The Twitter Book

Retweet clearly and classily: Part 2

There are two primary ways people retweet:

1. "RT @OriginalPosterName yadda yadda http://someURL...." (RT stands for retweeting.)

2. "Yadda yadda yadda http://someURL (via @OriginalPosterName)."

A reasonable approach is to use RT when you're reposting a message verbatim and via when you've rewritten a message. An even better approach is to aim for a clear message and then figure out how to credit the original Twitterer or Twitterers.

Here you can see the original message from PatEx—itself a retweet—is starting to get complex. In her retweet, Sarah simplifies the message, adds her own editorial comment ("Yay"), and then appends the list of credits at the end.

twitter tip

See how the retweet here maintained the original shortened URL? It's good Twitter etiquette to do that when you can, because the person who first posted the message may be using a URL shortener to track click-throughs.