To be totally unable to understand how Twitter works

[Catnao]

even though lots of old people, including my father, apparently are?

My twitter username is the same as on Mumsnet, so yes people now also know my real name. Though that info is available elsewhere.

I expect you can create a twitter account with a false name, if you don't want people knowing your name.

thanks nannynick, at this pace I'm going to be ancient before I get it

Ooh thanks for this thread! I have just started tweeting but I don't have many followers yet so I felt like I was missing the point a little. will take on board all that's been said on here though and try and get stuck in. For now I am just talking to myself, which is my personal skill anyway

Helps if you put what your twitter name is on this thread, then people can follow you.

Is @CharCharGabor you?

you dont have to put your full name on twitter, it accepts just the first name if you prefer

i love twitter, couldnt be doing with the zelebs though, except @thekeithchegwin who is a legend :)

Agreed it has it's uses but on a personal level,I neither want to followed or seek to be followed.

Yes, that's me nanny nick, thanks for following me! I would so like to get the hang of this, I like new methods of time wasting

Amazing how much time can be wasted on Twitter and Mumsnet

Ok so I have just signed up there after years of resisting. Let me know who you are and i'll follow you (if I can work out how the fuck to do that) Victoria scrumptious

PLEASE can someone explain to me (briefly) what twitter is and how do you get on it. Is it complicated because my IT skills are limited!

www.twitter.com is a messaging system which uses 140 characters per message. The message can be read by many people around the globe and flagged specifically for a specific person.

Basic Twitter Guide - shows examples of how to send a message (a tweet).

It is often easier to use a Twitter Client (software) to help separate types of messages... such as Replies (those which mention you) and Direct Messages (those which are sent only to you). TweetDeck is a client which runs on various computer systems. There are many other twitter clients, so if you use a mobile you will find a specific client for your handset.
I have a Nokia E71 and use Gravity which runs on Nokia phones which use Symbian.

victoria scrumptious - what is your twitter username?
You can follow me @Nannynick and then look at my followers to get to know some Mumsnetters who follow me (note: not all followers are Mumsnetters)

if you say follow Victoria Derbyshire on Radio 5 Live (@vicderbyshire) you can see what other people are tweeting in to the radio show by doing a search on @vicderbyshire. You can see what she is saying because her tweets will show up on your page. You can send a msg to her by starting your msg @vicderbyshire

I follow a lot of radio phone ins, political stuff, people like CJ from Eggheads (not sure why lol) and topical things

If you click on the list of trending topics, it will show you everything being said about that topic. Sometimes on a Monday nite Corrie trends and its funny to see the things being said about the prog (or any other popular prog)

Hello, am enjoying my first day or so of this new world... if someone called something a bit like ecstacy is following you, that's me!