Twitter @ihrimuk
Get Started Right Away
With the launch of the @ihrimuk Twitter page, we thought it may be helpful to provide a short overview of Twitter for those who haven't used it before.
If you don't already have a Twitter account and would like one - go to www.twitter.com and sign up for a free account. You don't have to Tweet, you can use Twitter just as an information source.
If you already have Twitter - follow us!
@Username
Every Twitter user has a username which begins with @ - this is your nickname on Twitter and what you will be known by - there is a maximum character limit of 15 characters - this can describe your role rather than your name e.g @ihrimuk
What is a Tweet?
A Tweet is an update which is restricted to 140 characters which can include @mentions referring to other users e.g. Thank you @smarty-pants. Hashtag a subject (a hashtag is #) #subject e.g. #clinicalcoding, external links e.g. to a website www.eprarms.com or just text alone. See below for further explanation of these individual functions.
How to send a Tweet
To send a Tweet, type into the 'What's happening?' text box and then click on the 'Tweet' button. Tweets are limited to 140 or characters.
What is a Re-Tweet or "RT"?
This is when you take a Tweet from another user and post it yourself on your own Twitter page, so that all of your followers can see the Tweet. Re-Tweeting involves clicking the retweet button which Twitter provides. This button is located underneath a user’s original Tweet. The Tweet will now automatically show up on your followers' newsfeed and on your page as a retweet. Re-Tweeting is a great way to pass on interesting Tweets that you have read on to your followers. So if anyone IHRIM members see an interesting article or photograph or news item, and you have IHRIM on your list of followers, if you Re-Tweet it, all your followers see it!
What is a Modified Tweet or "MT"?
This is similar to RT, an abbreviation for "Modified Tweet". This is placed before the re-Tweeted text when users manually Re-Tweet a message with modifications, for example when shortening a Tweet.
What is a Hashtag #?
Hashtags (#) are a way of organizing information on Twitter. Anyone can make a hashtag, by typing a phrase of the form #topic in a Tweet. For example if you were Tweeting about reading this article you might Tweet "Reading @ihrimuk article about using #hashtags with #Twitter"
After a Hashtag has been created, other Twitter users can use that hashtag in their own Tweets to add to the larger conversation about that topic. Hashtags can be as general (#IHRIM) or as specific (#HowToBecomeAMemberOfIHRIM) as you choose. Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet - at the beginning, middle or end.
You can navigate Twitter using Hashtags, you do this by clicking on a particular hashtag (which will appear in blue) and this will send you to the search results page where other Tweets which contain the same hashtag will appear. You can also reach the search results page by entering the #searchterm in the search field above the list of Tweets. The "Trends" sidebar on the left is a handy tool and enables you to view the Hashtags (ie topics) that are currently most popular throughout Twitter.
@Mentions
This section is where replies to any of your Tweets from other users will be shown. When sending a Tweet using '@' followed by a username in your Tweet this will send a mention to the user you choose. For example, '@ihriumuk' will send a mention to the 'IHRIM' Twitter account.
How to shrink URLs on Twitter
As you only have 140 characters when sending a Tweet it is helpful to shrink a web address that you would like to share. www.hootsuite.com is a free website which you can use to do this. It is not a good idea to put websites at the end of your Tweet because if it gets retweeted they will disappear.
To get your started here are some suggestions of people you may like to follow:
@ihrimuk IHRIM'sTwitter Account
@HQIP Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership
@NHSEngland NHS England
@hscic Health and Social Care Information Centre
@CareQualityComm The Care Quality Commission
@CQCProf Care Quality Commission Professionals Network
@DHgovuk Department Of Health
@NHSIQ NHS Improving Quality
@NICEcomms NICE
@Jeremy_Hunt Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health
@HSJEditor Editor of the Health Service Journal Alastair McLennan