The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter
This post is a 20-minute guide to Twitter for non-techies. (If you don’t know what Twitter is, you can start with my first post on the topic, Twitter-dee, Twitter-dum. If you still aren’t convinced, then read 12 Reasons to Start Twittering.)

Saturday night over dinner, I helped my friend, Karen Anderson, get started on Twitter. Yesterday, my son-in-law, Chris Crimmins, got started. He was having some difficulty getting his phone hooked up to Twitter. I thought, I wish I had a simple, step-by-step guide to give him.
It doesn’t take long to get set-up with Twitter, but it helps if you know the basics. So, I decided to document these eight basic steps:
Next, Twitter will give you a chance to see if some of your friends are on Twitter by checking your online address book. However, your contacts will have to be in one of the supported services: GMail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, or MSN.
This wasn’t that helpful to me initially, since most of my contacts reside in Microsoft Entourage 2008, the Mac equivalent of Outlook. However, I do have a GMail account, so I just exported my contacts from Entourage and then imported them into Gmail. It worked flawlessly. However, if you get stuck, forget this step. You can add your friends later.
I did NOT invite my friends to Twitter, but you may decide to do so. I just don’t like to get these kinds of invites, so I would rather not send them.
Tweak your settings. Make sure you are on your Twitter home page: http://Twitter.com/home. Click on the Settings link. Now enter your full name in the “Name†field. Make sure the “Time Zone†field is set correctly. Enter your location. Do not check “Protect my updates†unless you only want those whom you approve to be able to get your updates. Personally, if you check this, it will seriously limit the fun.
Now upload your picture. Verify that you have a digital photo of yourself on your computer. I have a 150 x 150 pixel headshot that I use for all social networking sites. (You can use iPhoto, Skitch, ImageWell, or any other photo editor to crop and size your image to the proper proportions.)
Assuming you are still on Twitter’s home page, click on the Settings link. Now click on the Picture tab, select your file, and then click the Save button.
Set up your phone. Twitter is much more fun if you connect it to your cell phone. By doing so, you can receive updates from those you are following (or just some of them) as well as send your own updates. It’s all done through text messaging (e.g., SMS).
However, be forewarned: While Twitter doesn’t charge anything for this service, your phone carrier might. It’s a good idea to check with them and make sure you are on an “unlimited text messaging plan.†You don’t want to be surprised with a giant phone bill.
Again, under the Settings link, click on the Devices tab. Enter your mobile phone number and click on the Save button. Now take your cell phone and text message the code Twitter gives you to 40404 (the number will be different if you are outside the U.S.). Then be patient. Eventually, Twitter will confirm to you that your device is registered.
Now, while still on your cell phone, set up a contact named “Twitter.†For the mobile phone number, use 40404. Now every time you want to send a Twitter update, you will send it to this contact name.
Follow some family or friends. If you haven’t done so already, add your family and friends by clicking in the “Search†field at the top of your home page. You can either type in a name or a location. When you do, you will get a list of all the Twitterers who match your search criteria.
You can begin “following†them by simply clicking on the Follow button. If you want to also follow them on your cell phone, then you can turn the “Device Updates†to “on.†Personally, I only follow my family and a few close friends on my cell phone. Regardless, you will be able to see everyone you follow on your Twitter home page.
Learn the basic commands. Think of Twitter as a room full of people, all sitting in a circle. It’s a conversation. When you update your status, you are speaking to the whole group. Everyone can hear what you have to say.
Reply. If you want to direct your comments to one specific person in the circle, but loud enough that everyone else can hear, you use the “Reply†function. You address the person by using their Twitter user name preceded by the “@†symbol. For example:
Everyone who is following me will see the message, but I am specifically directing it to Spence.
You can also use the Reply function to refer to someone by name. For example:
The thing about replies is that they are “clickable links.†If someone who is following me, clicks on one of the names, they will automatically go to that person’s Twitter page. This will give them the opportunity to follow that person, too.
Direct Messages. Continuing with the metaphor of a conversation with a room full of people, you can also use the “direct message†function. This is like whispering in one person’s ear. They can hear you, but no one else can. You are directing the message to them and only them. For example:
Or:
Tracking
This is straight out of the Twitter FAQ: “Tracking is an SMS or IM only feature that allows you to receive all twitters that match a word you're tracking. For example, if you send ‘track Obama,’ you will receive all updates that match ‘Obama.’ All updates sent from tracking will begin with parenthesis. You can easily stop getting these messages by sending ‘untrack Obama’.â€
Other Commands
You can add people you want to follow from your cell phone. Just type in “follow [username].†For example:
You can check your stats—the number of people you are following plus the number of people following you—from your cell phone by typing “stats†without any additional text.
