Retweet or RT on Twitter

What is RT?
Retweet (abbreviated as RT) on Twitter, is to show that you are repeating / quoting someone’s tweet. When you come across an interesting tweet and you want to publish it as your own tweet - so that people who follow you can see it too - you retweet it.

Format to RT

RT @username (username – is the twitter name of the person you are retweeting) followed by the content of the actual tweet.

Example

Retweet this post -
RT @socailmediafox: All about RT / retweet explained

Common ways to retweet message

1.RT @originalsender: original message
2.retweet @originalsender: original message
3.retweeting @originalsender: original message

Can you modify the original tweet?

Yes, you can modify the actual tweet. Usually it is done because –

1.The addition of RT + username to the tweet will make it longer than the permitted 140 characters. In order to make everything fit, you will need to omit useless words or use shorter synonyms or abbreviations.

2.It is often recommended by experts that you do this, so your followers know that you are actually putting some effort into it.

Important to keep in mind while retweeting

1.Acknowledge the source of tweet
You can RT either this way –
socialmediafox: RT @ Ford Hey, Seattle! Wanna spend an hour with #Ford CEO Alan Mulally? 11a - noon on Labor Day. RSVP here: http://bit.ly/HZhdC

OR
socialmediafox: Hey, Seattle! Wanna spend an hour with #Ford CEO Alan Mulally? 11a - noon on Labor Day. RSVP here: http://bit.ly/HZhdC (via Ford)

2.Add you comment, if you want –
socialmediafox: RT @ Ford Hey, Seattle! Wanna spend an hour with #Ford CEO Alan Mulally? 11a - noon on Labor Day. RSVP here: http://bit.ly/HZhdC ~ cool

3.Be careful with RT of RT –
If you will RT this message, it will be in
your_username: RT @ socialmediafox: RT @ Ford Hey, Seattle! Wanna spend an hour with #Ford CEO Alan Mulally? 11a - noon on Labor Day. RSVP here: http://bit.ly/HZhdC

Retweeting can be a great way to add followers, as it pushes your @username into foreign social graphs, which in turn results in clicks back to your profile.

What is a Hash tag (#) on Twitter?

The hash tag (#) is used on Twitter for users to categorize their tweets. The hash mark (#) before a word in a post allows you to tag that post for that word. However, in order to get tracked via a hash tag, you need to opt-in and follow http://twitter.com/hashtags. Once you’re following Hash tags, every time you make a post in Twitter and tag it with a hash mark like - #car, it will then show up as a real-time post on http://www.Hashtags.org.

A hash tag on Twitter, is simply a way for people to search for tweets that have a common topic.

For Example – if you search on #car (or #CAR or #Car, as it is not Case - Sensitive), you will get a list of all tweets related to the cars. But you won’t get tweets like “I love car” because “car” isn’t preceded by the hash tag. But if it is written as “I love #car”, it will show up, as it is preceded by hash symbol.
Hash tags allow you to create communities of people interested in the same topic by making it easier for them to find and share info related to it. And they are also excellent way to increase your followers.