Twitter "@" replies Jan12 '08

The subject of Twitter "at" replies comes up for new users trying to figure out how to reply to someone else's tweet. Since there is no built-in response mechanism on Twitter, it's easy to be initially confused. This is particularly apparent for users accustomed to Pownce or Jaiku (both systems have a built-in comments section).

To reply to someone else on Twitter, you have to use this convention:

@username message to user

Obviously substitute username for the real username of the person you are replying to. The @username part still counts against the 140 character limit.

Limited support

This feature was not invented by Twitter, and therefore is only supported to a certain extent. Users themselves invented this concept, and it simply spread to become the "unofficial" way to reply to people.

Twitter noticed this trend and decided to create a unique "Replies" tab for each user, which shows only the tweets that are in reply to you.

Also, Twitter links any tweet with "@username" syntax to the recipient's most recent tweet, in an attempt to join the conversation. This, however, doesn't work too well.

Erroneous

When you include "@username" in your tweet, Twitter assumes that the recipients' most recent tweet is the one you are replying to. Too often, however, this is not the case.

Consider these two example Twitter threads, side-by-side, as one user replies to the other:

In this example, Twitter user SomeKid replies to user Matthom, but Matthom has already submitted another tweet. SomeKid's reply will be linked to the tweet that says, "I am going out to dinner.".

As you can see, the conversation connection here makes absolutely no sense.

To Twitter's defense, this feature was not meant to work perfectly - it was simply a way to follow a conversation.

Your @ replies settings

A recent feature from Twitter is the ability to adjust the visibility of @ replies in your main timeline.

This can be slightly confusing, so here's a better explanation than the Twitter Help Docs provides:

1. You automatically receive all replies directed at you, even if it's from users you do not follow. This setting you can't change. You can view all @ replies (directed to you) under your "Replies" tab when you are logged into Twitter.
2. The question is whether or not you want to see @ replies on your main timeline. This is where the settings option lets you specify your preference.

On your main timeline, for the users you do follow, you can choose whether or not you want to see their @ replies to other users.

Think of the users you follow as being a part of your group. When one user communicates with someone outside of the group, you can decide whether you want to see this message in your main timeline. If not, you'll only see messages that bounce around your group members. Or, you can choose to see no @ replies at all.

On one hand, things can become quite cluttered if you view everyone's conversations with everyone else. On the other hand, you're more apt to meet new people by seeing everyone's conversations. Who they're talking to may be someone you'd like to follow.

Note: The @ replies settings only works if users begin the tweet with @username. Quite often, people will include @ reply syntax in the middle or the end of their tweet, kind of like a "hat tip." Here's an example:

I finally got to try those new blueberry waffles! (Thanks @waffleguy!)

This will still show up in your main timeline, even if you have chosen to hide @ replies.

Categories: Tips , Tutorials , Twitter

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