Twitter Glossary

#
A hashtag is similar to other web tags- it helps add tweets to a category.  When a word is proceded by the # tag, it becomes a link to all of the other tweets tagged with the # symbol.

@
Is used to call out usernames in Tweets, like this: Hello @Twitter! When a username is preceded by the @ sign, it becomes a link to a Twitter profile.

API
Application Programming Interface. Contains all Twitter data and is used to build applications that access Twitter.

Avatar
The personal image uploaded to your Twitter profile in the Settings tab of your account.

Direct Message
Also called a DM, these messages are private between only the sender and recipient.

Fail Whale
The Fail Whale is an image of a whale held up by birds and nets. This image shows that Twitter has been overloaded or failed.

Favorite
To favorite a Tweet means to mark it as one of your favorites by clicking the yellow star next to the message.

FF
#FF stands for “Follow Friday.” Twitter users often suggest who others should follow on Fridays by tweeting with the hashtag #FF.

Follower
A follower is another Twitter user who has followed you.

Geolocation / Geotagging
The use of location data in Tweets to tell us where you are in real time. Is also called “Tweet With Your Location.”

Handle
A user’s “Twitter handle” is the username they have selected and the accompanying URL, like so: http://twitter.com/username

Lists
Curated groups of other Twitter users. Used to tie specific individuals into a group on your Twitter account.

Mention
Mentioning another user in your Tweet by including the @ sign followed directly by their username is called a “mention”. Also refers to Tweets in which your username was included..

Promoted Tweets
Tweets that selected businesses have paid to promote at the top of search results on Twitter.

Protected/Private Accounts
Twitter accounts are public by default. Choosing to protect your account means that your Tweets will only be seen by approved followers and will not appear in search.

Retweet (noun)
Also known as RT.  A Tweet by another user, forwarded to you by someone you follow. Often used to spread news or share valuable findings on Twitter.

Retweet (verb)
To retweet, retweeting, retweeted. The act of forwarding another user’s Tweet to all of your followers.

Timeline
A real-time list of Tweets on Twitter.

Trending Topic
A subject algorithmically determined to be one of the most popular on Twitter at the moment.

Twitterer
An account holder on Twitter who posts and reads Tweets. Also known as Tweeters.

Unfollow
To cease following another Twitter user. Their Tweets no longer show up in your home timeline.