Chances are that by now you’ve heard of Twitter, the Internet phenomenon that everyone seems to be talking about. As much as people admire Twitter, many seem stuck outside of the loop when it comes to understanding what Twitter is and how it works. Let’s catch you up to speed…

Twitter is a messaging system, a microblog publisher, and an incredibly complex community. Huh? More to the point, Twitter allows users to write short posts quickly from their phone or web browser. Those posts become instantly and easily accessible to users around the world, especially other users who have opted to “follow” those messages. The point of Twitter is not to provide detailed commentary or follow every jot of a conversation, but to create a stream of messages and conversations. If a site like LinkedIn is your online resume and business club, Twitter is the office water-cooler, the public bulletin-board, the hip cafe down the street where drinks always cost way too much.

Ok, Twitter is everything but that last bit, since the service is totally free minus the hundreds of hours it will suck from your life. Twitter isn’t just a waste of time though. People use it to discuss everything from breaking political news (I learned about Palin’s resignation via Twitter) to speculations on “the next big thing” in the tech or business world. Hot conversations happen there everyday and chances are that at least some of your clients are Tweeting. As anarchic as it may seem at first, Twitter does have informal rules. To enter this neighborhood and get people’s attention you need to be aware of these rules and taboos, so let’s get started:

The ‘@’ reply. One of the most daunting features for newbies (those who just discovered that Twitter might be amazing) is the system of using @username to send messages to other users. A typical tweet (message) might look like this:

@kchjr That is not possible right now. The easiest way is to click the user’s profile pic, which opens their follow/unfollow page in new tab

What you’re seeing here is a response to an @ reply I made to another Twitter user. Frequently when you are visiting someone’s page you may only see half of the conversation. You might notice a small link underneath that tweet that says “published about 1 day ago in reply to kchjr.” Clicking that link should take you to the tweet that is being replied to. Twitter actually calls this system a “mention,” which only describes part of its use. You can mention a politician in a post. For example, tweets that have @barackobama in them may simply be drawing attention to the Commander in Chief, not trying to gain his attention. If your Twitter profile is public so are your @ replies/mentions. Also, keep in mind that you can insert the @username marker anywhere in your message, as long as there is a space on either side: “I just got back from a party where I met @aplusk how cool is that?”

Direct messages (DM). Spend time on Twitter and you might have people ask you to DM, or “direct message” them with details unfit for the entire Twitterverse (your cell phone number, address, etc). The direct message system on Twitter functions like a very stripped-down email system. To send a direct message just type “d username this is my message text, blah, blah, blah” into the main message entry field (the “what are you doing now” field). Veteran Tweeters also tend to use this feature to welcome new followers to their network. Due to its minimal nature (it is even more bare-bones than Facebook’s message system) you won’t be using DMs a lot.

Re-Tweet (rt, RT, other variants). The simplest way to think of retweets is to remember that they are the Twitter version of “forwarding” an email. Like your other messages, all of your followers will see anything that you retweet and they will assume that you endorse the message being retweeted (unless you make it clear otherwise). Retweets can also (confusingly) be stacked up on eachother “RT RT rt @kchjr @bobthetomato @larry check out http://xyz.com so cool!” Retweets have no formal requirements but retweeting a message without mentioning (@ replying) the original sender is considered poor taste (there are exceptions). It’s okay to slightly alter or trim the length of the tweet and it’s also acceptable to add your own commentary, usually through bold punctuation like two double slashes “rt @StarbucksCoffee free mochas this Tues // sounds like a sweet deal!” Retweeting is a great way to insert yourself into the community. If you promote others a little you may soon find that people will return the favor. Just like your unique tweets, make sure that anything you retweet will be interesting to your audience and not just the Twitter version of a chain letter.

#hashtags. Yes, I did save the best for last. “Hashtags” are markers used to indicate that your tweet belongs to a certain category or topic: #music #mondays #weather are all topical tags. Categories might be #politics #war #worldnews. Hashtags can be used to emphasize the mood of a tweet (#mad #sad #happy). Another big use of hashtags, and one that is more pertinent for marketing purposes, is to designate informal groups on Twitter. Many on the right side of the political aisle pepper their tweets with the #tcot tag (Top Conservatives on Twitter). Copycat ideas include #tlot, and #topprog. You may notice other hashtags that correspond to informal communities or regular trends (#musicmonday #followfriday) on Twitter.

Doing a Twitter search on a hashtag will often help reveal the purpose of that marker and provide plenty of interesting comments for a new tweeter to retweet and engage with via @ replies. Unlike other social networks, talking to strangers on Twitter is quite encouraged, although be sure to keep your tone respectful and don’t expect everyone to like your tweets.

Twitter Lingo goes far beyond the basics of @replies, direct messages, and hashtags. Because Twitter is a rapidly growing community based on instantaneous messaging, new trends are always cropping up. Some of these trends will flourish and others will fall by the wayside. As you take the time to explore Twitter take chances and reach out to veteran tweeters and established communities. Keep in mind that “if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.”