How to Get Traffic to Your Blog from Twitter
With over 300 million users at the moment twitter is no doubt the biggest microblogging platform and one of the biggest social networking sites online with over 300 million users at the moment. As bloggers and internet marketers traffic is always a priority and we should always be on the lookout for new ways to get traffic to our blogs – this means we shouldn't overlook any single traffic source.
I See an Error Message (Whale Image) after Logging In (Known Issue)
We've seen reports of users encountering the "Twitter is over capacity" message upon logging into their account. If you are seeing the following error message right after you enter your username and password on log in, please continue reading:
There are 2 situations where users sometimes see this error message:
- When logging into Twitter.com
- Elsewhere on Twitter.com
This issue on the site occurs right after you log in. Many users can see their profile or other Twitter pages, but cannot see their homepage. They get the error message every time they attempt to view their home timeline.
Twitter 101: How should I get started using Twitter?
If you've signed up to Twitter and are wondering how to get started or why you're here, this page is for you. This guide is designed to help you dive into Twitter’s wealth of information and find what matters most to you. First things first, you might be wondering:
What's Twitter Anyway?
Twitter is an information network made up of 140-character messages called Tweets. It's a new and easy way to discover the latest news (“what’s happening”) related to subjects you care about.
How is it Useful?
Twitter contains information you will find valuable. Messages from users you choose to follow will show up on your homepage for you to read. It’s like being delivered a newspaper whose headlines you’ll always find interesting – you can discover news as it’s happening, learn more about topics that are important to you, and get the inside scoop in real time.
How to Start Using Twitter:
If you remember one thing after perusing this page, it should be this: reading Tweets and discovering new information whenever you check in on your Twitter timeline is where you’ll find the most value on Twitter. Some people find it useful to contribute their own Tweets, but the real magic of Twitter lies in absorbing real-time information that matters to you.
1. DISCOVER SOURCES: find and follow others
It’s best to begin your journey by finding and following other interesting Twitter accounts. Look for businesses you love, public service accounts, people you know, celebrities, or news sources you read. (Click here for help finding interesting accounts.) Tip: One great way to find more interesting accounts is see who those you know or admire are following.
2. CHECK IT OFTEN: pay attention to what’s happening
Messages from others you follow will show up in a readable stream on your homepage timeline. Once you've followed a few people, you'll have a new page of information to read each time you log in. Click links in others' Tweets to view: photos and videos they have posted, the profiles of users mentioned in their message, or Tweets related to a hashtag (#) keyword they used. Tip: Try hovering your mouse over a user's name anywhere on your homepage. You'll see a pop-up box called a "hovercard" containing information about that user.
3. TAKE IT WITH YOU: connect your mobile
One of the best things about Twitter is that it’s portable. Connect your account to your mobile phone (see below for instructions) or download a Twitter application to begin reading Tweets on the go. Now you can get updates about traffic problems in the middle of your commute, find out what the players are saying while you’re at the game, or catch up on the buzz about an event you’re about to attend. The possibilities are endless! Tip: Using Twitter via SMS allows you to pick and choose which updates you want from those you follow, so you can get mobile updates from the accounts that matter most to your life on-the-go.
How to Start Tweeting:
Many users find it fun or exciting to contribute their own content to Twitter (we call this “tweeting”). If you’re one of them, here are some good ways to get started posting your own Tweets. People you know and people you are interested in what you have to say may follow you and they’ll see all the Tweets you share with them.
1. BUILD A VOICE: retweet, reply, react
Use existing information (other people's Tweets) on Twitter to find your own voice and show others what you care about. Retweet messages you've found and love, or reply with your reaction to a Tweet you find interesting. Tip: If you're a new user, others are more likely to find your messages if they are retweets or replies.
2. MENTION: include others in your content
Once you're ready to begin authoring your own messages, consider mentioning other users by their Twitter username (preceded by the @ sign) in your Tweets. This can help you think of what to write, will draw more eyes to your message, and can even start a new conversation. Try posting a message mentioning a celebrity or person you admire – they often respond to fans. You’ll see their response on your Mentions tab. Tip: Can’t think of anything to write? Don’t worry! Like I said, the real magic lies in locating and reading content on Twitter.
