Getting to grips with social media can be tricky when you\u2019re thrown into the deep end. Twitter has grown so quickly over the last five years \u201d\u201c from 204 million active users in the first quarter of 2013 to 336 million in the first three months of this year. It\u2019s seen as much more than just a social media site; it\u2019s a source for breaking news as well as a platform for keeping up with specific communities. Do you want to join in the conversation but not sure how to get started? Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ve got it covered!<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019re on Twitter.com, you\u2019ll see the option to log into an existing account or to sign up. Click on the sign up<\/strong> option to begin!<\/p>\n The next page will ask you for some general information \u201d\u201c your name and your phone number, or your email. You can use your full name to sign up if you wish; not everyone chooses to. Once you have this information filled in, click \u201d\u02dcSign Up\u2019.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need to use a password for your account \u201d\u201c it will need to be over 6 characters and you should probably add some symbols or numbers to it too. Make sure you can remember it!<\/p>\n The beauty of Twitter is you can tailor what you see on your timeline to the things you want to see. So, if you have an interest in movies, you can follow sites that will provide you with that sort of content. When you\u2019re signing up to Twitter, you\u2019ll be asked what you\u2019re interested in, in order to give you an idea of which accounts are available.<\/p>\n You can pick a whole range of topics and once you\u2019ve chosen, you have the option to follow a number of accounts which may include celebrities. This part is completely optional \u201d\u201c you can untick a few names from the list if you wish. You can always unfollow accounts later down the line, too.<\/p>\n At this point, it\u2019s time to pick a username! If you\u2019re aware of Twitter, this is also known as your handle. You\u2019ll need to have a username that people can search for under the @ symbol. Be prepared for the username you want to be taken as there are so many users now.<\/p>\n Now you\u2019re set! You can Tweet, Retweet, follow more people – the world is your oyster. You can update your own account with a photo of yourself, a bit about yourself in your bio, your website and date of birth.<\/p>\n Once on your timeline, you\u2019ll see Tweets come in from the people you follow. On the iOS app, you will see your profile in the top left, but on the top right you\u2019ll see the icon to post a tweet. You can post your first with the hashtag #MyFirstTweet<\/strong> so people know you\u2019re new here!<\/p>\n If you want to tweet someone directly, make sure you include their @username so they can receive the mention. You can also get in touch privately, known as direct messages or DMs. Retweeting a tweet is essentially sharing it; your followers will see that you have retweeted it but it will mainly contain the original message.<\/p>\n The things being most talked about where you are will come up as trending topics or \u201d\u02dctrends\u2019. You\u2019ll see this on the app under the microscope icon to search. As you can imagine, the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was pretty popular! It amassed more than 6 million tweets, with over 5 million of them using the #RoyalWedding hashtag, making it a huge trending topic on May 20.<\/p>\n
\nTailor your Timeline<\/h3>\n
\nPick a Username<\/h3>\n
\nPosting Tweets<\/h3>\n
\nTrending Topics<\/h3>\n
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