Reply, Retweet (RT), and Direct Mail (DM)

• A normal tweet goes to all followers.
• A reply has @person in the message, allowing that person to more easily find your tweet. The message is still public - visible to anyone on Twitter.
• Each @person automatically becomes a link - like an intro for your followers to meet those you list.
• #FollowFriday followed by a list of names is a popular tradition on Fridays to recommend follows to your followers. It's a list of your favorite follows. Click on names, review the profile, and follow.
• Please DON'T use @reply for spam or follow ack. Reserve for true communications.
• A retweet repeats a message - including the attached link. This sharing passes the message from your friend to your followers. With the current Twitter interface, RT requires copy and paste ;-)
• The Direct Mail is rarely used by twitters. It functions like email, but contains more spam than substance. About 20% of twitters insist on using Twitter for spam. With 10,000 messages and no search to filter the DM, it's not functional. Don't bother using DM. Legacy email does a better job.