How to Tweet on Twitter Using @replies

One of Twitter’s more powerful conversational features is @replies. @replies is a tweet that, although public and visible to all Twitter users, is directed specifically to one Twitter user.

Twitter continued its evolution by changing how @replies are collected by making the @replies link into an @username link that tracks all mentions. Even though the page is now considered the Mentions page, most Twitterers still call them @replies.

To reply to a tweet, hover your cursor over the tweet that you want to respond to and then click the Arrow icon that appears. The user’s Twitter handle appears in the “What are you doing?” window, and the words “What are you doing?” change to “Reply to” followed by the username of the person you’re replying to, and the Update button becomes a Reply button.

Twitter then associates your reply with the original tweet in the Twitter system. The person can see what tweet prompted your reply by clicking the In Reply To link at the bottom of your tweet to him.

Here are some tips on how to make the most of your Twitter Mentions page, which you can open by clicking the @username link (with your own username) in the sidebar:

Send @replies anytime. You can send an @reply to someone by just typing the @ symbol and, without a space, his username. Then type your message and click Update. If you just do your reply manually (as opposed to clicking the Reply icon on a specific tweet that you want to reply to), your reply won’t be linked to any particular tweet. If you really want to reply to a specific tweet, you’re usually better off clicking the Reply icon.
Read (or don’t read) other people’s @replies. Some more conservative Twitter users prefer not to read @replies that don’t concern them. In the Notices tab on the Settings page, you can opt to:
- Not display any @replies
- Display only @replies directed at other Twitter users in your network
- View all @replies from your contacts
  
  The preceding settings apply only to tweets that begin with an @username, not those where the @username appears anywhere else in the tweet.
Join a conversation. If you see that a contact on Twitter has responded to someone in his network who wants to know where to get the best pizza in Boston, and you have a recommendation, you can share it. You just have to click the Twitter handle that your friend is @replying to and add your suggestion.

@replies are public tweets. So, unlike text that you send in an instant message program, other people can always read your @replies, and they’ll be stored by search engines. If you have something private that you need to tell someone, use the direct message feature of Twitter.