If there are conversations around a current topic on Twitter, think about how you can join in. You cannot always predict what topics will get people talking on Twitter, but you can look at current ones and see how you can add your own opinion.

Does the topic relate to an area of your expertise or interest that you can jump on? If you have an opinion about a topic that is being widely discussed, share it on Twitter or even write your views in a blogpost and share it. It is far more likely that your tweet will get noticed when it relates to a current, controversial topic, using an appropriate hashtag. Users will start engaging with you and will then look to see what views you may have on other future topics.

So pay attention to current issues in the news and in your field of expertise, and see how they relate to you and what you want to say about them online.

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Unfortunately native Twitter does not give you the option to add a comment when you click the re-tweet button, so you have to manually copy and paste the tweet to add your own text to the tweet. By using MT (modified tweet) at the beginning of the tweet it allows you to re-word the text and comment how you wish, to ensure that users know your tweet is not a direct re-tweet of what someone else has said.

This is a good way to both share and contribute to something topical, offering your own insight on the topic. You are giving your opinion on something, not just syndicating other people’s content. 

Putting ‘via @username’ at the end of the tweet is also another way of acknowledging the source of the tweet, but still with the opportunity to add your own opinion of the content shared.

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