3. GET FANCY: explore advanced features
As you become more engaged on Twitter, others will begin to find and follow you. Once you're familiar with Twitter basics, consider exploring the site’s more advanced features: lists, direct messages, and favorites. Learn how to include photos or videos in your Tweets, or consider connecting your Twitter account to your your blog, Facebook, or website to show off your updates across the web. Tip: The best way to gain followers on Twitter is to regularly engage and contribute in a meaningful way.
Tips and Tricks:
Need help finding interesting accounts?
Click the “Find People” tab at the top of your Twitter page. You can find and follow other accounts in these three ways: 1) browse accounts by subject, 2) import your address book contacts to find out which friends are already on Twitter, 3) search one-by-one for people or groups of interest.
Need help using Twitter on your mobile phone?
By linking your Twitter account to your mobile phone number, you can receive and write Tweets via text message.
Tweets Appear to be Missing (Known Issue)
So it looks like you're missing some Tweets. Oh sad! However, not all missing Tweets are the same. You may be experiencing one of the following
- A large amount of Tweets missing from your profile page. You posted them, but they are not on your profile page.
- The number of Tweets shown on your profile appears wrong, though you see all your Tweets when you look at your profile page.
I'm Missing Tweets! I posted them and they're gone!
Some users report that when they look at their own profile page, they do not see all their Tweets. If you are affected by this issue, please:
- Navigate to your profile page - twitter.com/yourusernamehere
- Examine your Tweets to see which ones are missing (looking at the dates helps - e.g., if you know you posted Tweets in November, but now only see Tweets from October and December)
- Leave us a comment below with your username and the date range of Tweets missing (e.g. Everything I posted on December 1 is gone!)
The number of Tweets I see on my profile looks wrong. I know I've posted more Tweets than that!
Some of twitter users are reporting that the Tweet count displayed on their Profile page does not match the number of Tweets displayed on that page. The difference between the count and number of Tweets displayed is usually greater than 1-2 Tweets.
If you are affected by this issue, then please have patience team at twitter is always working to fix each and every issue.
How Twitter Benefits Small Businesses
Twitter is a social networking site used by thousands of people to reach out to others and share personal and professional information. It works like a micro-blog and short and simple messages reach a vast network of people. It has proved to be more effective than forums and other messaging methods since it helps people share on a more personalized basis.
Twitter has proved to be effective for people in positions of authority wanting to make their stand clear on issues. Similarly businessmen can use it to promote their business, reach out to a larger customer base, resolve customer issues, remove doubts and share details about their products and services on a more personal basis, which will benefit their business immensely.
The biggest advertisement for businesses is by word of mouth, and Twitter has proved to be a digital extension of this, since spread all the information they find useful to their friends instantly.
Some of the benefits of Twitter for businesses include:
- Helps to gain more visitors to websites
- Form joint ventures with people showing genuine interest
- Establish a global platform to launch products and services beyond borders
- Make announcements and business promotion events and get a larger number of visitors for the event even online
- Twitter helps to have news spread much faster than other sources
Small businesses would benefit immensely from all these and help them get quicker access to customers.
How Twitter helps can be explained with the following:
- Twitter helps business owners share their latest product launches, research etc
- Helps to get customers from far off places as well
- Helps the owner share links which promote their products and services
- Use knowledge and information to display expertise in the business field and create credibility for the business
- Answer queries and remove doubts of existing and potential customers
- Helps to build emotional bonds between owners and customers
- Can be used to create a buzz about a planned sale event or other similar activity and get access to more customers who actually buy
- Twitter is a place to have intelligent dialogue and conversations, building brands and networking.
- Helps to manage customer relationships
Twitter then provides the quickest shortcut to reach out to customers and spread word about the business beyond geographical boundaries. This too, without any expensive marketing plans or adoption of standard marketing strategies and also without much of an expense involved.
