What's keeping you from using Twitter?

Twitter is easy to use. Basically you type in text and hit send. You can do more, but you can get started with the basics and even skip a lot of the extras and not miss them.

I've been using Twitter from the beginning. I like to try new things like Twitter and see how they work. I'm an explorer at heart.

I'm assuming you have already joined and created an account at Twitter. If not, go ahead and do so. You can sign up for an account, free, with your email address and have it link to your Facebook login as a back up login.

You're going to need a user name on Twitter. Pick something you already use on social media accounts like Flickr, Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. Pick a descriptive user name but don't let it get long winded. Keep it all one word, this just makes it easier for you to type. Once you get started with social media you will be typing your user name pretty often in order to pass it around and let people know who you are.

Go Ahead - Start Using your Twitter Account

Login to the Twitter site. Click in the box and type something. You don't need to add anything fancy. You don't need to add your user name (Twitter adds it automatically once you send the post). Stick to 140 characters, this includes spaces and punctuation as well as each letter or number you type. Twitter lets you know how close you are getting to the 140 limit.

Don't worry about the limited characters. Type in one sentence, Most sentences will fit into the 140 character limit easily. Twitter is meant to be quick, lively posts so one sentence is all you usually need. If you do need more to make your point clear think of words you can take out, words you can shorten with characters like &, for instance. Pretty simple so far, right?

Now that you have typed in your sentence, send it out there. All you need to do is click "Tweet". Your post will be sent out to everyone on your Twitter list.

Click Expand to Retweet, Delete, Reply or Favourite a Tweet

So Now You've Posted But....

So you posted but noticed a typo/ typing error or spelling mistake. Just go to your tweet, click on "expand" and click on "delete" from the list of options. You just need to confirm that you want to delete that post and then it will be gone.

You can also retweet the post from someone else this way. Or reply to anyone who has sent you a tweet.

If you want to save or savour the tweet from a friend you can mark it as a favourite here. This will save the post on your Twitter account. The tweet is saved in a file on your Twitter account.

I have an extra option on my Twitter account. It shows up in the image I cut and pasted above. It's called ClassicRT (Classic ReTweet). You can add this option to your web browser if you like. It's an extra - but not essential.

ClassicRT for Google Chrome

ClassicRT Addon for Firefox

Venture Out a Bit...

Wander off the Home section. Click 'Connect' at the top left. Now you can see who has mentioned you. Who has retweeted your posts.

I like to use this side of Twitter to reply to anyone who sent me a note. It is much easier to find replies here. (Especially once your Twitter account gets busy).

How to Report Spam Accounts on Twitter

On the Connect section you will eventually get Twitter spam. This is much like comment spam in a blog or on your posts on HubPages. You can (and should) block or report Twitter spam. Blocking the spamming accounts will keep them from posting to you again. So this is enough if you aren't sure they are spamming. Otherwise, report the account to Twitter staff. Let them deal with it.

Click on the name/ user name on the spam account. This brings up a second window which lets you choose the options to block or report the account. Just click and be done with it.

If this were a friend you could send them a tweet this way as well or go to their Twitter profile. You can also choose to follow or unfollow the user account.

Never send a spam Twitter account a message. NEVER. You may think you are teaching them a lesson, giving them a piece of your mind, or giving them a chance to change their ways. But, all you are actually doing is confirming that you are an active Twitter user. They will put your account on a list which they sell to people looking for active Twitter accounts to send spam to. They will also dig for more information from your Twitter account, like your web address, blog or email address. So, NEVER reply to a spam account on email, your blog, Twitter or anywhere else online. Don't do them any favours.

How to Change your Settings and your Profile on Twitter

Click the icon/ image of the person on the top right of the screen. This gives you options which can lead you to Twitter settings and let you edit your Twitter profile.

You can leave the settings as they are until you have an idea of how and why you want to change any of them. The basic settings will be fine for almost every beginner on Twitter. I've left mine pretty untouched.

I do like to play with the profile settings. I add my own image as face to the Twitter account. I created a background which has my links and whatever else I care to add. (You do need software for this, some kind of image software like Gimp). You can also write a blurb for your profile and add links.

