it's wilder

Retweets - Classic vs. New Style

I came across an article that details reasons why a user should avoid Twitter’s native retweet and I couldn’t help myself.

First, for anyone who isn’t aware - a ‘retweet’ is when a user reposts another user’s original tweet on Twitter. It developed naturally out of users desire to share other people’s thoughts & ideas with their own followers and it developed a type of language to go along with each retweet.

The classic way of retweeting involved putting an ‘RT @username’ in front of the original tweet and then the tweet itself. This inevitably led to people changing the original tweet for a variety of reasons (spelling, grammar, to add their own comments, etc.). This can drastically alter an original tweets intention. So, Twitter implemented what we now call the new retweet style. If you retweet someone’s original post using any one of Twitter’s native apps, Twitter simply copies the original post word for word and posts it to all your followers. You can read more about it here.

I believe in Twitter’s new retweet style pretty strongly. To me, if you’re adding commentary, that’s a mention and should be tweeted with a ‘MT @username’ before the part of the tweet your mentioning or modifying along with your comment to let everyone know you’re adding or subtracting something from the original.

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Hashtags

Twitter has become ubiquitous in our online society. It’s everywhere. This is especially true in our world of marketing and promotion. And being able to understand that conversation is one more key to understanding your viewers.

Enter the hashtag. A hashtag is twitter’s version of the old AOL ”keyword”. It’s a text based element proceeded by the number symbol (#) that allows a user to compartmentalize a conversation around a particular topic or subject. In our case, that’s around a particular show that we’re promoting. i.e. #SherlockPBS This element can then be used in print, on-air, and online to help drive conversation and viewer engagement.

To follow a conversation around a hashtag is simple. Using your preferred twitter application, type the hashtag into the search field. Twitter.com makes this process very easy. Other, more ‘pro user’ apps such as TweetDeck or Hootesuite, can track several hashtags at once; allowing you to keep an eye on many topics at the same time.

Twitter’s effect on TV is growing every day and marketing departments need to understand how to harness that power. By adding a branded hashtag to promotional elements, you give your audience a central place for discussion and engagement among online platforms. What’s more, a consistent hashtag among many different parties (national office vs local station vs 3rd parties) can help keep the discussion focused where it’s needed most. And a rising tide lifts all boats.