Welcome to DemCast Twitter Groups!
Team-based social media amplification is key to our collective success in the digital space – spreading & sharing factual information & actions that can steer our country & globe back in the right direction.
The Lowdown
If you’re seeing this, you’ve indicated that you are new to Twitter DM Groups. This page will supply some pointers on how to effectively use these rooms.
Direct Message (DM) Groups on Twitter are alternately referred to as “groups” or “rooms”. Same thing! They are places where digital activists can work together to amplify key messages that help spread truth and build our movement. There can be up to 75 people in a single room.
Most of our DemCast rooms have one or more designated “Captain” that help moderate the space: they orient newcomers, share announcements, provide feedback and keep things on-topic. Sometimes we have no active Captain in a given room at a given time, but the @DemCastUSA account is always there to help if needed.
Navigating a DM Group
Groups you’ve been added to can be found by clicking on the envelope icon in Twitter.
In a web browser, the Messages section is found in the left side panel, below notifications. When you click that icon, a second panel opens that includes both group and individual conversations. When you click on one of those conversations, a third panel opens with the Group discussion. Notice the small (i) in the upper right corner.
In the Twitter mobile app, the envelope icon is found in the bottom right corner of the screen. When you click there, your conversations will appear.
See below:
Once you’re in a group, you can start engaging with members of the group by typing where it says “Start a message” toward the bottom of the screen.
As you can see below in the yellow-outlined screenshot, group members can chat (green arrow) and/or share tweets within the conversation (blue arrow). Members can also leave reaction emojis on any comment or tweet by double tapping on it and choosing an emoji (green-outlined screenshot).
FYI: Conversations in DM groups are completely chronological: the most recent comment or post will always appear at the bottom, and you can scroll up to see any previous comments that have been made since you joined the room.
To see who is in your room, click the (i) in the upper right of the screen (red arrow, yellow-outlined screenshot) after you enter the Message Group. Click where it says “People” (blue-outlined screenshot). A list should then appear of all the room participants. You should generally follow everybody in your room if you can.
Notifications: Unless you want to be bombarded by notifications from your groups, click “Snooze Notifications” on the Group info screen (blue-outlined screenshot).
To share a tweet into your group, simply click on the share button underneath the tweet, click “Send via Direct Message”, and select the group or groups you want to share it to!
More Tips & Guidance
Visit your DemCast Twitter room as often as makes sense for you. Help amplify posts you agree with that have been shared in the room by retweeting, liking and/or commenting. Drop your own posts in the room for others to retweet as well.
Engage in dialogue in the room. There are diverse perspectives, but we all have a goal of boosting democracy and helping people. Create some community and connect with others.
Depending on the room you’re in and the campaign you’re engaged in, there may be specific hashtags that will be useful to include on your posts. Ask your room captain or send a Direct Message to the @DemCastUSA account if you aren’t sure which hashtag(s) to include.
Every day, do a quick search on the focus hashtag, and amplify posts you agree with. It’s important to do this because there are thousands of other DemCasters who are not in your specific room. The hashtags unite our community and help us amplify each other.
Recruit your friends and organizations to join us! Here’s a tweet you can send to encourage your followers to join.
If you’re feeling lost, you can just ask a question within the group! Many of our amplifiers are new to Twitter rooms when they start, so oftentimes people have the same questions.
When in doubt, send a Direct Message to the @DemCastUSA Twitter account and we will do what we can to help!
YouTube Trainings from DemCast
We have a variety of trainings available on our DemCast YouTube channel, from “Writing Effective Tweets” to “Using Twitter Lists” and much more. