What is Twitter

What is Twitter

Twitter is another popular social network widely used overseas. It has gained a significant number of users in Poland as well. It is a microblogging platform that allows users to send short messages (up to 140 characters) which are delivered to the followers of their profile.

Twitter was founded in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams. It gained its highest popularity in the United States in 2009 but also became a target of numerous hacking attacks. In Poland, the popularity of this service continues to grow. It is primarily used by public figures, including politicians, journalists, and athletes. On December 12, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI made his first tweet on the "@Pontifex" channel.

How does Twitter work?

The most popular Twitter account belongs to Justin Bieber, who has over 35 million followers. The top five accounts in the global rankings include Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Barack Obama.

If you want to understand how Twitter works, it is best to create your own account there. In practice, it is easier to grasp the possibilities. Once you do that, it's worth reading the "Twitter glossary" to better understand what people are talking about there.

Terminology

Here are some terms that will help you start your Twitter adventure:

  • RT (Retweet): Means to repost someone else's message. It can be partially modified, but the essence is to indicate the source of the information.
  • @Username: By using this symbol, you create a link to the profile of the person you are mentioning. This allows your followers to understand the context of your statement or simply see who you are mentioning or replying to.
  • Hashtag (#): It is a simple keyword preceded by the # symbol. This allows you to link them together, making them easy to find. A hashtag should consist of a single phrase without spaces. If a hashtag is used by thousands of users, Twitter considers it a trend. Trends are displayed on the Twitter homepage and are seen by millions of users.
  • "DM" or "D": By placing this at the beginning of a message, you can send a direct message to a specific user whose username you must enter after these symbols.

Special Twitter Features

Twitter also has the ability to create lists, which can be either public or private. This allows you to group the users you follow. The name of the list is important as it helps you organize your contacts. When you follow hundreds of people, it can be difficult to find tweets of interest, so you can organize them by topics by adding people you follow to lists.

Initially, Twitter may not seem like a very interesting service, but once you have enough followers and start following interesting people, you can create a truly engaging network of communication. It can be said that Twitter is addictive, and many users who were initially skeptical about the service have come to realize this. However, you should experience it yourself and discover the Twitter phenomenon firsthand.