Thanks to contributor Maram Aoudi for this post.

Your guide to understanding Twitter and the difference between a “#” and “@”

 #Tagging

When you “#tag” something you are doing it in order to join a trending topic or a conversation. It’s extremely useful to join the trending topic because it gives you exposure to people talking about the same thing you are. When you #tag (sometimes called hashtag), it becomes clickable (a hyperlink), and when clicking the #tag, it will show you everyone else engaging in the same conversation about that certain subject.

For example if you tag #coffee, then by clicking on the link, you can see what everyone around the world is saying at that moment about coffee, and join in on the conversation. This will help you increase your exposure and following because it allows your tweet to be seen by everyone who is talking about #coffee. Other people who are talking about coffee may see your tweet, enjoy it and ultimately start following you. It also allows you to join the conversation and engage with others on Twitter. If your tweet does not have a #tag in it, then it is only being seen by your followers; it does not allow you to engage the twitter realm and make new contacts.

 @-ing

When you “@” someone you are tweeting to get their direct attention. You are engaging that person/company into a conversation. When you @ a person/company it drives potential traffic to that user’s account. The product or person must have an account in order for you to do this.

For example you can tweet @Starbuckscanada, and by doing so, the person controlling that account (and all your followers) will directly see that tweet. You are tweeting to get the attention of Starbucks Canada. Unless Starbucks Canada responds to your tweet or retweets you, only they (and your followers) will see it. Once they respond to you, then their followers and everyone who stumbles on their account will see your name.

# and @ – Try it out

You can include a #tag and an@ in the same tweet, for example:

I had @starbucks this morning their #pumpkinspicelatte is delicious!!!

This drives traffic to Starbucks and allows you to join the conversation about pumpkin spice lattes. It is also a benefit because for the people searching pumpkin spice latte, they might also see your account and decide to follow you.

Please welcome a new contributor to our Blog!  Maram Aoudi is a member of our Social Media and Professional Services team.  This is her first post on our Blog, and we look forward to sharing her insights with you.

By now, you must have heard that social media is an invaluable asset to a company. Social networking is the fastest way to connect with your clientele and find out what is being talked about in your industry. People of all demographics are online, all the time, making it the best way to find your audience and launch targeted campaigns in a time of need. The catch is that the industry is trickling down and impacting the relationships between future employees and employers. The truth is, the internet never forgets–it will always remember the mistakes and successes you create on its many faces.  Because of this, employers are turning to the internet to find out more about potential future employees. Branding yourself online is necessary in order to grow and stay up to date with your industry of interest. Determining your brand can be difficult at first, but it is important to always practice safe online etiquette.

Why is online branding important to employers?

The number one thing employers do is “Google you.” This makes it easy for an employer to see what your online engagement is like. You might speak eloquently in your interview but if your online presence does not speak to the company or employer’s brand, that can be the deciding factor between you and your competition. If you are applying to work for an environmentally friendly company that is constantly advocating against animal cruelty, then you probably don’t want to blog about your new fur hat.

Manage your Facebook

The ultimate decision is yours: is your Facebook account a way for you to connect with friends or find employers? If it’s a tool you use mainly for socializing with your friends, be sure to manage your privacy settings and make sure that you are not easily searchable. At the end of the day, an employer does not want to hire a person whose Facebook account seems unprofessional.

Blog Positively

It’s always great to blog; it’s a way for you to connect with the world and share your personality online. Blogging positively is important because you get to tell people a little bit about yourself and pass your positive outlook on to others. If you are going to blog under your own name, make sure to do it in a professional way. Future employers and readers relate to positive tones and messages more than negative ones. As people look to others to engage and communicate in the social space, blogging positively makes you approachable and will help you gain followers and return readers.

Past mistakes

Maybe you made a mistake a couple of years ago. You didn’t realize that a post you had written would actually get read or perhaps your views have changed since. The best thing to do is create more content online in order to bury and outdate your mistake post. Keep writing articles, blogging and be active in the social space. The more information you get out there about yourself the more content people will able to find about you. For example, if the post you are ashamed of is on the first page of Google, just write more content so you can outdate and push the content down to page 4. An employer will look at your most recent work and/or the first 2 pages of material. If at an interview the post you are ashamed of is brought up, address it like an adult and explain how you have grown since then and now realize the importance of online branding.