New to Twitter? Here's Some Tweeting Twips.

01/10/2012

With more and more genealogists being introduced to social media, there are more and more genealogists trying out Twitter. And I still advocate that Twitter is the best way to connect with other like-minded individuals for their genealogical research goals as well as their genealogical social goals. Therefore, I thought I'd give some very simple steps and suggestions for those just starting out on Twitter.

Realize that using Twitter can be done through Twitter.com [which is how most people start using it], but it can be accessed and used through other 3rd party platforms [which is just a fancy word that means software]. Many people who use Twitter eventually use these other 3rd party platforms because the actual Twitter site does not have a lot of functionality. But I highly suggest a beginner to use the Twitter site until they are comfortable and ready for more functionality.
While on Facebook, privacy is a big matter. On Twitter, we're not so private. Yes, the Twitter.com site allows you to have an account where you approve who follows you, but that's not really how we rock-n-roll over here on twitter. The whole point of twitter is to be social. So be social. [If you have someone who is following who turns out to be inappropriate, you can block them.]
Know that the world you are tweeting to is only as big as who is following you. If you have 4 followers, then they are the only ones to whom you are tweeting.
Realize that if you tweet something to your followers that is funny, newsworthy, etc. and they want to share it with their followers, they will do something that's called a 'Retweet' and as the name suggests, your tweet is then shared with that follower's followers. So say for example, you shared a link from the internet to this great online database with your 4 followers, and 1 of your followers decides to retweet it to or share it with their 550 followers, then your tweet will be seen by those 550 followers. Now, any those 550 followers can decide to retweet it as well, and so on and so forth. So if you say something clever, interesting, informational, etc., more than just your followers may read your tweet. And in the Twitter world we consider this a good thing. It's called 'going viral'. [Some of us actually pray for this. Okay. I'm kidding. Maybe.]
By the same token, you may retweet something someone you follow tweets to all of your followers. In fact, this is highly encouraged on Twitter. We're very social and supportive here and we like to retweet and we like to be retweeted. So, yes, by all means, RETWEET tweets. Don't worry or think about if someone else has already tweeted it. Just do it anyway. [There are specific reasons why you should not worry about redundancy in tweeting, but that's too much for right now. Just feel free to retweet. Please.]
As evidenced above, success on Twitter is tied to your followers. You may have come to Twitter to only network with other genealogists, but many more tweeters will start following you. This tends to alarm newbies. However, don't be alarmed. We tend to be very social here, and there are many reasons why you should not be alarmed and welcome your new followers, whether their marked for genealogy or not. But I'm not going to go over all these reasons now. [That's a post in and of itself.] Just roll with the flow. Trust me on this. [Please.]
Realize that Twitter and tweeting is like a conversation. It's not a billboard or message board where people blast whatever message they want to blast and then never interact with any of their followers. Even though you'll see this, it's just not the way we roll here on Twitter. We like to interact. We want to get to know you. And we want you to get to know us. And with the relationships that are developed through this networking comes success with Twitter and ultimately your goals.
Many people like to categorize their tweets with a common keyword. For example, on the [what I like to call] 'Genealogy World' on Twitter, most genealogy-related tweeters use what is called a hashtag, #, then the word genealogy. Like this: #genealogy [Here's an example of a tweet with the hashtag genealogy: Hey everybody! Come look at my new blog at mynewblog.com #genealogy ]. Why do they do this? Please read on.
Speaking of goals and hashtags, you probably came to Twitter because someone said it's a great way to look for those related to you, or it's a great way for you to connect with other genealogists, or if you're a professional genealogist with a business someone told you Twitter is a great place to connect with possible clients, or something like that. Well, yes, this is true, but how do you find these other genealogists, and, more importantly, how do you find what they're saying about genealogy? Here's a tip to help you find the 'Genealogy World' on Twitter using the Twitter.com site to access Twitter.

From your HOME screen at Twitter.com, click the search box that is located on the top right-hand side & the search box will expand.
Type the following hashtag into the search box: #genealogy
A list of tweets that contain the hashtag #genealogy will appear.
This is what I like to call the Genealogy World on Twitter.
Now, since you'd like to visit this new found Genealogy World on Twitter as much as possible, you'll want to SAVE this search so you don't have to re-search. [Just nod your head.]
So, from the screen that has your Genealogy World on Twitter list, click the icon in the top right hand corner of this list that looks like a gear.
A drop down menu appears with 2 things you can click: SAVE SEARCH and ADVANCED SEARCH.
Click on SAVE SEARCH.
Then next time you want to access your saved search to the Genealogy World on Twitter, from the HOME screen, click on the search box and a drop down menu will appear with #genealogy as a selection.
Click #genealogy & voila! The Genealogy World on Twitter.

While I could go on and on about different aspects of Twitter, I'm not going to. This is enough for you to start chirping, to test your wings, and to see if you you'd like to learn to soar.

If you have any questions, please let me know in comments. Please remember that the only stupid question is the one you DON'T ask, but really want to ask. So ask. Please.

