• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
methodshop

methodshop

tech news, reviews & how to's

  • Trending
  • Latest
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Internet
    • Software
    • Security
    • Games
    • Advertising
  • Life
    • Entertainment
    • TV & Film
    • Music
    • Health & Science
    • Family
    • Social Media
    • Food
    • Style
  • Learn
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • News
      • Business
      • Crime
      • Politics
  • Fun
    • Featured
    • Humor
    • Holiday

Home : Social Media : What exactly is a Twitter Retweet? (And how to do it yourself)

Twitter
Twitter icons. Photo via geralt

What exactly is a Twitter Retweet? (And how to do it yourself)

Have you noticed "RT" and the word "retweet" on your Twitter feed? Not sure what it all means? This tutorial will teach you the basics of a Twitter retweet.

June 12, 2007 by jayfrankwilson
FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • What does a Retweet look like?
  • How do I Retweet?
  • Why Retweet?
  • Tracking Your Twitter Retweets

Have you noticed people typing “RT” and the word “retweet” in their Twitter updates? Not sure what it means or what this Twitter retweet business is all about? Retweeting is the proper way to take a twitter post from someone else and forward it on to your followers. Retweeting is basically just rebroadcasting someone else’s tweet.

This tutorial will walk you through all the retweeting basics and teach you how to retweet yourself.

Requirements:

  • Twitter account (free; twitter.com)
  • Basic knowledge of Twitter (see the article How to Explain Twitter to Your Grandma)
    A tweet good enough to share with your Twitter followers

What does a Retweet look like?

If you like someone’s tweet and want to send it out to your followers, you should always let other users know that the message is a “retweet” and acknowledge the original tweeter.

For example, let’s look at the two tweets below. The top tweet is the original. The bottom tweet is a retweet from @WaltRibeiro from For Orchestra. Here’s a link to the tweet.

United Airlines Breaks Guitars

Minted Methodshop

The second tweet, or the retweet, begins with “RT” and then includes the original tweeter’s @username. Also, notice that the retweet includes some commentary from the retweeter “This is crazy. Never flying them ever #UAfail” and even the addition of the United Airlines Twitter username, @UnitedAirlines.

How do I Retweet?

There are several different ways to phrase a Twitter retweet. Twitter limits your tweets to only 140-characters, so most people prefer to use the letter leaner “RT” in their messages, but here are a few different ways to retweet a message:

Retweet Methods:

  • RT @originalsender: original message
  • retweet @originalsender: original message
  • retweeting @originalsender: original message
  • original message (via @originalsender)
  • Retweet button (introduced fall of 2009)

Here’s another example. It’s a Twitter retweet from @TheEmmys. They liked MethodShop’s tweet about a fire safety poster that instructs people to NOT use Twitter before evacuating.

Emmys Retweet
“in case of fire, do not use twitter” @theemmys twitter account retweets @methodshop

Why Retweet?

Don’t have millions of followers on Twitter? Who cares. Retweets are better. When someone retweets you, they like what you are saying. You are influential. An authority. Getting thousands of spammy marketing followers doesn’t really mean anything. Being an influential voice on Twitter does.

Also, remember retweeting expands the “reach” of your message. When someone retweets you, your message is being spread to that person’s followers. For example, let’s say you have 100 followers on Twitter. But @methodshop reads one of your tweets and retweets you to 4,000 followers. The reach of your original tweet just went from 100 to 4,100. So by being retweeted often, your tweets will get exposed to users who may not already follow you on Twitter.

Retweeting can also be a great way to add new followers. People may read a retweet of one of your messages, like it, and decided to follow you to get more of your tweets.

How can you not retweet the Dalai Lama? Have a love-ly weekend folks! https://t.co/2BKb7LronN

— Biz Stone (@biz) August 24, 2018

NERD NOTE: In addition to co-founding Twitter, Biz Stone is a designer and writer with a keen interest in personal publishing. Upon discovering the blog format in 1999, Biz embraced it and went to work cultivating the medium first as a creative consultant to various blog providers and associated projects including Xanga.com, Blogger.com, WebCrimson.com, and BlogBuddy. His Twitter handle is @Biz.

