twitter FAQs

So you got questions for twitter right? Well since there is a stack of twitter help out in the big wide world that is web, we’d thought we’d make it easy and have answered your twitter FAQ’s. Less time searching, more time tweeting. That’s our philosophy.

Looking for more detailed information on every aspect of twitter and it’s functionalities? Visit our ‘how to’ twitter section.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users’ updates known as ‘tweets’. Twitter asks the question ‘what are you doing?’ and allows users to reply with text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. 

Tweets are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers).

Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow anybody to access them. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. The service is free to use over the Internet, but using SMS may incur phone service provider fees. 

How is twitter useful?

Twitter has many uses for both personal and business use. It’s a great way to keep in touch with your friends and quickly broadcast information about where you are and what you’re up to. For example, “I’m downtown and aching for some sushi. Anyone like to join me?”
For business, Twitter can be used to broadcast your company’s latest news and blog posts, interact with your customers, or to enable easy internal collaboration and group communication.

Twitter is Social Media Marketing

Twitter has become a favorite target for social media marketing. This new form of getting the message out has been used effectively by Barak Obama during his Presidential campaign, and is used by everyone from magazines to movie stars as a quick way to connect with an audience.

With resources and applications like Twitterfeed, it is easy to convert an RSS feed into Twitter updates. This makes it easy to use Twitter as a form of social media marketing.

How it works

Twitter was built and works with a web application framework called Ruby on Rails. Using Mac computers, Twitter’s user interface and web site design were designed using Omnigraffle and Photoshop.

Where it all began 

So where did Twitter come from? Jack Dorsey had grown interested in the simple idea of being able to know what his friends were doing. Specifically, Jack wondered if there might be an opportunity to build something compelling around this simple status concept. When he brought the idea up to his colleagues, it was decided that a prototype should be built.

Twitter was funded initially by Obvious, a creative environment in San Francisco, CA. The first prototype was built in two weeks in March 2006 and launched publicly in August of 2006. The service grew popular very quickly and it soon made sense for Twitter to move outside of Obvious. In May 2007, Twitter Incorporated was founded.

What do I need to use twitter?

All you need to use Twitter is an internet connection, computer or a mobile phone. Once you’ve joined, type your first update into the box and your away! Not sure what to tweet about? To get an idea of what other people are saying or doing on Twitter, check out twitter search to see what Twitter’s all about.

How do I find my friends?

When you first create a twitter account, you can search for people on twitter by their name or user name, you can import friends from other networks or invite friends via email. Twitter even suggests new friends for you and can be a great start to get your tweet feet off the ground. Once you’ve found your friends, follow them to start getting their updates. Read more >

What does it mean ‘I’m following someone on Twitter’?

Following someone simply means receiving their ‘tweets’ or twitter posts. When you start following someone on twitter, you will get their tweet in your timeline on your twitter homepage every time they tweet or update their status. Every time a new tweet is posted by those you are following, it will be posted n your twitter timeline in real time, so you are always seeing whats being posted at that exact minute. When you log in, you can see what the latest updates are. Read more >

How do I know who I’m following?

To start following someone and receive tweets from that person, you need to visit their profile page and click the ‘follow’ button under their profile picture. Their past tweets will automatically show up in your twitter feed with the other people you are following. The person you have chosen to follow will also show up in your list of followers. See a list of people you’re following by clicking on the following link on your profile or your home page’s sidebar. Read more >

How will I know if someone is following me?

If your set your email preferences to receive emails and notifications from twitter, you will receive a new email when a new someone new follows you. You can also see who is following you on twitter at anytime by accessing the followers tab in the top right of your screen. Read more >

Are their limits to following and having followers?

Yes they do exist! Twitter has set some limits for API, direct message and total updates per day to help with the strain tweeters can put on the site. Unless you’re a serial spammer or obsessed with tweets, this won’t affect you as the limits are quiet substantial. You can see the limits here. Read more >

Can I use pictures on twitter?

