Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Do you "Get" Twitter?

Being one of those people that tweets several times a day, I was slightly shocked when my roommate asked me what the "RT" meant on Twitter. This made me realize that many people might not use, let alone understand, the social networking website as much as I think I do.

I have had my Twitter account for a little over two years, with close to 1,000 tweets. After analyzing my account, I was able to recognize when I started really using Twitter to my advantage, and being an active member on the site. I have used Twitter to follow anyone from public relations professionals, news sources, celebrities and university-related accounts. A recent mediabistro.com article uses some humor to outline what they call the "Four Stages of "Getting" Twitter".

1. Like most people, the first step after making a Twitter account is slight confusion. We are a little bit skeptical about the use of the site, and wonder why we even signed up.

2. After we figure out the basics of the site, users can try to enjoy it by posting random things about their day in 140 characters of less, but still aren't completely sure how this will help us whatsoever.

3. In this stage, we finally get to see what Twitter is all about. You may have interacted with a few of your followers, or even earned yourself a retweet. You are following more accounts and gaining more followers.

4. Congratulations, you are addicted to Twitter! Step aside Facebook, for if you find yourself in this last stage, beware of constantly checking the site, retweeting and mentioning your followers.

To see the Infographic that goes along with this article and to see where you stand in the four stages of "getting" Twitter, click here.

Which stage are you in?

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