Tracking Your Twitter Retweets

Has someone retweeted you on Twitter? There are several ways to track your retweets.

Twitter Search – Twitter has a search tool that you can access at search.twitter.com. Do a search for “RT @methodshop” to see our retweets.

Twitter Search Of @Methodshop Retweets
Twitter search of @methodshop retweets
  • Retweet Radar: This service creates a word cloud of retweeted words, ranks the most retweeted users on Twitter and ranks the URLs that are being retweeted.
  • Retweetrank: Another tool that simply ranks the number of retweets twitter users have (not sure how up to date it is).
  • Retweetist: Retweetist will show you all your retweets and the days you were retweeted. It also has options to display the top Twitter users who have been retweeted and the top retweeted URLs.
Retweetist
Dashboard showing @methodsjop’s retweeted tweets over a 30 day period.

Related Articles:

  • This Is What Your Pathetic Twitter Feed Looked Like In 2008
  • Are teens ditching Facebook for Twitter? Several indicators say, yes.
  • BP Twitter Impostor Mocks Company Over Oil Spill‎
  • How to Auto Follow People on Twitter – Tutorial

 


FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Category: Social Media Tag: Biz Stone, Emmys, For Orchestra, retweet, Retweet Radar, Retweetist, Retweetrank, Twitter, United Airlines, Walt Ribeiro
Previous Post:Angry ‘Sopranos’ Fans Crash HBO Website
Next Post:NBC’s Lancaster heading for exit

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

Popular Posts

  • Job Automation Using ChatGPT Could Make These Jobs Obsolete - Is Your Job On This List?Job Automation Using ChatGPT Could Make These Jobs Obsolete – Is Your Job On…
  • The Surprising Story Behind The NBC ChimesThe Surprising Story Behind The NBC Chimes
  • 7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google's Cameras7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google’s Cameras
  • Top 200 Nielsen DMA Rankings (2023) – Full ListTop 200 Nielsen DMA Rankings (2023) – Full List
  • 5 Funny Resurrection Jokes To Share On Easter Sunday5 Funny Resurrection Jokes To Share On Easter Sunday
  • How To Change The Default LG TV Home Screen To Live TVHow To Change The Default LG TV Home Screen To Live TV
  • Is Your Hatch Restore Already Registered? Here's How To Fix It And Unregister A Hatch Restore.Is Your Hatch Restore Already Registered? Here’s How To Fix It And…
  • 20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite
  • The Best Caddyshack Quotes: 30 Famous Caddyshack Quotes That'll Make You LaughThe Best Caddyshack Quotes: 30 Famous Caddyshack Quotes That’ll Make You Laugh
  • Chronological List Of Jackie Chan MoviesChronological List Of Jackie Chan Movies

Categories

Clever Tech Gifts

10 Clever Tech Gifts That People Actually Want

Here are some clever tech gifts that your friends and family will love.

Everything Everywhere All At Once Quotes

The 40 Best Everything Everywhere All At Once Quotes

Ready to be inspired and challenged? Check out these amazing Everything Everywhere All At Once quotes that will help you see the world in a whole new light!

Recent Posts

  • The 40 Best Everything Everywhere All At Once Quotes
  • How To Manually Identify AI-Generated Text Without Using A ChatGPT Detector
  • 10 Clever Tech Gifts That People Actually Want
  • 10 Fun Things To Ask Alexa On St. Patrick’s Day
  • 30 Dirty Irish Pick Up Lines That Will Probably Get You Slapped

Jump to comments

About

MethodShop’s mission is to entertain, inform, and sometimes gross you out. MethodShop has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by us. All prices are subject to change.

Latest

Everything Everywhere All At Once Quotes

The 40 Best Everything Everywhere All At Once Quotes

How To Visually Identify AI-Generated Text

How To Manually Identify AI-Generated Text Without Using A ChatGPT Detector

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
MethodShop Animated Zoom Icon
  • About
  • Submit
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Store

Copyright © 2023 MethodShop · All Rights Reserved