Want to see if a certain person is on Twitter, type their name preceded by the @ sign, this is my Twitter account name @JEJacek. Hashtag a discussion forum usually related to a specific topic or group. If you see a series of letters or letters and numbers preceded by # this is a hashtag. Check out two I have been a part of #oltd505 and #oltd. Here is a google doc list of Hashtags for Education A-Z. For more educational hashtags check out Cybrary Man's Educational Web Site.
You can follow or be followed. The more the better they say, as this allows you to connect with more like minded people and groups. You choose who you follow by the click of a button. Followers are those who are interested in what you have to say. If a follower tweets something you are interested in then “retweet” so your followers can see.
Your tweets not showing up in the hashtag you posted to. In particular those you have included a web link to, you are not alone. One minute they appear the next they don’t. Why you ask, there are a number of theories. Check out these sites for people’s thoughts on why http://bit.ly/QjWgWx and http://bit.ly/1a4FWPi . At times you can be seen as a spammer. It may be related to how many followers you have. The key is to be patient and you will eventually appear, as a real person.
Chat asynchronously or join in on a Twitter chat for synchronous conversation. Asynchronous gives you the time to think about what you want to say. Choose to participate in a Twitter chat then be prepared to be overwhelmed, at least the first time. Want to see what a Twitter chat looks like after the fact. This one occurred on Thursday May 31, 2013 started at 3:30pm PT #edtechbc , relates to online tools. More info about this Twitter chat.
Thinking about using Twitter in the classroom check out this list, 60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom and this site 50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom.
Looking for even more information on learning to use Twitter, all you need to do is a Google search or type Twitter in the search field on Twitter. Then you can spend hours, as I have, trying to solve your visibility problems or finding out just how Twitter works. My searches confirmed that I was on the right track.
Here are a few of the most recent sites I visited:
http://createconnectshare.weebly.com/twitter4teachers.html
http://kerileebeasley.com/2013/01/24/twitter-a-cultural-guidebook/
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/twitter-expanding-pln
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-twitter-education
Time to go, getting the urge to “tweet”.