Here are some Twitter basics I have learned since I started using Twitter again.

1. Update regularly: There is a fine line between updating on a regular basis and over doing it. I have found updating at least once every two hours or so consistantly is a good average. When you are in the mood to Twitter or there is something that you really want to say, it is great to update a up to 10 or more times in an hour. The trick it to not fill up all 140 characters, hit submit, and keep going. You do not want someone with only a few (10-100) followers to go to their page and only see your updates.

2. Tweet real content: Other tweeters do not care what you are up to all the time. Your updates should not only consist of "going to the kitchen to get a snack" "just got back from class" "need to go to the store" and blah blah blah. However, tweeting what you are doing is good once and awhile, when it is interesting. If you are going to the kitchen to make a banana split and pig out, by all means, let the rest of us envy you!

3. Links and Retweets are your friends. Adding links is one of, if not the best, kind of tweet. Add in a funny explination of the link and you have one quality tweet. People will be much more likely to friend you if you share information in link form. This is a great feature for bloggers and online sellers. Link to your site, but not every time! I link to my personal pages when I write a new blog, article, or list a new item on my Etsy.com store. I also link to other people's pages. This is a great way to show I am not selfish or just trying to get people to buy from me.

Retweets (RT) are when you copy what someone else has said and add RT @(insert twitter name here). For example, say someone really enjoyed a link I put up. Here is how it would appear: KT_Riffic This video is amazing! link.com.

One of my followers clicked on the link, enjoyed the video, and decided s/he wants to share it also. To give me credit for finding it, that person would copy that and add in a RT and @. Here is how it would look: RT @KT_Riffic This video is amazing! link.com

RTs are a great way to show you are engaged in the community. Beware! Do not let your whole profile page be filled with RTs. This means you have nothing to add yourself.

4. Trending Topics (TT). Trending Topics are shown on your Twitter page on the right hand side. The 10 most Twittered terms are shown in decending order. Clicking on a TT will bring up the most recent twitter updates that contain that word or phrase. For example, Halloween is coming up soon and the word "Halloween" trends often. People tweet about their Halloween costumes, their plans, related videos on YouTube, and much more.

You can also search for TTs by typing a word or phrase into the search box located above the Trending Topics.

Using a hash tag, in this case it is usually #, will make certain words or phrases easier to trend. #MyMomSaid is a popular Trending Topic as I write this article. Knowing what is trending is a fun and easy way to think of tweets that are interesting. I can type #MyMomSaid eat your vegetables! and hit submit. Now, my tweet will be shown under the TT #MyMomSaid when other people click on it. This is an easy way to engage in the community and gain followers.

5. Twitter Lists. Twitter Lists is the newest feature that will be available to everyone soon. All it is is a way to catagorize your followers. It is an easy to use feature that lets you group your followers into any lists you want. The lists can be public or private.

An example of a public list might be IPTF or Interesting People To Follow. If I was following someone that I enjoyed, I could click on their IPTF list and see who they think is interesting. Then, I might start following them.

An example of a private list might be Friends and Family. I would keep this private because I want quick access to the list, but I don't really want to share who I am related to with everyone for security reasons or maybe because they don't want their profile to be public.

Clicking on a list brings up only the people on the list's most recent tweets. This is helpful when you have hundreds or thousands of followers. The first time Twitter is turned on in the morning, there could be hundreds of updates. I am really only interested in a few people's tweets, so I can click on that list and read them.

Wrap Up

That is all for now. If you know of any other important tips or guidelines, please leave a comment below.

Here is my Twitter link: http://twitter.com/KT_Riffic (You know I had to). Please follow me, I will follow back. Thank you for reading!