What is retweeting?

[dzinerbear]

I posted a reply to someone, and then, someone else retweeted it. What's the point of that?

The original poster was asking if Butch Dixon was looking for models, so I said "always" and gave my e-mail address.

I don't really understand this retweeting thing.

[rawTOP]

It's the same as "Guess what I heard today? Michael said..."

It's just telling your friends something interesting you heard someone else say. It's quite natural.

[dzinerbear]

So, they're doing it because the retweeter's friends probably aren't following me and may like to?

[rawTOP]

So, they're doing it because the retweeter's friends probably aren't following me and may like to?

Yes and no... It's not about getting people to follow you. It's just about repeating something they like to their friends (who may not be following you). Even if the person may be following you they may have missed your tweet.

IMHO, I much prefer retweets over replies with no context - those are like hearing one side of a cell phone conversation. When I reply to someone I always try to make sure others know the context. Some people do this by retweeting then adding their comments after a // - it works nicely.

Also realize that search engines love retweets. They think that if it's good enough to get retweeted it must be better than average and the original tweet (and person tweeting) gets some credit - it's a lot like link love between sites.

[dzinerbear]

Yeah, I hear what you're saying about the replies ... they always seem weird and often I think, "What the hell are they talking about. I'm missing something.

[dzinerbear]

Can I get your help one more time? I'm not sure how to retweet something and add a remark. I'm using Tweet Deck.

[Jasun]

you know when you hear that someone did something or said something and you want more people to know about it so you tell your friends?

THAT's retweeting.

[desslock]

Pretty much all this. Retweeting is an excellent way to build credibility with both people you are following and your followers. Whenever your tweets are retweeted, new folks will find you on Twitter.

Dzinerbear - consider buying this book it's only fifteen dollars and an insightful intro -> The Twitter Book (http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596802820/) by Tim O'Reilly

If you want to save the money, you can literally go find one at any Barnes & Noble bookstore, sit in a comfy chair for an hour or two and run through it.

Steve

[Jasun]

Well and of course it's also a danger.

Today our friend Steve/Desslock decided to edit a tweet I made, changing the tone from an obviously sarcastic one to a kinda whiney one, put RT before it and then added his own snarky intro. He did this, I guess, to try to make me look bad.

Steve/Desslock being a bit of a liar and "person who edits the truth" isn't surprising but it's a good way to try to sort of "mean girls" someone.

Like if I was to "RT @friskyfans I love having sex with my mother," it could really make him look bad. Although... he's a republican from the south.. so... ya know.... odds are....

[desslock]

Today our friend Steve/Desslock decided to edit a tweet I made, changing the tone from an obviously sarcastic one to a kinda whiney one, put RT before it and then added his own snarky intro. He did this, I guess, to try to make me look bad.

Like if I was to "RT @friskyfans I love having sex with my mother," it could really make him look bad. Although... he's a republican from the south.. so... ya know.... odds are....

I retweet you for the same reasons I retweet anyone, which is because I enjoy your blog posts and tweets. Folks who tweet or blog original ideas and have something to say are very worthwhile following / retweeting, and Jasun's utilization of twitter is
one of the best in our genre.

I use the retweet with comments feature, per Tweetdeck. I apologize if you felt that when I retweeted your blog post, I changed your intended meaning.

Steve

[Jasun]

I retweet you for the same reasons I retweet anyone, which is because I enjoy your blog posts and tweets. Folks who tweet or blog original ideas and have something to say are very worthwhile following / retweeting, and Jasun's utilization of twitter is one of the best in our genre.

I use the retweet with comments feature, per Tweetdeck. I apologize if you felt that when I retweeted your blog post, I changed your intended meaning.

Steve

oh being so fucking nice to me and let me be mad. If I can't be an ogre for at least a 24-hour period once a month I'll grow that fucking halo back and we can't have that.

(although you DID re-edit what I did and change the tone and add a kinda snarky intro and it did piss me off, thus causing me to throw my bi-monthly Twitter Fit. You got off a lot lighter than the guts from Suite 703 did.)