If large business brands like Dell can effect sales worth $ 3 million through Twitter, small businesses can also enhance sales through this network, provided they make the right moves and use Twitter in the right manner.
How to Find People #New Twitter
You can find others on Twitter by:
- Typing a name into the search box on your homepage
- Typing a Twitter username directly into your browser (e.g. http://twitter.com/oprah)
- Browsing lists of accounts related to your interests (e.g. Sports, Science, Politics...)
- Importing contacts from your email address book to see who's on Twitter
- Browse suggestions we've generated for you
To Find People by Name
The easiest way to find people is by typing their name into the search box at the top of your Twitter homepage. Results for your search will show up in two places, as shown below in a search for Oprah:
- In the middle of the page, under the "People" tab
- At the top right of your page, followed by a "More people results" link.
To Browse Accounts by Interest
You can also find cool new accounts to follow by browsing lists containing the best accounts related to a subject. To do this:
- At the bottom of the "Who to follow"recommendations, click the "Browse interests" button.
- You'll land on a page containing a list of interest, from Entertainment to Sports to Science. Click your interest.
- If you see an account you think looks interesting, follow directly from that page. They'll be added to your "following" list.
To Find Friends Using Your Email Address Book
Entering your email information on the Find People pages can look up who in your address book is on Twitter. It's a good way to find a bunch of your friends quickly. To do this:
- At the bottom of the "Who to follow"recommendations, click the "Find friends" button as shown in the picture above.
- On the next page, click which email provider you use.
- Enter your email address and password to securely connect to your email address book and click submit.
- From the next page, you can follow users individually, or click to follow all.
To Browse Our Suggestions
Based on your friends and interests, we suggest accounts we think you would like to follow. To peruse these suggestions, follow these steps:
- At the bottom of the "Who to follow"recommendations, click the "View all suggestions" button.
- On the next page, you'll see a list of suggestions we've generated for you. Click to follow any of these users, or click their username to learn more about them.
Having Trouble?
Note: If you do not appear in the top shown results when searching for yourself by name, you can still be found by clicking the “More people results” link on the right panel of your page.
Please keep in mind that some searches for general terms will not show users with the initial search results because there are not enough relevant accounts related to the search.
How To Use Twitter Lists
Are you using the #NewTwitter? Click here to read an this article for #NewTwitter users.
Twitter users can organize users they follow (or users that they don’t) into groups, or “lists”. This article will help you get started with some lists basics and hopefully get you ready to make your own!
Before we get started, it should be noted that following a user is not a requirement to add someone to a list; if you want to add a user but not necessarily regularly follow them, lists allow you to do that.
Creating a List
There are a few ways to create a new list, the easiest way is by clicking “New list” on the twitter sidebar. Clicking on this link will pop up a box, as shown above. Here you can name your list. You can also make the list public (everyone can see it) or private (only you can see it). Current limits are:
- 20 lists per account
- List names cannot begin with a numerical character
Adding or Removing People From Your Lists
You can add users (including yourself!) from most places on Twitter where profiles are listed. This includes the following:
- “Find people” searches.
- Profile pages (including your own).
- Yours and other users followers and following lists.
Just keep an eye out for the “lists” button next to any profile. Click the list menu button as shown below and add them to your existing lists with one click.
You can remove users from a list in the same fashion as you added them; just uncheck the box.
Checking out your Lists stats
On your Twitter home page, clicking on the “listed” number (which is next to your “followers” number) will bring up a page all about what lists you are on. Click it to see yours!
The Lists Page: Editing and Deleting Lists
To edit any of your lists, click on the list itself. At the top right of the page, you'll see a small link to "View List Page." Click this, as shown below.
On the next page, you'll see who is in your list, with a button on the top right to delete or edit the list. Click edit to change details about your list. (To add or remove people from your list, click their profile. Then click the list button next to their name, as shown above under "Adding or Removing People From Your Lists.")
Note: Renaming a list will break any links you've posted to that list.
