Terms to be familiar with to make the most of Twitter:

@ – This is a reply. A message is sent directly to a specific person by preceding their Twitter user name with “@” and you can check your replies at anytime by going to your home page.

DM - This is a direct message. It is a private message sent to a specific person. To send one on Twitter, simply write “D” and then the user name, such as “D BreakingTweets.”  The one catch is the person must be following you for you to send a DM.

RT – This is short for “Retweet.” It is simply a rebroadcast of someone else’s Twitter message. For instance, if @BreakingTweets said something of interest to you, you can repost their message with “RT @BreakingTweets” at the beginning, a way of giving them credit.

# – The hashtag can be used before any word or abbreviation on Twitter to make it easier for others to find who are interested in the same topic. It is commonly used at major events and conferences, as well as at times of breaking news (example: #Obama, #Iran).

FollowFriday – Every Friday, thousands of FollowFriday tweets are sent. It is a way to recommend Twitter users you find interesting. Simply post one or more of your favorite Twitter users along with the #FollowFriday hashtag.