If all you want out of Twitter is to read a particular Twitterer's updates, then you don't need to bother creating your own account. Instead, point your favorite Web browser to http://twitter.com/user, where user is the person's user name on Twitter, and then peruse the updates that appear on the page.
This, of course, is no fun whatsoever. Twitter is all about sharing and participating in a community of fellow Twitterheads, and you can't do either of those things if you're sitting on the sidelines. Even better, joining Twitter literally takes only seconds of your time. So, without further ado (not that there's been much ado so far), here's how to join Twitter:
1. Display Twitter's Create an Account page by navigating your Web browser to http:// twitter.com/signup. If you're already on http://twitter.com, click Get Started—Join!; if you're already viewing a Twitterer's updates, click Join Today!.
2. Use the Full name text box to type the name that you want other people to see when they look at your Twitter profile. Two things to consider here:
l If you want people to find you on Twitter, be sure to type both your first and last names.
l You can't include the text twitter anywhere in the name.
l The maximum number of characters you can type is 20.
3. In the Username text box, type the username you want to use on Twitter. Here are some notes to bear in mind:
l The username defines your Twitter address (it's http://twitter.com/username), it appears before each of your updates, and it appears in various other places in the Twitter landscape, so pick something you like and that has meaning.
Don't sweat the username choice too much because you can always change it later.
l The maximum number of characters is 15.
l You can include any combination of letters, numbers, and underscores (_). All other characters are illegal (you can't even type them in the text box).
l You can't include the text twitter anywhere in the username. l As you type, Twitter checks to see if your username is available. If you see "username has already been taken," then you're out of luck and need to try again. If you see "ok." then you're good to go.
4. Use the Password text box to type a password for your Twitter account. More informational notes:
l The password must be at least six characters long.
l As you type the password, Twitter rates the password strength: Weak, Good, Strong,
or Very Strong. To get your password up to the Very Strong rating, make the password at least eight characters long, and include at least one number and one non- alphanumeric symbol.
5. In the Email text box, type the e-mail address you want to use to receive Twitter notifications and other messages. You learn in Chapter 2 how to customize these notifications. If you want to receive the Twitter newsletter, be sure to select the I want the inside scoop check box.
6. Use the Type the words above field to type the two words you see in the captcha box. Figure 1.1 shows a Create an Account page ready for action.
1.1 Twitter's Create an Account page with all fields neatly filled in
7. Click Create my account. Twitter does just that, and it then offers to look for your friends on services such as AOL and Hotmail.
8. You learn how to do this in Chapter 4, so click Skip this step. Twitter displays a list of famous, semi-famous, or just plain infamous people who are on Twitter and asks if you want to follow them.
9. Again, you learn how to follow the famous in Chapter 4, so click Skip this step. Do not click Finish here, or else you'll end up following all 20 people! Twitter finalizes your account and drops you off on your Twitter home page.
No comments:
Post a Comment