So you think you’re a Twitter Jedi master? While you may have mastered the dark art of the retweet and even decrypted the meaning of hashtags, there are still a few tricks and tips that even pro Twitter users may not be aware of.
While many of us have eschewed the Twitter website in favor of the official mobile app on the platform of your choice (or one of the many excellent third-party apps), Twitter.com is perhaps one of the best ways for users to take advantage of the company’s many shortcuts and tricks. Let’s have a look at some of them, which have been extended with the debut of “new Twitter.”
The revamped Twitter.com introduced last year comes equipped with a full range of built-in keyboard shortcuts to make tweeting as quick and easy as possible. Although there is a Shortcuts link right on the main Twitter.com homepage, many users likely overlook it, tucked away in the lower right of the page next to a Privacy link (and who wants to read all of that?).
Twitter’s keyboard shortcuts are broken into three sections -- Actions, Navigation and Timelines. Here’s a list so you can take advantage of them:
Actions
f : favorite
r : reply
t : retweet
m : direct message
n : new Tweet
enter : toggle details pane
Navigation
? : this menu
j : next Tweet
k : previous Tweet
space : page down
/ : search
. : refresh Tweets and back to top
Timelines
g h : home
g r : replies / mentions
g p : profile
g f : favorites
g m : messages
g u : go to user
That’s not all -- despite not revealing them, you can also use a combination of Shift + Space to page up, and the Esc key will close the compose and/or help windows.
Finally, while it’s not really a keyboard shortcut, if you browse to the bottom of the page and want to jump back to the top, simply click on the Twitter logo -- rather than reloading the page, it will pop you back to the top, much in the same way that the “.” shortcut does.
Twitter loves cell phones and text messaging, which was the easiest way to interact with the service on the go prior to mobile apps. Despite the wide range of official and third-party apps on iOS, Android and other platforms, Twitter’s SMS commands are still an efficient way to go -- assuming you can remember the shorthand lingo.
Although these commands were created for text messaging, you can use some of them from the web update box on Twitter.com and even many third-party applications.
FOLLOW username
(SMS, Site, and Apps)
A simple way to start following a specific user, no @ symbol required -- just replace “username” with the person’s Twitter name.
LEAVE username
(SMS, Site, and Apps)
Likewise, if you decide to stop following someone, you can do so just as quickly. However, this command is specific only to SMS notifications -- if you want to completely unfollow a user, you’ll have to hit the website or a third-party app to make that magic happen.
ON/OFF
(SMS)
Quickly turn all tweet notifications on or off with the appropriate command.
ON/OFF username
(SMS)
Likewise, you can turn specific users on or off for a period of time. This command doesn’t change the user’s follow status, only your ability to see their tweets -- and it’s only designed for SMS notifications.
GET username
(SMS)
Looking for the last witty thing a specific user had to say on Twitter? Use this command to bring up their last post quickly.
RT @username
(SMS, Site, and Apps)
The original method for retweeting another user’s tweet, which has mostly been reworked by new Twitter’s Retweet command.
FAV username
(SMS, Site, and Apps)
Fall in love with a user’s tweet or just want to save it for later? Use this command to add their last tweet to your Favorites.
D username + message
(SMS, Site, and Apps)
Send a direct message to a user, which is generally easier from one of the many Twitter apps these days.
Just when you thought it was safe to memorize all of the above shortcuts and commands, Twitter has a few more up their sleeves:
SET LOCATION placename
(SMS, Site, and Apps)
A perfect way to designate your GPS location without a third-party app while you’re on the go. For example: “set location San Francisco” will let folks know you’re in Rice-a-Roni town.
WHOIS username
(SMS)
Quickly retrieve a user’s profile information, assuming they have it publicly listed.
STATS
(SMS)
If you’re not close to a web browser and you want to check in on how many followers you have, how many people you’re following or even your bio information, this one command will do it all.
HELP/INFO/AIDE
(SMS)
Last but not least, this trio of commands all serve the same function -- to bring you helpful tips from the Twitter team if you get stuck.
With these shortcuts and commands in your arsenal, you’ll now graduate to a full-on Twitter Master in no time at all! If you get stuck, feel free to consult Twitter’s own handy Help Center for all the details.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