To stop all Twitter updates to your phone, send:
To turn them back on send:
You can find answers to almost every other Twitter question on the FAQ page.
Start twittering. So now you are all setup. It’s time to start Twittering. You can do this from your Twitter home page or from your cell phone.
The main thing you need to know is that the message can no longer than 140 characters long. If you use the Web page, the entry field will automatically count your characters. After a while, you’ll instinctively know how long this is. I rarely go over the limit. But if you do, it’s no big deal. Your message will just be truncated.
How often should you Twitter? That’s the 30-character question. My daughter @meghyatt says, “Don't Twitter more than six times a day.†Personally, I think 10–12 should be the upper limit. Obviously, there’s a balance here. Some of the people I follow, Twitter way more than that.
The real issue is whether or not you are adding something of value. There’s an old Jerry Seinfeld comedy routine called “Air Travel.†In it, he talks about airline pilots who insist on telling us all about the route they are taking. Like anyone cares. He says, as passengers, we don’t knock on the cockpit door and say, “Oh, by the way, I’m eating the peanuts now.†(Obviously this was pre-911.) So why do pilots feel the need to update us. All we care about is getting to the destination.
No one probably wants to hear the blow-by-blow of your life. However, some color commentary is good. However, this is definitely art not science, so there are no hard, fast rules. But you should consider every Twitter update as a branding impression. You are developing a reputation with your online friends, so make sure you are adding something to the conversation.
This is really no different than a face-to-face conversation. You want to say something that is interesting, helpful, or just plain entertaining. I don’t think you should over-think it, but I don’t think you should just text the first thing that pops in your mind.
Be careful. You definitely need to be cautious. It’s probably not a good idea to say something like, “I’m headed to the west coast for a week. My poor, beautiful wife is going to be home all alone.†Bad idea. For obvious reasons.
You need to think about the fact that crazy people and criminals have Twitter accounts, too. You especially need to be cautious about sharing too much private information that could compromise your safety or that of your loved ones. I have also had some experience with stalkers, so you may only want to Twitter after you have gone somewhere, not before. Otherwise, you might find people showing up to watch you. (Don’t laugh. It has happened to a very good friend of mine.)
Consider third-party apps. An entire eco-system has sprung up around Twitter. Here are some of my favorite applications:
TwitterSync. This is a Facebook application that automatically syncs all your Twitter updates with Facebook. Once you set this up, you won’t ever have to make another Facebook update.
Twitteriffic. This is an desktop client for monitoring and updating your Twitter account. It’s the one I personally use. It’s free if you don’t mind the occasional ad. If you pay $14.95, it’s ad free. I highly recommend it.
Twhirl. This is similar to Twitteriffic. However, it is completely free. Some people like this better. I tried it first, but settled on Twitteriffic. Your mileage may vary.
Hahlo. This is an iPhone specific application that is very cool. It is what I am currently using to monitor the Twittersphere.
Twitter is one of those apps that is best learned by using it. The most important thing you can do is get started. You really can’t make that many mistakes. Just remember to have fun and enjoy the people you meet online.
Update: If you want to follow me on Twitter, click here.
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Cheryl Smith says:
Great post - very thorough! Like you, I've introduced several people to Twitter recently but have done it in person to help with the steps. I'll bookmark the page to send along to friends via email.
There are numerous other applications out there. If you haven't already, check out http://www.tweetstats.com. New apps every day it seems.
One final comment, google talk allows you to see tweets by adding twitter@twitter.com as an email address. You have to enable the IM section on Twitter, and only the people you've selected to see device updates will show up in the stream.
Well done!
@cherylsmith999
Monday, May 19, 2008 at 09:58 PM
Bret Capranica says:
Thanks for posting this Michael. I wish it was out there a few weeks ago when I started. For those using a Blackberry, I would recommend: Twitterberry (http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/).
I rarely ever visit my desktop Twitter page since I have it on my Blackberry.
For those using FireFox web browser I would also suggest Twitter Fox. (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5081).It places a Twitter icon at the bottom right of your browser and updates you when someone you follow posts. That's how I saw you posted your Twitter blog.
It looks like your take on following others is to be more selective than expansive.
I've actually learned a bit from you and your twittering - I should prolly blog on the experience.
Thanks for keeping us posted from where you sit. I really enjoy it.
From an ordinary pastor.
Monday, May 19, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Mark says:
Hi michael -- a great roundup. I am really confused about twitteretiquette. Any thoughts on following strangers and reciprocation? Are you treating your "followers" like blog readers or like facebookfriends?