Oh, and please follow me on twitter: @FamilyStories

And if you liked this article, feel free to let your followers know by clicking the tweet icon below this article and tweeting it to them. Don't forget to add the hashtag: #genealogy

~Caroline

Comments

Judy link

01/10/2012 4:20pm

Good advice. Just one comment: You said, "If you have 4 followers, then they are the only ones to whom you are tweeting." But tweets appear in Google searches, and I think I am correct in saying that our Twitter profile pages (with our tweets) are visible to anyone with access to the World Wide Web?

Caroline Pointer

01/10/2012 6:08pm

Judy,

I chose not to go into a bunch of variables or scenarios because these are tips for new tweeters. This is why I chose the exact wording that I did, "...to whom you are tweeting" and not "...who can or is able to read your tweets". It's a small distinction, but I didn't want to confuse a new tweeter user with variables.

However, since you brought it up, I'll address it. When someone has a public twitter account there are different ways people can see your tweets. And by 'people', I mean those who are not your followers. One way is through your tweet timeline which is accessed through your profile. There, anyone can see your tweets. [And this is a good thing which I will delve into in a separate post.]

Second, before the advent of Google Plus, Twitter tweets were searchable and easily found through Google. However, since Google launched Google Plus, they are now not as prominent in a Google search as they once were. But, yes, they can be seen by the public at large through a Google search.

Third, because tweets can be sorted through a hashtag [as mentioned above], like #genealogy, your tweets can be seen by anyone who is searching that hashtag.

Fourth, because tweets can be sorted by any word including people's names and Twitter handles, your tweets can be seen by anyone who performs a Twitter search for any word, name, and Twitter handle that you happen to tweet. [For example, you can search for the word genealogy -without the hashtag- or my twitter handle, @FamilyStories]

Fifth, if you follow someone that I also follow but I don't follow you, and they retweet something you tweeted, I can see your Twitter handle and click on it to see your profile and tweets. [This is not a bad thing but I'll go over that later.]

There are many more scenarios that can lead a tweeter to someone's profile and tweets. However, just because someone can read your tweets doesn't mean your are tweeting to them directly. And I didn't want to confuse a newbie tweeter who probably hadn't encountered the above listed scenarios yet. Theory is almost always harder to grasp for those who are new to a concept.

I will be tackling the above concepts in their own blog posts. I'm SO not done with them. I promise.

Thank you very much, Judy, for stopping by, reading, and commenting. It means a lot to me that you did so. =)

~C

Judy link

01/10/2012 7:17pm

Thanks for your very helpful reply to my question. Whenever I am speaking to family history groups and they ask about Twitter, I can now give them a very basic answer plus the link to your excellent advice.
:-)

Caroline Pointer

01/10/2012 9:02pm

Thanks, Judy. I'm glad I could help. And I'd love for you to point some newbies my way! I'd relly appreciate it!

Thanks for visiting!
~C

Joan link

01/10/2012 8:23pm

GenealogyInTime magazine actually has a Genealogy Twitter Reader that you can use to follow all tweets about genealogy. Here is the link:
http://www.genealogyintime.com/GenealogyResources/Tools/genealogy_twitter_reader.html

If you keep it on in the background, it will automatically update itself with the latest genealogy tweets. Cheers

Caroline Pointer

01/10/2012 9:01pm

Thanks Joan! That's very good to know.

I will be building on these twitter concepts listed above in order to get genealogists -newbie and not so newbie- more organized and efficient using twitter. So, I was just getting them oriented to the Genealogy World on Twitter, but I've many more worlds to show them as well as tricks and tips.

Thanks so much Joan for stopping by and commenting. I really, really appreciate it!

~C

Catherine Pendleton link

01/10/2012 11:50pm

Thanks for this advice Caroline! I opened up a Twitter account a couple of years ago just to follow the "progress" of the rumbling volcano up here in Alaska. I had my account "locked up" so I had to approve people (I was very timid!). A couple of people I know found me and we followed each other. Then I followed 4 or 5 more people. That was about it until a few weeks ago when I decided I wanted to interact with the genealogical community on Twitter. I probably was encouraged by one of your posts :). So, I "unlocked" my account so anyone could follow and I changed my handle to sort of go with my blog. I laughed at your description about becoming alarmed when people outside of genealogy start following because I had that same reaction.

I still consider myself a newbie at Twitter. I'm very timid about joining a conversation, so I've not done much of that. I'm trying to be brave! Looking forward to more of your posts about using Twitter! (I know I've probably done and said some dumb things on there.)

Catherine

Kim Cotton link

01/11/2012 12:44am

Great article and useful even to non-genealogist tweeters. I'm by no means a newbie, but even I forget to include #genealogy in my blog post tweets etc. Plus it's hard to shed my long-held lurker ways and get more conversational. But once again, you inspire self-improvement.

Dan Hiestand link

01/16/2012 5:38pm

Hi Caroline-
Thank you for the insight and explanation. My brother and I just launched our company, so this was really helpful (especially because you are coming from a genealogist POV). The search and hash tag explanations were very helpful. Cheers!

Dan