The Times tested a feature it developed that allows users to click on a highlighted sentence from a story, and tweet it out directly, instead of just tweeting the headline. Readers who see the tweet and click on the accompanying link are brought to the highlighted part of the story, rather than to the beginning of the article.

The idea behind the feature was that while a headline doesn’t always grab you, an enthralling sentence from the middle of a story may do the trick. Times reporter Dave Itzkoff explained to Poynter his method for determining which sentences to highlight: “Just a bit of educated guesswork trying to imagine what readers would be drawn to and what would make the best traveling billboards for the overall story.”

The story that the Times chose — a feature on what it’s like to audition for Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels — was tweeted 11 times more frequently than “the average of the top 500 shared Times articles from the last month,” wrote Twitter data editor Simon Rogers in a blog post.

While the experiment lacks a sufficient sample size, the idea is that in providing users with a way to tweet content outside of a story’s headline, more sharing will result.

Previously, users could always read a story, then copy and paste an interesting sentence into a tweet. Now, the new feature allows publications to identify interesting or quote-worthy material for readers. Now, the new feature allows publications to identify interesting or quote-worthy material for readers. Twitter referred to the new tweet suggestions as “editorialized tweets.”

The Times told Poynter that the use of editorialized tweets will not carry over to all of its stories, but rather serve as an experiment, as the newspaper prepares for a site redesign next year.

The microblogging site has been actively releasing new features that make it easier to share articles. Last week, Twitter announced a Related Headlines update that automatically lists relevant stories alongside tweets. The feature is meant to provide context to tweets by showing users where they can get more information, if interested.

Image: Mashable

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Hashtags have become synonymous with Twitter, serving to filter what can otherwise be a wide array of difficult-to-categorize information.

Users can join any conversation on the platform by adding the appropriate hashtag to their tweet. The problem is knowing which one to include.

Twitter is trying to solve that. The company unveiled an infographic Wednesday complete with a blog post highlighting tips on choosing the best hashtag for your tweet.

The highlights: Make your hashtag memorable, integrate it with other marketing activity like ads or campaigns, and don’t be afraid to piggyback on a popular term or phrase.

“If people are already using a hashtag, and having conversations, part of your work is already done,” wrote Twitter’s UK editorial manager, Gordon MacMillan, in the blog post.

“All your brand needs to do is ensure that when it joins that conversation it is adding value.”

Image: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

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Twitter is becoming an increasingly important platform for online communication and, yes, conversation. TechCrunch reported that Twitter is receiving 8 million unique visitors per month and about 3 million messages are posted daily.

• Twitter As A Learning Tool

Over 3 million messages are posted everyday. Are you mentioned in any of them? What about your company? This might be a good time to find out. Twitter provides a search engine that allows you plug-in company names, brand names, topics and even personal names. How is your buzz level? Are there any negative comments out there? If I were you, I’d use the search engine to check in a regular basis.

• Use Twitter as a Media Outlet

You can use Twitter to post news or updates about your company or products. However, please don’t do this before you become familiar with the format and etiquette of Twitter. The best way to do this is to post a link to the full content of the news or update. Think of what’s valuable to your consumers and let them hear about it first on Twitter. You’ll be amazed how your following will grow.

• A Promotional Palace

It’s not uncommon for companies to post promotions, sales, or specials on Twitter. An example would be Dell, they do it well. It’s important to remember that Twitter is about conversation and breaking news, so be sure if you are posting promotional information that you make it conversational and personal. If I want an ad, I’ll turn on TV.

• Create Character in Your Brand

Twitter is a fantastic tool in giving your brand a voice and a personality. Being successful in Twittering, you will have to put forth your personality and a unique style. That’s what makes the difference and can increase your Twitter following and make it a successful marketing tool for you.

• Customer Service and Chit Chat

As you begin to use Twitter you will notice that it’s all about conversation. It’s about talking to your prospects and consumers, interacting with them. If you are not going to do this, don’t use Twitter as a marketing tool, it simply won’t work. Make friends, be a friend and reply. Show your followers that you want to engage and be involved with them – this provides optimal customer service and that you are, in fact, personable.

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