Monday, May 19, 2008 at 10:06 PM
Eric S. Mueller says:
Thanks for the guide, Michael. I breezed through the more basic parts that I already know. I had signed up for Twitter a long time ago, then forgot about it. I was reading my Google Reader feeds in a hotel room when you posted about your pledge to use Twitter for 30 days. I decided to start. I normally use Twitter on my Pocket PC phone, but I do use Twhirl on my laptop when I have a connection (can't connect at work.)
Your discussion on security was interesting. I've been going back and forth with myself over that. My job requires lots of travel, and even when I can take my family with me, I wonder if I really want to post "Leaving for a week, house is empty." I don't think anyone follows me, but you never know.
I can't get my wife to use Twitter. She says it would chain her to a device all day. I actually look at it as being freed, but I guess we're all different.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 05:25 AM
Michael Hyatt says:
@Bret: Yes, I try to be more selective on those I personally follow. I don’t want too much noise in my life. I pretty much know what I can handle before I get overloaded.
@mark: Yes, I am treating my followers like blog readers or Facebook friends. I don’t block anyone—at least not yet.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 05:42 AM
M says:
Great post Mike!
Whenever anyone asks or says anything about what twitter is - I direct them to the Common Craft video: http://www.commoncraft.com/Twitter
(they also do fab vids for blogging and web 2.0, etc.)
I can't tell you how many times silly tweets have resulted in changing the course of a day. I had a friend at the store buying a baby gate who tweeted it - was able to stop that purchase and give her one of the several in my garage. Or mycar battery died and a friend received the tweet and came over and jumped.
Twitter is an amazing tool and glad the world is jumping on board. :)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 08:54 AM
Scoti Springfield Domeij says:
A publisher requested a book proposal from me on the topic of sex. I asked my my college-aged, twenty-something son for feedback regarding "hooking up." When I asked my son, "Do you know what twitter is?" He said, "Mom, I thought you were asking about some weird new sex term."
My critique group calls me a researchaholic. This is what I found yesterday at http://www.bloggersblog.com/. Maybe it will be helpful for your readers.
Here are some of the new apps and tools recently added to the Twitter tools list.
Autopostr.com lets your twitterfriends automatically know you posted a new photo on Flickr
FuelFrog provides a way to track gas mileage on Twitter
Intwition shows popular links on Twitter broken into will be popular, is popular and was popular categories.
Prayer Requests, A Twitter account that lets you broadcast an anonymous prayer.
Summize is a real-time tweet search engine.
TrackThis, Track your packages on Twitter - supports FedEx, UPS, USPS and DHL tracking codes
TweetShirts.com, Service will make t-shirts out of popular tweet ideas submitted and voted on by users.
TweetWheel helps you find out which of your Twitter friends know each other.
Twist, This service creates charts that let you compare trends in Twitter. The charts can be embedded onto your blog.
Twistori, A social experiment tracking tweets using I love, hate, think, believe, feel and wish.
TwittEarth, A mashup that shows live tweets from all over the world on a 3-D globe as they happen.
Twitter Ratio returns your TFF Ratio (Twitter Follower-Friend Ratio).
TwitterSnooze, Allows you to temporarily silence your noisy Twitter friends.
TwitterSoap is a mashup of Mobypicture and Twitter.
Twitturly is a service for tracking what URLs people are talking about as they talk about them on Twitter.
Twixxer is a photo and video sharing component for Twitter.com.
Who Should I Follow?, Helps you find other interesting people to follow on Twitter.
You can find the complete list of Twitter apps, tools and services at: http://www.bloggersblog.com/twitterlinks/
As more and more people use search engines like Tweetscan and Summarize it becomes easier for spammers to spam Twitter - and they won't even have to follow a single person to do it.
A couple Twitters have been set-up to track spammers and Twitter spam.
@OddFollow watches for people following lots of people and for Twitter users following just women.
@Stopthespam tracks the Twitter spam problem.
StoptheSpam also has a website: stoptwitterspam.com.
A new service called Twitter Twerp Scan (@TwerpScan) scans the list of people you follow to look for users that have a following-to-followers ratio that is equal to or greater than 1.5 to 1. You can then unfollow these "people" if you think they are spammers.
A recently launched website called the The Twitter Blacklist has made a list of "known spammers and other morons on Twitter." The site uses a scale tweeted by Twitter user @evan.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 08:57 AM
Mark says:
You probably know this, but you can also register your twitter with Jott.com and use it to transcribe entries and link to audio.