Fun with #Hashtags

The last thing you need to know are hashtags. You may have heard about them already.

Hashtags are just a quick referral tag. Anything at all can be typed as a hashtag. You just add the # in front of it and keep it all one word.

Add a fun hashtag to your Twitter post to illustrate your point, catch someone's attention or see if you can turn a clever phrase viral. (Viral being something that catches on in social media and spreads around in a huge way). Seldom will anything grow to viral proportions but it's kind of fun to try now and then.

Don't go crazy with a lot of hashtags. Consider how much you would want sent to your account before you go on a hashtag binge.

#ThisisaHashtagExample

A few last things to keep in mind...

This really is enough to get you started on Twitter. There's a bit more about Twitter etiquette and just being a smart Twitter user (tweeter) in general.

Don't follow a lot of people you don't know or care to know. Having a lot of followers does not make you rich and famous. It does make you look like a possible Twitter spammer. Real Twitter users will have a balance of people they follow themselves and those who follow them back. You don't want to have people following you from some Twitter follower service either. Those are all spammers who want to bloat their numbers so they can spam and look important. They may have you on account but they won't be reading your posts, following your links or really care about anything you have to say.

Don't post a lot of links or stale quotations. People want to know they are following a real person. They want to follow people who are using their Twitter account as READERS and WRITERS. They want people who will read their post, follow their links and give them feedback now and then. Isn't that what you want from people on Twitter too? So make personal posts which don't include links to be followed and do include some personal chatter. Nothing too dull. Come up with something interesting, something surprising that happened to you, something funny you noticed today... and so on.

Ask questions, send a note to someone using their Twitter name (@thatgrrl is my Twitter user name for instance) try to get a two-way flow of conversation. Don't be afraid to jump into a conversation if you have something useful to add. Watch Twitter hashtags to find Twitter groups who have scheduled online meetings to talk on Twitter.

If you would like someone to follow you back let them know. Busy Twitter accounts have a hard time keeping up with new followers. Many of them are not sincerely following them but just want to get followed back and will likely remove them from their own list once they get followed back. Lost you there? Don't worry about it. Just know that people you would like to notice and follow you back on Twitter will respond if you send them a post on Twitter. Let them know you followed them and tell them WHY you chose to follow them. Do they share your interests, do they write on the same site you do, etc.?

Don't ignore posts on Twitter from other people. Follow an interesting link, leave comments when the links go to blog posts and let people know you followed a link posted to Twitter. Give people feedback on Twitter when they make a witty comment, shared an interesting link, or have a typo in their post. People almost always like a chance to fix a mistake if someone notices and lets them know about it. Not so different from the spinach in your teeth thing. (A friend will always let you know about the spinach stuck in your teeth).

Use your Twitter profile - write something about yourself. Tell people who you are, what you are interested in and what you are doing. Include at least one link they can click on to find you outside of Twitter. If someone thinks about following you, that profile will be a big deciding factor.

Other Places to Find Twitter Help

• The Twitter Guide - A Guide to Using Twitter
• Twitter Help Center | Twitter basics
• Newbie's guide to Twitter | Webware - CNET
• Guide to Twitter - The Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter | Webdesigner Depot
• Writer's Guide To Twitter - Inkygirl.com
• A newbies guide to Twitter | Liz Hover's Diary of a Web Gal
• Twitter Guide Book -- How To, Tips and Instructions by Mashable
• Twitter Chats and Hashtags for Writers | Suite101.com
• Twitter: 30 Simple Ways To Supercharge Your Effectiveness On Twitter!
• Twitter For Business: 5 Common Twitter Mistakes
• 9 Twitter Analytics & Statistics Tools
• The Best Way To Get Followers On Twitter
• How to Use The List Function in Twitter
• Stand Out With A Custom Twitter Background - How To Create The Perfect Twitter Background

Originally published on HubPages, July 2012.

On Thursday my computer began to slow to a crawl. After spending the day trying to work that way I decided to use the Acer recovery and my Windows reboot disk. I copied my files onto a DVD then began the process of recovery. I’ve done this twice before so wasn’t expecting anything much to happen. It takes some time and then more time to reinstall software. This time I could not get Windows to work. It said I had a corrupt or missing kernel.

