How to Write Replies to Twitter Tweets

Karl Kasca

It's one thing to write great tweets (updates/posts) in Twitter, but another to effectively reply to other people's tweets. Here are the best ways to do this, including some tips to make them even more powerful.

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- Note: Since there may be more info of interest/use on the page below, you should at least skim it quickly in addition to viewing the Video below.

First we need an example of a Twitter tweet to work with:

janedoe Just found a great picture of an ostrich in Google Images: http://bit.ly/OURQQ

Notice that the username is the first text shown in every tweet.

janedoe = username in this example.

Replying to Twitter Tweets: @username + message

To reply to a tweet, just place an "@" right before the person's username (no spaces) and then type your message, like this:

REPLY (command): @username Message

REPLY (example): @janedoe And if you liked viewing the ostriches in Google Images, you'll love seeing them in Cool Iris: http://cooliris.com/.

Note: This reply works from either a device (e.g., mobile phone) or from Twitter's "What are you doing now?" text box.

To make this easier (and so you don't have to remember the @command, you can simply:

Go to the tweet ,

Hover in the tweet box, and

Click on the arrow on the right side of the box, and

Twitter will automatically put the @username in the "What are you doing now" box.

(This way you won't make an error typing the @command or username).

The "@" ("at" sign) doesn't have anything to do with an email address, but it does send your reply to the person's twitter account with that username.

Important Things About @ Replies (Replies to Twitter updates)

The placement of the @username is important!

If your reply starts with @username, then your reply tweet will go to the person (@janedoe in our example) and show in their @ Replies tab (in their right sidebar). Whether they see the @ Reply in the tweets on their homepage depends on their Twitter account settings (see Twitter Account Settings below, or TwitterLove: Twitter @ Replies in Resources below for more information).

Who else sees your twitter replies?

@ Replies are PUBLIC! Anyone can see them and/or search, find, and view them.

If your @ Reply begins with @username, then any of @username's followers *may* also see your @ Reply (depending on their Twitter account settings) particularly their followers who also follow you.

What about @Replies which are *not* placed at the start of the reply tweet?

Example: @janedoe Great info and link re: Google images - @johnsmith also said you can search images with Cool Iris.

In the example above "@johnsmith" will not receive this reply in his @Replies, but may receive it in his Twitter timeline on his home page, if he also follows @janedoe or the person who replied.

POWER TIP:

To assure that you see all @Replies, even if they aren't directly to you at the start of the message, either:

Use the Twhirl program, which finds and displays all @Replies with your username in them, or

Search Twitter for @Replies by searching for your @username: http://search.twitter.com/

Twitter Account Settings

There are 3 Twitter Account settings which affect @ Replies
- Go to: www.twitter.com/yourusername (your account) > Settings > Notices > @ Replies.

The options are: Show me:

All @ replies.
All @ replies to the people I'm following (Default & setting Recommended by IncreaseOnlineProfits.com)
No @ replies.

For more info on what each of these settings mean, see: How to Change Your Reply Settings
For a great reason to stick with the default setting, see: Unswamp Your Twitter Feed

How to Effectively Reply to Tweets in Twitter

Now that you know the format for replying to tweets, the thing that we'd counsel you to do is to have valuable replies.

In other words, reply in ways that add value (as in the example above).

VIDEO of How to Reply to a Twitter Tweet

Resources:

The Official Twitter Commands

TwitterLove: Twitter @Replies

ARTICLE DATE: 03/02/09
REVISED DATE:

· Twitter -- The Power of Hashtags (#) in Twitter
· Twitter: How to Send Direct Messages (DMs) in Twitter
· How to Set-up a Twitter Account with a Killer Profile
· How to Get Started and Send a Tweet in Twitter
· Twitter: Overview and What it is
· Quickest Ways to Attract Visitors to your Website

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How to Write Replies to Twitter Tweets ">