#ClassicsADay basics

How to participate in a #ClassicsADay thread.

1. Have -- or get -- a Twitter account.
The conversations are all on Twitter, so you'll need to have an active account to participate.

2. Use the related hashtag for your tweets.
The hashtag is the word or phrase with a pound sign in front of it. The hashtag for "Classics a Day" is #classicsaday; the one for "Russian Composers a Day" is #russiancomposeraday, and so on. It's important to use the hashtag as Twitter automatically makes it a link. You can click on the hashtag in any received tweet and instantly all the messages that include it.

3. Use the related hashtag whenever possible in responses.
This helps other follow the whole conversation. Take the following exchange, for example.

@Person1: Listening to Brahms' 1st Symphony w/Bernstein.

[reply] @Person 2: Meh. I much prefer Karajan's version w/the Vienna Phil.

Only those following both people would see this feed.

@Person1: Listening to Brahms' 1st Symphony w/Bernstein. #Brahmsaday

[reply] @Person 2: Meh. I much prefer Karajan's version w/the Vienna Phil.

Those who were following the hashtag #Brahmsaday would see the first tweet, but not the response.

@Person1: Listening to Brahms' 1st Symphony w/Bernstein. #Brahmsaday

[reply] @Person 2: Meh. I much prefer Karajan's version w/the Vienna Phil.#Brahmsaday

Now everyone interested can see the whole conversation -- and one or more may want to join in with their thoughts on superior performances.

With only 140 characters, though, sometimes you won't have enough room for the hashtag and everything you want to say. Don't sweat it. Respond and don't worry about the hashtag. This is supposed to be fun, not something with a lot of rules.

4. Abbreviate at will.
With only 140 characters, and some of them already committed to the hashtag, space is a challenge. Feel free to use "&" for "and", "w/" for "with" and so on. Also, any kind of contraction for ensembles and works that keeps the meaning clear are fair game. "Cto" for "Concerto," "Orch" for "Orchestra," etc. Note also that I'm not using periods to denote the contraction -- that's just one more character!

5. Include links, but keep them short!
Linking to articles, websites, product pages, videos, etc. can add depth to your tweet. Many URLs (web addresses) are pretty long, though -- sometimes too long. The URL for this page, for example, is http://ctady.blogspot.com/2010/07/classicsaday-basics.html -- 59 characters. A URL-shortener site can trim that down to a few characters. Hit.ly, for example, shorted that 59-character address to http://ht.ly/25S1M -- 18 characters.

6. Have fun and play nicely.
You'll find that the #classicaladay crowd is a pretty nice bunch of folks from all over the world. While most everyone has opinions about works, composers, and performers, it seldom gets into the way of the conversation. You won't be put down for your choice of music, relative inexperience or ignorance, or anything like that. And you'll have a better time if you extend the same courtesies to your fellow tweeps.