Subscribing/Following Lists
Following a list is as simple as following any other Twitter user. Simply navigate to the list page and click on “Follow”, underneath the name of the list. You can quickly view your subscribed lists, as well as your own, on the sidebar.
You can also consequently remove yourself from a list by blocking the creator of the list.
Note: If the owner of a list that you're following includes a public user that you've blocked, you will still see the updates of the blocked user. This behavior is similar to visiting the profile page of a public user that you've blocked: you're still able to read their Tweets.
How to Post a Tweet #NewTwitter
Twitter always asks the question "What's happening?" Each answer to that question is considered a Twitter update, or what people often call a "Tweet." Each update is 140 characters or less.
To Post Your Tweet via the Web:
- Log in to your Twitter account
- Type your Tweet into the "What's happening?" box at the top of your screen (shown below).
- Make sure your update is fewer than 140 characters. We'll count the characters for you! Remaining characters show up as a number below the box.
- Click the Tweet button to post the Tweet to your profile.
- You will immediately see your Tweet in the timeline on your homepage, as shown below.
What are Top Tweets?
What are Top Tweets?
Top Tweets are popular Tweets that have caught the attention of other Twitter users. When you search for a popular term, you will likely see three "Top Tweet" results, marked with a small icon as shown below. You can use Top Tweets to quickly find the updates that other users are finding interesting, insightful, and helpful at this very moment! If you'd like to learn more, you can see and follow Top Tweets at www.twitter.com/TopTweets
How are these Tweets selected?
Twitter have built an algorithm that finds the Tweets that have caught the attention of other users. Top Tweets will refresh automatically and are surfaced for popularly-retweeted subjects based on this algorithm. They think that showing the Tweets that other users have retweeted, shared, and interacted with can help you find new and helpful information more easily.
Why don't I see the Tweets I like on Top Tweets?
Top Tweets are Tweets that lots of people are interacting with and sharing via retweets, replies, and more. If Tweet you love aren't showing up as Top Tweets, it means those Tweets may not be part of widespread conversation as much as the Tweets that are Top Tweets for any given search term.
Suggestions For You – Discover Who to Follow on Twitter
Twitter has lots of ways to help you find who to follow -- browsing by interest, finding friends and colleagues via your address book or social networks, and searching directly for users. But sometimes you may want to find more users without having to go look. Once you are following a few accounts on Twitter using the methods above, the Suggestions For You feature can help you by directly recommending new users to follow.
There are multiple ways to get started with Suggestions:
- From your home timeline
- From another user’s profile page
- From your own profile page
From your home timeline:
On your home timeline, just beneath your followers/following counts, you should see a few recommendations of accounts we think you might find interesting, based on the types of accounts you’re already following and who they follow.
- Click “follow” if you like the recommendation and would like to start receiving the user’s Tweets.
- Click the X if you would not like to follow them at this time, and our system will record that it should not recommend that person to you again.
From another user’s profile page:
The Suggestions feature also lets you know which users are similar to a user whose profile you are viewing.
- If you’re interested in these accounts, click the ‘Follow’ link to follow them.
- If not, you can refresh the page for more suggestions.
From your own profile page:
Just as you see similar users when visiting the profile page of someone you follow, you’ll be shown suggestions of users we think are similar to you when you visit your own profile.
- Our recommendations for users similar to you will appear just below the tiled list of people you follow.
- You can click the Follow link next to someone’s name to begin following them immediately.
If you disagree with a recommendation, just mouse over the recommendation and click the X next to it to indicate that you’re not like that user, and our system will note not to show that user as similar to you in the future.
Where do you get these Suggestions from?
I need more followers, how do I get you to suggest me to other users?
- Twitter's staff does not editorialize which users show up in Suggestions for you or similar accounts.
- Twitter search uses an algorithm that determines highly personalized suggestions based on the accounts you currently follow, the accounts followed by the users you have chosen to follow, and how other users express interest in Tweets made from these accounts.
- This should help you find the information you want to know (and some information that may surprise you) faster.