tries to search for a trending topic the hashtag makes it easy for them to find whatever they are looking for and every tweet that added the hashtag #Twitterism.

Here are some of the most popular Twitter lingo you should know either as a new user or someone who wants to grow on Twitter. I conducted a study on 35,647 Donald Trump tweets and the findings show that the lingo used in a tweet does impact engagement. Anyone who wishes to succeed on Twitter must learn how to use Twitter lingo properly for better chances of growing and achieving set campaign goals. To see a more elaborate explanation of the lingo and how it affects engagement, please order a copy of “Twitterism:  Raise Your Voice!” by Ravi Singh.

Reference

Speak the language ofTwitter | Twitter help.(n.d.). https://help.twitter.com/en/twitter-guide/twitter-101/speak-the-language-of-twitter-twitter-help

Walker, L. (2021, February 2). Learn tweeting slang: A Twitter dictionary. Lifewire. https://www.lifewire.com/twitter-slang-and-key-terms-explained-2655399

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