Twitter and technical communication

Twitter is a communication tool extraordinaire. It is one of the principal tools people use to share information. They send and read tweets on the Web, on Facebook, via email as well as on smart phones, tablets and desktop computers. Anywhere, anytime. So how can we use Twitter in technical communication?

Text by Sarah Maddox

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Twitter and technical communication

Image: © Photomorphic/ istockphoto.com

As technical communicators, we can take advantage of Twitter in two ways:

  • We can use tweets in and around our documentation, as a way of leading our customers to our guides and engaging them in the documentation.
  • Twitter offers us a way to keep up with the wider world of technical communication. We can use it to share information, find out what’s happening, and keep in touch with our peers.

Figure 1: A tweet from STC Atlanta


Before we tackle the above two points, let’s introduce Twitter and its language.

Introduction to Twitter

First, let’s have a look at what Twitter is and some of its linguistic conventions. This will teach you how to write and send your own tweet, letting people know you are reading this article.

Twitter in a nutshell

Twitter is a web service that you can use to send short messages to anyone who is interested in reading them.

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