I wrote a little while ago about how Twitter’s plans to mangle ReTweets with its Project ReTweet, and the danger that poses to the crowd-invented functionality. After having several conversations on the topic and wondering what we could to do save ReTweets, I’ve come to the conclusion that the only thing to do is make sure that everyone knows how to ReTweet the original way. Then, once (or if) Twitter goes ahead with Project ReTweet, we can all continue to use the old format. If you like ReTweets, help save them by spreading this post around to ensure that everyone understands the commonly accepted method.
What is a ReTweet?
Normally, when you post a Tweet, only those people who are following you will see it. ReTweeting occurs when one of those followers copies your Tweet and posts it to their timeline. At that point, all of their followers will also see it. I’ve created an image below that explains this process.
How do I ReTweet?
The simplest way to ReTweet a post is to copy it from the original poster and paste it into the update box on your Twitter homepage. Here’s an example:
There are a few different ways people format ReTweets, but the most common way is this:
“@UserName” would be the username of the person who originally posted the Tweet you are ReTweeting and “original Tweet” is the text of that Tweet.
You can also add your own opinion of the content after the “original Tweet” text or before the “RT.” This is one of the most important things the new Project ReTweet format is going to prevent.
Some people also use “h/t” (which stands for hat tip, from blogging) or “via.” Both of these standards are generally used when you are posting a link you found from someone else’s Tweet, but changing the text of the Tweet itself. RT is typically reserved for verbatim copies.
Many websites feature a little green and gray box (like the one at the top of this post) with a number and a button to “ReTweet.” If you’re reading something that you think your Twitter followers would like, just click the green button to share it with them. This isn’t a ReTweet in the sense described above, but the format is the same.
How do I ReTweet in a Third-Party Client?
You’ll also notice that down the right-hand-side of this post are screenshots from a variety of popular desktop and mobile Twitter applications. Each image shows you the app’s built-in one-click ReTweeting functionality. As you become a power user of Twitter, you’ll probably switch from using the Twitter.com web interface to one of these clients.
Want to Learn More?
If you’re interested in learning more about ReTweets, I’ve posted about ReTweet etiquette and the science behind how to get more ReTweets.
And remember: the only way to save ReTweets is to make sure everyone knows how to ReTweet.
If you liked this post, don't forget to subscribe to my RSS feed or my email newsletter so you never miss the science.
October 19th, 2009 at 8:03 am
The ReTweet graphic is a very useful idea for Social Media presentations.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:32 am
You might wanna write an update on the RT Etiquette article, a lot of the stuff in there is pretty old. Odd how quickly that goes in less than a year, but the person tacking on “RT blabla” onto a reply-tweet to indicate it's a reply kind of shows Twitter etiquette might not have been entirely mature yet
Perhaps also distill and summarize some of the stuff discussed in the comments there, but try to keep it short and to-the-point. Can't quite place my finger on it, the information in your articles is usually excellent and powerful, but somehow they don't “read” as smooth or punchy as I think they could.
Probably something to do with your introduction paragraphs, perhaps read some “writing tips” articles on it. For instance, this one, the intro paragraph is directed at people that like retweets, want to save them and should RT this article. However, if I'm gonna RT this article (which I did btw) the people it's meant for are people not entirely familiar with RTs yet, but the “How to RT” part only starts halfway the article by which time these people are gone (cause the article starts out by telling them they should save something they dont know much about, yet). I'd switch that around, the RT-savvy audience will scan past a beginner-level “How to RT” and ledge on to the Call-to-Action later on because they support the cause. While the “beginners” are gonna need a sweet introduction to even convince them they should be learning something new.
Sorry for the critique, it's meant to be constructive. Cause I love your blog, especially your latest articles about Contagiousness and the one about Rumours. Good stuff. I linked them for you in the O:MF section of the PD forum, they liked it a lot
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:52 am
Dan, your articles are valuable and timeless. Love to RT many of your articles. Keep it up. This is a spectacular blog! I've learned a great deal from reading it.
October 24th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
As usual Dan, valuable info. Many thanks – keep it coming!!
October 26th, 2009 at 9:22 am
The custom of cordoning off an area of the message for comment on the quote might help to address this??? This is where the quote (or RT) appears followed by a || which walls off the comment/note ON the quote.
Getting rid of RT'ing altogether is an over-reaction and just not very smart problem solving.
October 29th, 2009 at 11:37 am
[...] : To #SaveReTweets, Make Sure Everyone Knows How to ReTweet [...]
October 30th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
How about the ReTweet shrinkage scenario? Since a tweet is 140 characters, a “RT @username” (and character count for the username varies) would take a chunk out of the 140 characters. So if the original tweet is 137 characters – verbatim RT is out of the question. This presents a Tweet regurgitation scenario (with the option of own opinion addition) – an RT of the second kind. Wondering what the best protocol for this scenario.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Pretty pictures!
November 10th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Pretty pictures!
November 10th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Pretty pictures!
November 10th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Pretty pictures!
November 10th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Pretty pictures!
November 10th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Pretty pictures!
November 10th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Pretty pictures!
December 4th, 2009 at 2:43 am
[...] To #SaveReTweets, Make Sure Everyone Knows How to ReTweet (Dan Zarrella) [...]
January 11th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
[...] To #SaveReTweets, Make Sure Everyone Knows How to ReTweet (Dan Zarrella) [...]