After trying a few things, even tried using my old Windows ME CD cause that is a full version, I had to get help. I emailed Acer, the maker of my computer. I thought they would tell me where to get fresh recovery files in case mine had become corrupted. But no. Acer told me they don’t provide support for my computer, it is too old. It doesn’t seem old to me. I still feel this is “the new” computer compared to the IBM I had running for about 10 years before buying this Acer system. I would still be using that IBM if the Windows ME hadn’t become obsolete.

So I was not impressed with Acer. I tried looking at prices for new and refurbished computers. I looked at prices for buying a full version of Windows 7. It was not encouraging for my meager bank account.

I had half heartedly tried Ubuntu a few years ago. I gave up on it when I didn’t remember my password to login and was not really wanting to go through the time it takes to learn a new system and find out what works and what does not. So, in my time of frustration with Windows, I went back to Ubuntu. I had an old CD for Ubuntu 5 which did not work. It gave me an error as well. But, I went to the website and burned the latest Ubuntu to a DVD, just to try everything. It worked!

It is still working right now. I am writing this as a non-Windows person. It feels weird. I have used Windows since I began using my first computer when I worked for my Dad. That would have been… a lot of years ago! So it feels odd to know the computer I am using is not using Windows. It feels a bit like floating in space, weightless, in an endless night sky.

I know there are going to be trials ahead. I know none of my Windows software from the games to the practical things I have come to rely on will not work on Ubuntu. I may figure out how to get some of them working, as I get into Ubuntu and how it works. It really does not feel much different from Windows. Things are in different places on my desktop, but I could change that to be just like Windows. I won’t though.

My main concern right now is will my little scanner still work, I haven’t plugged it in yet. Also, once the scanner works, I will not have my old reliable, simple graphics program to resize and trim and prettify my drawings. So, I will have to learn Gimp or something else that works with Ubuntu. I’m not looking forward to that. I like my comfort zone. It’s nice and cosy and I know it works. I can’t think of other software I won’t be able to use right now. I know it is out there, lurking, later I will have a burst of memory and then remorse.

For now… my computer is working! So there Acer and MS Windows!

Can you leave 1,000 comments this month? Though the button says leave me comments it is actually myself who will be leaving the comments, 1,000 of them over the month of March.

Sign up on the blog, Harriet and Friends.

The only downside is keeping track of how many comments you make. If you know of a way to track them leave a note in the comments here. I can't think of anything at the moment, other than the old fashioned taking a tally as you go along. I spent the day (a lot of it) looking for some kind of plugin or widget to track/ tally comments. But nothing was what I wanted. A couple that would have been good, did not work when I tried them out. So I am doing it by keeping tally on a piece of paper, hoping I don't lose that in the clutter on my desk.

Happy commenting. Thank you to all those who come through to comment here as well.

One thing I have learned to watch for when I look at free web scripts, gadgets, widgets and such for adding to my blog are hitchhikers. Before you paste the code into your HTML paste it into Notepad first. Read the code. Do you see a link to a third party URL? A site not your own or the one you are using the code from.

Some of the sites offering freebies are also making a buck by using your blog to spam another site. Watch for it. You can remove that part of the code or just choose not to use the script, find something else.

Why does it matter? Well, not a big deal, but do you really want someone else using your blog to make money for themselves? Whether your blog is completely spam/ ad free or not, do you want people getting away with piggy backing on your work?

Although they are totally useless outside of the Neopets.com game/ site I have finally gotten to the million neopoints level. I've been working on getting a million into my bank account on the site for over a year. In April, on April Fool's Day I was only a few hundred away. But they played an April Fools joke and I was a fool and thought the site was going to drastically change their policy. So, I gave away 800,000 points to Zack (my nephew who got me started playing on the site). I really regretted it cause some other kid chose that time to steal everything from Zack. All my points and the expensive items I had given Zack too. That was really annoying. But, nothing could be done about it. But, I have overcome that setback and tonight I finally got my million! It means nothing. But, it's a small goal and kind of nice to have gotten there.