Or: why we need both ‘to tweet’ and ‘to twitter’
There’s been some discussion among grammar/web geeks about correct terminology around social media platform of the hour Twitter. Here’s my weigh-in/explanation for anyone who cares.
When you’re tweeting, you’re posting a tweet via a Twitter account.
When you’re twittering, you could be doing anything at all via Twitter: reading tweets, following or unfollowing accounts, organising the accounts you follow into lists, following links from other people’s tweets, designing your profile, stalking your latest crush.
So clearly we need both words.
Quick guide to conjugating Twitter verbs
| Infinitives | to tweet | to twitter |
| Present simple | ||
| I | tweet | |
| You | tweet | |
| She/he | tweets | twitters |
| They | tweet | |
| We | tweet | |
| Present continuous | ||
| I | am tweeting | am twittering |
| You | are tweeting | are twittering |
| She/he | is tweeting | is twittering |
| They | are tweeting | are twittering |
| We | are tweeting | are twittering |
| Simple Past | ||
| Everyone | tweeted | twittered |
| Present Perfect | ||
| I | have tweeted | have twittered |
| You | have tweeted | have twittered |
| She/he | has tweeted | has twittered |
| They | have tweeted | have twittered |
| We | have tweeted | have twittered |
| Past Continuous | ||
| Everyone | used to tweet | used to twitter |
| Or | was/were tweeting | was/were twittering |
And so on.
For more check out Mashable’s post on the issue and follow AP Stylebook’s Twitter account.
Grammar Geek, out.
Jeorge Peter
22 December 2010
I find this so funny, why you have to make something like a tweeter grammar
Jim
30 March 2011
There’s only one choice: Tweet = 5 spaces; Twitter = 7 spaces. It has to be Tweet. Either will work even were you right about the scope of meaning for “twitter” compared to “tweet” because in this context they are both used as sound [as made by birds] metaphors. LOL
sarahj
4 April 2011
lol!
Ah, but what if you’re not actually using Twitter while you’re discussing it?