Diving into a rich and overwhelming social network like Twitter can be difficult. I know of many teachers and academic-minded people who are still unsure about the merits of the tool or are simply unsure where to start. The following 10 (+1 bonus!) beginner’s guides to Twitter each do a tremendous job at informing without confusing.

If you’re not new to Twitter and just want to take a refresher course in why you actually joined the network in the first place, you may want to check out any one of these guides. After all, it can’t hurt to check out the ‘Twitter Etiquette‘ guide from time to time

Clear & Helpful Guides To Twitter

There are video tutorials, etiquette discussions, and even an entire introduction to the rules for newbies on Twitter. I hope you enjoy the list below and use it to help bring more of your fellow teachers / classmates on board and into Twitter.

1. The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter. This blog post offers great advice on getting started with Twitter.
2. VIDEO: A beginner’s guide to Twitter. The video is specifically for business use for Twitter, but the accompanying article offers great suggestions for those just starting out with Twitter.
3. How to Use Twitter: Tips for Bloggers. The tips here are beneficial reminders for both bloggers and microbloggers.
4. Ten Top Twitter Tips. Find helpful tips here–including understanding how to use “@” and “d.”
5. Birds of a Feather Twitter Together. This informative article cuts through some of the Twitter confusion nicely and will have even novices feeling more comfortable.
6. Twitter Etiquette. This wiki page offers tons of information on Twitter etiquette and ways to help manage your Twitter experience.
7. Mastering Twitter in 10 Minutes…Or Less (Version 2). Download this free tutorial to get a working knowledge of Twitter right away.
8. Want to learn Twitter? Watch this video. As they say, grab a cup of coffee and watch this video to learn how you can start using Twitter.
9. Lunch ‘n Learn: Twitter for Beginners. Check out this video presented by Birmingham City University.
10. Twitter Guide for Beginners. This simple overview will hopefully break down the basics for you.
11. Twitter 101: Clarifying the Rules for Newbies. This article takes a look at three Twitter mistakes and explains how to avoid them.

Great Twitter Apps For Teachers

Now that you know what Twitter is and what it can do for education, why not try it? First off, set up an account on Twitter.com. But don’t use Twitter.com as your main portal into the site. Instead use any one of these terrific apps / sites to understand and interact with what’s happening on Twitter 24-7. Good luck!

1. GroupTweet. Create a group with each class to facilitate Tweeting. This is a great tool for teachers wanting to create a classroom group to keep students and parents informed of assignments, announcements, or work collaboratively.
2. TweetDeck. This app allows you to create groups of Tweets to better manage the information.
3. tweetparty. This is another group-creating app that allows you to communicate directly with your Twitter group.
4. TweetGrid. Create a customized search dashboard to facilitate your Twitter searches.
5. Tweetree. This app puts your Tweets in context so when an entire conversation starts, it is grouped together.
6. TwitterFone. If you would like to call and leave a voice message that will be turned into a Tweet, then use this simple app.
7. Edmodo. This is a completely separate tool from Twitter, but is a private microblog similar to Twitter made especially for teachers and students.
8. TwitterNotes. If you want to use Twitter for yourself as well as the whole class, this app makes it simple to keep notes that are only for you to read among your Tweets.
9. Tweet Later. Use this app to write Tweets that you can schedule for posting at future times. This is a great way to line up reminders and announcements that are tied to specific dates.
10. Password protected text notes. When privacy becomes an issue, use this app to send notes to Twitter that only those with the password can read.
11. LoudTwitter. Sign up here to send Tweets to your blog. This is a good way to keep parents who may not be on Twitter updated with what their students are doing.
12. Bit.ly. With character count being so important, this service shortens URLs so that you use fewer characters when sharing web links.
13. Postica. Use this app to post sticky notes on Twitter for an eye-catching reminder.
14. Twishlistter. Create a Twitter wish list here. Teachers wanting to publish supplies they need will certainly find this useful.

Help Expand This List!

Be sure to check out the full ‘Ultimate Twitter Guidebook for Teachers‘ for even more great resources! Got some other apps and guides that you think should be on this list? I’m happy to add them. Just send them to @edudemic or use the comments down below. Enjoy!