Twitter Glossary - Demystifies those peculiar terms like Hashtag, DM, handle, retweet,...

Images as confusing as Twitter handles?

And re-mystifies some... You thought you already knew what "public" and "private" meant? In Twitter world something can be NEITHER public nor private!  I might finally understand the difference between what happens when I "reply" to someone's Tweet and when I send that person a "Direct Message"!  

Here's what I just learned from the Twitter Glossary about:

1.  Handle/screen name/username  vs. "name"
You can chose and change your Twitter "name" within your Twitter profile rather easily and often.  That will not have much, if any, effect on your official Twitter address or identity, which is known as your handle, your screen name, or your username.  Those 3 terms refer to the same thing.  But your Twitter "name" may be completely different from them.
"A user's 'Twitter handle' is the username they [sic] have selected and the accompanying URL, like so: http://twitter.com/username."

2.  Message/Direct Message/DM

"People you follow can send you a direct message [within Twitter]

"In turn, people you follow can send you a direct message.

"You cannot send a direct message to a user who is not following you.

More about DMs

"How to Send a Direct Message via the Web:

1. Log in to your Twitter account.
2. Click the 'Messages' button on the top menu bar of your page.
3. You'll land on a page showing your private messages history.
4. Click the 'New Message' button, highlighted below.
5. Click to send a new message.
6. In the pop-up box, type the name or username of the person you wish to send to.
7. Enter the message [limited to 140 characters?!] you wish to privately send, and click 'Send.'"

"Understanding Direct Messages:

Direct messages behave more like tweets than emails: the sender or recipient of a DM can delete the message, and it will disappear from both sender and recipient inboxes.
- All excerpts, quotes above from Twitter Help Center | The Twitter Glossary as of 20111107



IMAGE
Photo of approx 25 people sitting and wearing something like girls' field hocky outfits with photos of faces and other images superimposed over the original faces.  Title "My Twitter class 2008" by Linda Castañeda [lindacq]
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/2980416243_500178662e.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindacastaneda/2980416243/
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