By Request: A Twitter Primer for Milepoint Members

I don't think that this is accurate. If I search for "@starwoodbuzz," I see lots of tweets to StarwoodBuzz with the @name at the start but from people that I am not following. They don't show up in my timeline (unless StarwoodBuzz retweets it), but they are not private.

Or am I misunderstanding something?

No, not a DM, Direct Message, but u can send an @______ note/message. Type '@DeltaAssist' They'll see it listed in 'mentions'. DM's require that they follow you. And please note any & all info is thus public... So no personal ID etc in your @messages .. others see it in their timeline...

It's accurate as far as I know. If you put @name at the start of a message .. it can be read only by people who follow.. Yet, if you put @name anywhere within the body of a message, it's part of a 'normal tweet'.. So everyone who sees your timeline will see it .. and of course, it can be found using SEARCH! Hope this helps.. Btw, I'm @NJdoc .. if you care! And Happy Easter!

RT's, ie 'retweet's', are nothing more than the act of a member simply repeating the stated information formerly posted by another member, earlier.. presumably because it is so important!


Essentially, on Twitter, everything, but DM's are PUBLIC!.
When you post, you are essentially talking to literally everyone & to no one.. all at the same time!
That's kind of the beauty of it.. twitter is whatever you want it to be!
Happy Easter to all

Not quite.

If I'm following A and not B and A sends a message @B then I will not see it in my feed, but it is definitely "public" and out there so anyone who clicks on A's feed will see it. Only a DM is truly private, and then at the whim of the recipient, just like an email.

Bottom line, do not expect anything on twitter to be private is my take

Yes, thanks ..absolutely..
I should have been more clear..
Also, if someone u do not follow ReTweets someone that u do not follow ..
u will see it
Easy enough when u get used to it.. again it has evolved..
Hope eveyone is havin a super Easter Sunday

Another interesting twist: A lot of people will protect their tweets so that they have to accept the people that follow them. That also keeps people from retweeting your tweets. But people can retweet "with comment" and make an additional statemetn or say nothing at all and it will allow them to retweet.

So, as has been stated previously, 99% of Twitter is public.

Yes, a bit. You can certainly find them if you search (or if you look at @starwoodbuzz's entire timeline (in which case you'll see everything they send) ---but a message that starts with @joanek(me) at the start from starwood won't show up in your timeline unless you follow me, too. But put that same name inside a message, and everyone will be able to see it. (unless you've locked your account, in which case only the people you've allowed to follow you will ever see your tweets---and what's the fun of that??)

The bolded section above is certainly true but there is a HUGE difference between not showing up in the timeline and being private.

As for not being able to retweet private tweets, many apps simply prompt you to note that they were originally "protected" but do not stop the actual RT process. And even a DM can be shared back out to the world, just like an email or a letter or anything else written down.

That's true. I didn't mention it, as I'd never consider retweeting a private message or something from a protected account, it would never occur to me to do so. Because it's intended to be private, or as private as it could be on a system like that. (i guess i'm old and still believe that things said "in confidence" should be kept that way. And I'm a journo!)

I think just so everyone who is new to Twitter is clear, there is a difference between your "feed" and your "timeline."

Your timeline broadcasts everything you tweet, retweet or @ reply. Anyone can access your timeline by going to your user url. In my case it would be twitter.com/thrashsoundly. There you can see anything I send out via Twitter except for direct messages (DMs).

Your "feed" is where you (all in one place) view messages sent out by those people you follow. The caveat here is that if someone you follow @ replies someone you don't follow, it won't show up in your feed. Otherwise anything your friends tweet, retweet etc will be easily viewable.

Many 3rd party programs are available for computers and mobile devices to view your feed more efficiently as well as perform all other Twitter functions. Some have been highlighted earlier in this thread.

I'll be updating the original post shortly with a section specifically devoted privacy concerns, as well as editing some of the language to make things more clear. Thanks for all the great feedback and discussion everyone!

Thank you! I always wondered what Twitter was all about, but since I'm "in the IT sphere" I was to embarrassed to ask
I especially liked: "why do you need it? You dont"

Keep up the good works!

That is not correct. If a user chooses to make their feed private, only they and those they grant access can see their timeline.

That's true - I forgot about making your profile private. This is of course an option for those not interested in broadcasting their tweets to everyone.

Amtrak - Northeast Corridor @AmtrakNEC
New Jersey Transit - Northeast Corridor @NJTRANSIT_NEC

Don't forget these (I don't think I saw them in an earlier thread) - always good for latest specials, news, contests:

@IHG_Deals
@PriorityClub
@Lufthansa_USA
@HolidayInn
@BestWestern
@FlyingEmirates
@Doubletree

Air Canada promotions:
@acwebsaver

A few helpful sites/twitter account for all aspects of travel:

@thehipmunk
@3floz
@airbnb

Hey Everyone!

I've been collecting travel-related Twitter feeds for a while now... thought I'd share my own lists here in case anyone finds them helpful. (Direct Links Below)

You can let me know what you think, about feeds I've missed, etc., by sending me a Twitter message (naturally!).

All the best,

Justin
@Veritrope
http://veritrope.com

Veritrope Travel-Related Twitter Lists:

• Airlines (North American Carriers)
• Airlines (South American Carriers)
• Airlines (European Carriers)
• Airlines (Asian Carriers)
• Airlines (Middle Eastern Carriers)
• Airlines (African Carriers)
• Airlines (Oceania / Australian Carriers)
• Aviation Groups and Gurus
• Travel-Related Apps and Services
• Travel Booking Agencies
• Travel Deal Finders
• Travel Bloggers and Media
• Travel Gear and Products
• Frequent Flier Groups and Gurus
• Hotel Twitter Accounts (Generally Corporate-Wide and not Individual Properties)