Comments on: Twitter @ replies & how I’m changing my live event coverage

By: Susan B.

Susan B. — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:49:34 +0000

Thanks for that. I had no idea, either. You were not alone!

By: Jack Vinson

Jack Vinson — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:45:43 +0000

I hadn’t realized there was a difference. And, happily, there are some Twitter applications that have figured out how to ignore this restriction. For instance, PeopleBrowsr shows me the ENTIRE tweet stream from my friends, @replies included. I’ve forgotten that Twitter did this dumb thing entirely.

Except that my readers may not be as lucky. It is annoying to have to remember to add something to the beginning of a reply just so it will definitely appear for everyone.

By: Ryan Sholin

Ryan Sholin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:43:45 +0000

OK, so here’s the thing.

When you mash a “reply” button in Twitter, or an app like Twhirl, Tweetie, etc., yes, that registers as a real live “reply” and the people who don’t follow the person you’re replying to won’t see it in their stream.

If you just start a “mention” of, say, @scottros without giving the system some other cue that it’s a reply (like mashing a button), NO WORRIES. It plays in everyone’s stream just like any other “mention.” Otherwise, NO ONE WOULD EVER see any mention of ANYONE they don’t follow on Twitter.

That’s all.

No worries.

Carry on.

By: Virginia

Virginia — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:06:43 +0000

I've thought a lot about this, actually, because I engage in TweetChats and the way the @ symbol is used in those conversations can affect followers who may not want to know what's happening in a chat. Thinking about that did affect the way I tweet live events. This week I attended a marketing talk and tried weaving the speakers name into a sentence like this: example tweet. I also used the period before the @ symbol at the event, too. I think your solution is a very workable one.

By: Amy Gahran

Amy Gahran — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:21:39 +0000

Well, I indicate that the remark I’m tweeting is a quote, not my own words, by putting it in quotation marks.

I think putting a standalone ” in front of the @ isn’t any less cryptic than putting a “.” in front of it. Same w/ “sz”. I’m trying to work with standard punctuation as much as possible here. But I’ll consider what you suggested. We’ll see what others have to say.

- Amy

By: Cathy

Cathy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:16:43 +0000

Hey, Amy — I never knew about that either! But I’m not crazy about your solution. I assume it’s you talking unless I see something else up front. Putting their name at the end just mixes things up too much — I read something with you in mind, and then realize it’s not you after all. Brain spasm! How about just putting a quotation mark at the beginning? Or maybe sz for “says.” sz@agahran. Or just S. S @agahran. Do you need a space before the @, too?