How to Start Using Twitter

1) Go to twitter's sign-up page to create your twitter account. Choose a unique twitter user-name and a password for yourself. Pick a user-name you like, because it will stick with you!

2) Once you have an active account, it's time to "follow" a few people. If you want to follow other ISEnet members, log into your twitter account, and then visit the ISEnet twitter "following" page, and click the icon indicated below to "follow" any of those people. On twitter, you can follow anyone. You don't need their permission unless they have set their account to private. Most people on twitter leave their account public. We recommend staying public. We also recommend filling out your "bio" on your profile settings page, so people know what you do. This helps them decide whether to follow you.



3) Once you are following a few people, you are ready to start reading your twitter stream. It is the updates of the people you follow. You read it by going to www.twitter.com and signing in with your username & password. You can also read it on mobile devices like the iPhone with the twitter application.

4) Now it's time to send out your own first "tweet" (a tweet is a status update-- it tells what you are doing, or what you are thinking about or perhaps it includes a link to an interesting web page). Each tweet is limited to only 140 characters, so you have to be concise!

5) Over time, as you follow people, they will follow you back, and this is how you develop a readership. It's important that on your twitter account "bio" you say what you do, because people see your bio when they are deciding whether or not to follow you.

To see these steps explained in a video tutorial, please watch this ISEnet video.

More Information About Twitter
For a beginner's description of what twitter is, and how it works, please watch the "Twitter in Plain English" video.

Once you're familiar with twitter, you may want to read the NY Times article that links to many interesting twitter add-ons.

If you are an ISEnet participant and would like your tweets included in ISEnet's twitter page, please send Demetri a message that includes your real name and a link to your twitter URL/profile.