Personally, I've segregated my Twitter from all my other social media as mostly friends only. I use Jaiku for public stuff.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 09:05 AM
Scoti Springfield Domeij says:
This is off topic, however, it relates to your previous blog regarding layoffs, which touched my heart to pray.
Editor and Publisher reports that Mike Koehler, a sports editor for The Oklahoman, has launched a blog called Praying for Papers [http://www.prayingforpapers.com/]. The blog offers prayers for those in the industry who are losing jobs. There are also prayers to help guide the newspaper industry's leaders.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 09:08 AM
A.L. Bundy says:
Mr. Hyatt (I suspect you'd prefer Michael), I admire and appreciate your transparency on your blog. But I just can't bring myself to read your twitters. They give this weird voyeuristic feeling, regardless of the fact that I'd really like to know you better.
Your ability to be so candid is a gift from God. Thank you for sharing with others as you do. I think I would appreciate the ability to connect with people close to me via twittering. I marvel that you do it with the world.
Anne
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 09:23 AM
Maurilio Amorim says:
Great post Mike,
Even as a prolific "Twit" I did not know about tracking. I'm learning the hard way that anyone can read my tweets. A couple of weeks ago I post a tweet about a loud auctioneer who gave me a headache during a fund raising event.
Last Friday night I had to apologize to the chair of that event for hurting her feelings. Somehow she found my tweet and was incensed that I failed to tweet about the great food, the decorations, etc., and that my only comment was a negative one.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 09:25 AM
Mary E. DeMuth says:
Thanks so much for this tutorial. I'm on now and am looking forward to see how this will better help me connect with readers.
Warmly,
Mary
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 09:54 AM
Spence Smith says:
You crack me up. I love this and I love how you dive into technology feet first and give us the book report on it later and the easy guide to doing it better...
@spencesmith
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 11:52 AM
Colleen Coble says:
I love learning all the new technology things from you, Mike! Speaking of which, are you still loving your Kindle? I'm sort of tempted. As long as you don't say, "I told you so." LOL
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 12:48 PM
Work Post says:
Thanks for the info, I've heard a lot about Twitter lately and I've been thinking about trying it out.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 01:24 PM
Eric from EF says:
As a newcomer to Twitter, I found your tips and advice extremely informative.
I joined Twitter about the same time as you, and I haven't shut up about it since. I've been something of an evangelist lately, imploring friends and colleagues to check it out. And, today, I've shared your post with them, hopefully inspiring them to get on board.
Great post. Thanks!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 04:59 PM
Tracey says:
Excellent tutorial. Promoting Twitter to many people now that I am up and running
Thanks so much.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Brandilyn Collins says:
Mike, I'm beginning to wonder if you ever sleep. How you can keep up with all of this is amazing.
I know I'm warped, but I gotta tell ya, as a suspense novelist, what I see here most is the terrific potential for stalking and killing victims.
Monday, May 26, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Gordon R. Vaughan says:
This is a good guide. I just had someone yesterday email wanting what exactly "was" Twitter! It's simple but still there's a lot of adjustments you can make to get more out of it. A couple of suggestions:
1. Think about how you're going to use it. If there's a lot of personal details, maybe the account should be private. On the other hand Twitter is really good for connecting with new people, if you have a public account.
I've got four separate Twitter accounts (aeroG, AeroTweets, Homeschooling, FBendHouston) that I use in different ways (Twhirl can help with handling multiple accounts). There's lots of ways to gain value from the service.
2. Folks should go to their settings page, click the Notices tab, and change the @ Replies setting to "Show all @ replies". Otherwise, there's no way for someone (using Twitter) to message you if you're not already following them. Then you need to remember to check the Replies tab on your home page every day or so, since Twitter doesn't send an email.
You should also probably check the box to receive emails about new followers, who might have similar interests. There's starting to be some spam on Twitter, but so far it's not too bad.
Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 01:49 PM
anne jackson says:
i was just revisiting this and saw you got your hair cut at dion's. i just did as well. loved it!
Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 11:04 PM
Mark Evans says:
Michael,
As more people embrace Twitter, you've really provided a great resource for how to get started. I recently started a new blog focused on Twitter and microblogging, and featured your article in a recent post.
Mark
Wednesday, November 05, 2008 at 06:17 AM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Mark: Thanks for the shout-out!
Wednesday, November 05, 2008 at 06:20 AM
Robyn McMaster says:
Michael, sincere thanks for sharing the URL to this post since it explains some components of twitter that make it more efficient.
Today I investigated the "Tweet Deck" and set that up on my computer. You might be interested in that, too. I searched through Google to learn about it.
Friday, November 14, 2008 at 10:17 PM