Twitter Lingo Online – 29 Essential Definitions to Get you on the Inside Looking Out
How do you feel when you are On The Outside Looking In?
Excluded? Left out? Odd?
Not fun being on the outside looking in. Language is the invisible border – warm, safe, happy vs. excluded and alone.
Today we get you warm, safe and happy on the inside with the Twitter lingo.
The language problem is not just on Twitter, or Facebook, Ticktock, Instagram or Pinterest or anywhere. Nope. Everyone has their ‘secret language‘ you just gotta master — or you’ll always be outside looking in.
UPDATED NOTE: February 2021, This post was updated for content, readability, speling, gramer, syntext, context and the continuous updating and understanding of social media and Digital Marketing.
However, this Twitter speak is downright confusing!
Yet, I still love Twitter. To get you on the inside follow a few ground rules. So let us begin with a few definitions. Understanding a few definitions automagically gets you inside the Twitter ropes.
Don’t worry, this is Urban Renström, there is always science and research involved in everything I talk about, teach, and demonstrate.
29 definitions to translate the online lingo of Twitter into English.
Twitter Lingo Online – 29 Essential Definitions to Get YOU Inside Looking Out
- Tweet — Is the message on Twitter. Can be text, images, hashtags, links. Limited to 140 characters.
- Tweeting — The act of sending a tweet on Twitter.
- Twitter Handle — Is your username, e.g., @UrbanRenstrom. Your handle is your unique name on Twitter. No two handles are identical, just like fingerprints.
- @ Ampersand — What this ( @ ) is called. Used in-front of every username on Twitter, also called the ‘at’ symbol used in emails.
- Bio — Biography, limited to 160 characters. Your bio is often 1st insight people have into you as a person – immediately under your profile photo.
- Follow — Is the act of ‘subscribing’ or following a person’s updates on Twitter.
- Followers — People who’ve ‘subscribed’ to receive your Tweets.
- Following — Is the people/brands following you. Also people/brand you follow.
- Unfollow — Stop or unsubscribe from following a person on Twitter.
- Update — Another name for a Tweet.
- Home (Profile) — The Twitter Dashboard. Your home base for everything on Twitter.
- Notifications (Tab) — Are Tweets involving you. When a tweet is favourited, ReTweeted, mentions, a new follower, or someone adding you to a list.
- Messages (Tab) — Your Twitter Inbox. Messages mean Direct Messages sent to and from you. Found on your Twitter Dashboard.
- #Discover (Tab) — Found on your Twitter Dashboard – Curated Tweets and activity from your network. Including suggestions on who to follow, help on finding Friends, and Popular Accounts to follow.
- Search — Found on your Twitter Dashboard – Is the (super powerful) Twitter search function.
- Twitter Stream — The ‘place’ to see Tweets from the people you follow.
- Retweet (or RT) — The name was given to ‘forwarding’ a message on Twitter.
- Reply — Is a reply to a Tweet.
- Favourite — Saving a Tweet. Also can mean you liked their Tweet, agree with your statement, acknowledge you noticed what was said, etc.
- Mention — Act of mentioning someone on Twitter.
- DM (or Direct Message) — A private message from one user to another. Group DM are possible.
- Hashtag (#) — Name for this symbol ‘#’. Use a ‘#’, followed by words, numbers, in a Tweet, connects your Tweet to conversations around a subject of the hashtag. Hashtags can also show emotions #HappyFriday #SadNews #WhatWasThat.
- Pin a Tweet — Act of keeping a Tweet fixed (pinned) to the top of your Twitter Stream.
- Twitter Lists — A curated list of people/brands. The list can either be public or private.
- Trending Topics — Subjects which are popular on Twitter due to the number of Tweets, RT and engagement received compared to other topics at that moment.
- Profile Image (Picture) — Name given to the small picture next to your name and handle.
- Egg Head — The default image used by Twitter before a picture is uploaded as your profile image. Egg-shaped.
- Profile Header Image — The large background picture behind your Profile Image.
- Twitter Chats — An online conversation organized around a topic, often a Hashtag.
- Twitter Ads — Advertisements on Twitter, indicated by ‘Promoted by @username’
- Promoted Tweets — see Twitter Ads – A paid to Tweet, or Hashtag.
Paying attention? I gave a bonus Twitter lingo definitions. Two, no’s 30, 31.
Twitter Lingo and Definitions are Just the Beginning of the Journey
Knowing the Twitter lingo tells everybody ‘I’m on the inside‘. And we all want to be on the inside!
So what next on your Twitter journey? Find people to follow, finding content to share, find your customers, help people and smile. Because Twitter is the new phone and people can hear if you’re smiling. Are you smiling?
Tweet and tell me your story. I want to know! Let your journey begin.
That’s excellent Urban, happily sharing everywhere!
Melanie,
Thanks for stopping by and reading and sharing!
Urban