Not a Novice, Not a Pro - Tips for Intermediate Twitter Users (From an Intermediate Twitter User)

In "The Sound of Music," Liesl tells her suitor Rolf via song that she is not a little girl anymore, but by no means an adult. Brittney Spears sang to us that she is not a girl, but not yet a woman. This reminds me that there are so many of us who are on Twitter, but are not yet experts at Twitter (I include myself in this group). There are tons of posts about how to get started on Twitter, and tons of tips for how to be a "power" user of Twitter, but what about those of us who are not beginners, but not power users - here are some tips/ideas for we, the "intermediate" users of Twitter, based on what I have seen when working and interacting with other teachers and colleagues in person and virtually:

Pinned Tweets-An underutilized feature on Twitter is the pinned Tweet. This will put a tweet at the top of your profile page, and will be the first tweet anyone sees if they visit your profile page. This is a neat way to emphasize a specific message, or draw attention to important content. This pin can be changed as often as you want, so if you want to stick a quote there permanently, or put a new tweet every month to advertise your latest blog post, both are equally as acceptable.
-To pin a tweet, click on the three dots in the lower right hand corner of one of your tweets (can't be a re-tweet unless you have a added a comment), and click on "pin to your profile page"

Why not to start a tweet with "@" (unless you know why you are doing so)
When you start a tweet with a reference to someone, for example "@MRG230," you immediately limit the initial audience of that tweet to yourself, and those whom you have mentioned. If this is your intention, then great, "@" away! However, I mostly see people doing this who do not intend to limit their post in this manner. The common workaround is to place a "." in front of the "@", for example, ".@MRG230". You can also put your "@" references later in your tweet for the same effect.
-If after the fact you discover you have started your tweet with an "@," you can also retweet your initial tweet, and it will then appear in your followers' feeds and elsewhere on Twitter to whom it is visible.

 
Do include "@" when appropriate 
-The above being said, "@" references can be great tools to get your tweets out to others. "@" references will ensure that those individuals have a chance to see your tweet, and could potentially expose that tweet to their followers.
-When you use an "@" reference, make sure your tweets get to the appropriate person. Just because someone's name pops up when you start typing doesn't automatically mean that this is the person you are looking for. People with common names are of course the most problematic, but don't discount how common a name may be - remember Twitter is worldwide!
-You can also create a list if you have a long list of people you want to "@" reference, to tweet them all at once. See instructions here: https://support.twitter.com/articles/20169276

Remember your profile
-Your profile description may be one of the first things that a person will see about you. So it goes without saying that it should be appropriate. Avoid language that can be misunderstood or is too vague.
-Also, do include terms that indicate the kind of people you would like to find on Twitter. If you want to find other teachers who teach the same disciplines, include some form of that specific discipline in your profile. For example, "HS Chemistry/Physics Teacher" is probably a more helpful term than "Science Teacher" if you are looking to connect. Same goes for other professional interests - if you want to find other coaches, include the name of the sport/activity that you coach. 

Hashtags
-If you are looking for your tweets to go to anyone else outside of your followers, hashtags can be a great tool. Use a google search to find a hashtag that is specific for your topic. For instance, some educators use "#edchat" as a way to signal to other educators that their tweet relates to education.
-Try to avoid using common words as hashtags. While you may be a big Chicago Bears fan, #Bears could give you football tweets, animal tweets, zoo tweets, and who knows what else.
-Hashtags can also be rhetorical, or just used for effect or emphasis, such as the once popular "#Sorrynotsorry." These hashtags are usually meant to add to what you have already tweeted, and are most likely to be seen by only your followers, unless they are part of a specific current trend that others are searching for.
-Also, be careful when using these types of rhetorical hashtags. A search for a hashtag will list all the tweets referencing a hashtag, and you could potentially associate your self with some tweets that you probably don't want to if using certain culturally popular hashtags/sayings 

Don't forget to include media - pictures, gifs, polls
-These features are there for a reason. Tweets that have visuals or other extras attached to them often get more attention. Twitter has a series of built in gifs, and recently inserted a polling feature (though this feature probably has the most utility for those who have large follower bases, and a public twitter).

Retweet Wisely
-Before retweeting from a source you are unfamiliar with, make sure that the source is one that is appropriate. One tweet that you are seeing randomly might not be indicative of the nature of a person's tweets. While retweeting does not imply endorsement of any individual or sentiment, you can't stop others from thinking that you have an association with this person. A number of celebrities and politicians have found themselves in a bit of hot water for this very issue.

Unfollowing/Muting
-Don't be afraid to unfollow someone - if they are clogging your feed with information that you find extraneous, unhelpful, too much, or even inappropriate, unfollow them.
-Be aware that Twitter, unlike Facebook, does allow people to use external tools to track this, so the unfollowed person may know the action that you have taken. They may unfollow you back (if they are following you), or give you some kind of trouble for unfollowing them.
-For those you communicate with virtually, you can block them on Twitter (see blocking above). For those you see personally, this might be a more difficult decision. Twitter does allow you to follow someone but not see their tweets - this option is called "muting", and is available in your settings. 

That's all for now. As a fellow "intermediate" Twitter user, I would welcome your suggestions as well!