Social Media Defined: TWITTER

Thought I'd share a brief list of Twitter terms for those Twitter newbies trying to learn the lingo. Additions and comments welcome!

Twitter: is a free web-based service, in which users issue status messages in 140 characters or less. It's used by people of all ages and backgrounds for business, socializing, networking, education and fun.

Twitter handle: is someone's Twitter account name with the @ sign in front of it. For example, mine is @kerrigoldsmith

Tweet: the 140 character (or less) messages transmitted via Twitter

Following: the people whose tweets you've signed up to read; their tweets appear on your Twitter home page stream

Followers: the people who have signed up to read your tweets; your tweets appear on their Twitter home page stream

Re-tweet: re-broadcast of a tweet to your own group of followers. You should always give the original tweeter credit by putting "RT" in front of their Twitter handle and the message.

Direct message: is a private tweet between two Twitter users. A person must be following you to receive a direct message. To send one, put a D in front of their Twitter handle at the beginning of your tweet, or use the direct message tools available on Twitter.

Hashtag: a keyword with the pound (#) sign in front of it, commonly used during group discussions, or to help your messages connect with the right audience who may be using that word as a search term (i.e. #socialmedia #twitter #smcswfl)

Block: If you want to remove a follower from your list and prevent them from reading your tweets or showing up on your list of followers, you can choose to block them.

Spam: Just like email, there are also Twitter spammers who will send you unwanted messages, even if you aren't following them. All they have to do is use your @twittername. These can be reported to Twitter, or just ignore them.

Protected account: For those who are concerned about privacy, you can opt for a protected account on Twitter, where you must approve all requests from those who want to follow you - and only those on your approved list can read your updates. They are also not searchable or viewable by the general public. If you are using Twitter for internal/private communications, this is a good way to go, but not for business promotion.

Tweetup: A meetup for people who use Twitter in a local area. Very interesting and fun way to learn the ins and outs of social media, and to meet a variety of people who enjoy Twitter.

Twestival: An even bigger Twitter meetup -- a multi-day festival with a charitable beneficiary. These are held simultaneously in multiple cities around the globe.

Tw....: the scores of other words which have entered our social media vocabulary which relate to Twitter. Just combine a "tw" with any word to twitterize it... tweeple, tweetheart, twammer (Twitter+spammer) etc.