No, you can’t directly post photos to your twitter account. However, there are many great applications and websites that allow you to upload your pictures which link to your twitter account though your tweets. Twitpic is a great website that allows users to easily post pictures to the Twitter microblogging and social media service. It’s like having a photo album on Facebook or Myspace and the photos you upload link from your twitter feed. See our list of twitter applications for images.

How can I send updates to Twitter?

You can update your twitter from almost anywhere. Via the web, Twitter applications, your phone, or any other twitter friendly resource available. Twitter resources and applications allow twitter to be taken to a whole new level, with mobile tweeting and desktop clients pushing twitter out into the world. These applications will help you make your twitter adventures more personal and tailored to delivering your tweets the way you like it. See more twitter applications and resources >

What’s a twitter star?

The star is a way for you to mark an update or tweet as favorite. People can view your favorites, and you theirs, by clicking on the Favorites link in the profile page.

Can I put my Twitter updates on my blog?

Yep! Put a Twitter badge on your blog, website, MySpace… anything that accepts Javascript or HTML. You can even customize your Twitter badge to match!

What are @Replies?

An @reply is a twitter update that begins with a @username. Eg @tweeterland. Using an @reply is a great way to reply to someone’s tweet or continue a conversation started by a user. Using an @reply is a tweet will show up in that persons replies tab under their profile. It’s an easy way to manage and keep track of all the tweets directed at you. You can directly reply to someone’s tweet from your timeline. Read more >

What are Direct Messages?

Direct messages are private messages sent from one Twitter person to another. Twitter offers private or direct message options, in addition to public updates, mentions and @replys. You can send a direct message to someone as long as they are following you. Read more about how to direct message.

What are twitter mentions?

A mention is any tweet or twitter update that contains the @username in the body of the tweet. Mentions are a great way of including other twitters in your tweet with out directing your tweet at them. You can also include more than one person in your update and users will be able to see you have mentioned them through their replies tab on their profile. Read more >

Can I edit a tweet once I post it?

Unfortunately, there is no way of editing a tweet you have posted. You can delete the tweet by clicking on the trash icon at the right side of the update and reposting the tweet again.

Can I change my private or twitter user name?

Yes it’s possible and changing your user name will not affect your existing followers, direct messages, or @replies. They will simply see a new user name next to your picture when you update. Read our post for detailed instructions about changing your twitter private and user names.

How do I change my profile picture?

When you first create your account, twitter gives you the ‘brown box, blue eye’s’ default profile picture. But changing this picture is the first thing most people do to give their account personality. Read more how to change your twitter profile picture here.

Can I change my twitter background?

Twitter offers users a generic background, but in addition, twitter offers 12 stock backgrounds along with preset colours to change elements on your twitter page. You can use these to modify the overall background, text, links, sidebar background and sidebar border. Read our instructions for changing your twitter background.

Can I add my own DIY background?

Yes! You’ll need to know some dimensions to get you started on making your own background. Check them out here.

What are #hashtags?

Hashtags are a way to group twitter messages together according to subject matter, similar to the concept of Twitter groups or tagging. You follow @hashtags and then use the pound (#) symbol to tag the tweet, for example: #tweeterland. An important factor to remember is that Hashtags is an opt-in service. You must follow @hashtags for the service to index your tweets. Read more >

Can I poke or nudge someone on twitter?

A nudge is a friendly note sent to a Twitter friend’s phone, reminding them on your behalf to update your Twitter profile. People you follow can nudge you (and you them) by sending nudge + user name (for example, nudge jack) to Twitter from their phone or the web box. Nudging is also possible from the profile sidebar actions via the nudge link. Read more >

Does copyright apply with twitter?

Yes, twitter has a stand on copyright. It’s apart of every new communication and technology and knowing your rights when using twitter is something we should all take a note on. Read more about twitters copyright.

Still got questions that need answering? Pop us a comment below and let us know what you’re after. We’re here to help you make the most of your time on twitter and there’s no such thing as a stupid question. Alternatively, follow us on twitter @tweeterland - and tweet us a comment or a FAQ we can add to this page to help other fanatical twitters.