#EdTechTeacherChallenge - January 2020: Twitter, Day 2

Edit your profile to include an profile photo, header photo, short bio, location and website (if you have one)

Yesterday, you registered for your Twitter account. During the registration, you were asked to upload a profile phone, short bio and your location. If you skipped those steps because you weren't sure what to put or lacked the time, now is the time to make those updates.

To do this, you will need to go to your "Profile". On the Twitter website, look for the "Profile" link on the left side sidebar. After you click on the link, you will see and "Edit Profile" button under the box that will be your Header Photo.

On the app, click on the the circle "Person Icon" on the top left of your screen. This will open a menu of options. Click on the "Profile" link. Then click on the "Edit Profile" link.

Profile Photo

Twitter Profile Photo for
@mrsmathmagician

There are two different photos that you can upload to your account to make it more personal. The first is the Profile Photo and it is the most important. In addition to the words of your tweets, your Profile Photo is the thing most people will see. You want it to be you. And not just any you. You want this to be the best representation of you. If you ever had a professional photo of yourself taken, now is a great time to show it to the world. If not, you can choose any photo that represents you in the best light and is "mother approved". You could also use an avatar image or image that is symbolic for you and your brand (if you have started one).

To change the default "person icon", once you are in "Edit Profile", click on the camera that appears in the circle for your Profile Photo. Locate your photo from your drive (for computer or phone) and click "Open". Twitter will ask you to resize or adjust the image so that it fits in the circle. If you don't like the way it looks, you can always change it.

Header Photo

Twitter Header Photo for @mrsmathmagician

The Header Photo is the second image you get to upload. For the header, you want a photo or image that would look nice as a banner. Think landscape, wide lens, bulletin board-esqu. You change the Header Photo similar to how you changed the Profile Photo. While in "Edit Profile", click on the camera icon in the center of the Header Photo box, locate the image you wish to use and "Open". You will be able to adjust this image to get it to look just right like you did with the Profile Photo.

Short Bio

Twitter Bio for @mrsmathmagician

A Short Bio gives your Followers or anyone that happens upon your profile through your posts a snapshot of who you are, what your interest is for being on Twitter and what they have to look forward to in your posts. Your bio should be short, simple and sweet, but not too revealing. This is an opportunity to be witty and cleaver as you try to sell others on your brand.

Location and Website

Location and Website Boxes

These are the last two boxes for you to fill in. For your location, you can choose to enter your city and state, state and country, just your state, just your country, the planet Earth, the Milky Way, etc. Being obtuse with you location allows you some privacy and anonymity for those that are not ready to fully immerse into this vast chasm of information and connectivity, even if it is for seeking out the latest new thing for your classroom. Getting a little closer to home with city and state gives people a glimpse into your perspective of a topic, insight into a solution or an inkling on how your posts fit into the greater education picture.

If you do not have a website, do not fret. Creating your own website will be a future challenge. If you do have a website that you would like others to access, type in the address in the website box.

Birth date

There is one more thing you can change in your "Edit Profile" screen and that is your birth date. Even though you entered it when you registered, you have the option to choose whether or not you want it to actually display on your Profile Page and how much of the date you want people to see. As this purpose to introducing you to Twitter was for the professional development aspect of it, I feel that making your birth date public is giving your audience too much personal information that you may regret later. If you are unsure, always err on the side of caution. If you do decide to enter your Birth date, you can choose to make it visible to only you. This means you will see your birth date on your Profile page, but others will not.

Once you have made all the changes in "Edit Profile", click the "Save" button at the top right hand corner. Viola! Now your Followers are able to see who you are and have a little information about you. Come back tomorrow for Day 3: Check your Privacy and Safety Settings.