I received an @message on Twitter today that caused me to pause and say “OMG OMG”.
Take a peak and before reading below: Do you notice anything that is not quite right in the first @message compared to the second? Take a moment to notice the difference and discover an important reminder about how to tweet with @ in Twitter.
Did you notice the “.” in front of the @toddlucier that @kag2u used. Why did she do that?
A note about @messages in Twitter
Messages that start with @ in Twitter are only shared between the sender and recipient and those in the twitter community who follow both of you! None of your other followers will see the message.
For example, @thecleversheep is my identical twin brother, an educator, and an inspiring blogger and podcaster, tech guru…. I could go on. The point is, you did not see this tweet in Rodd’s twitter stream (if you follow him) unless you follow me too! It’s like a conversation happening at a party, and only the folks that are in the room with us can hear our conversation.
Including any content before the @ such as “.@toddlucier”
On the other hand, @kag2u use of the “.” is twitter etiquette brilliance.
These messages go to all of her followers because the @ is not the first character in the tweet!
Why is this a good thing? Including an @message with one or more characters in front of it introduces your followers to the cool peeps that you are actually having a conversation with! If your followers get curious because they see an interesting conversation it will likely lead to new followers for the person you are @messaging.
Since twitter is all about relationships, doesn’t it make sense to introduce your friends to one another?
Sometimes, keeping the conversation between those who follow both people makes sense. But most of the time, tweeting with the @message embedded in the content, or better with the almost invisible “.” makes the message avaiable to your audience while clearly addressing a conversation between you and the @message recipient.
So today, I’m toasting @kag2u (Give her a follow would you). Thank you for the reminder of the importance of introducing your peeps to one another.
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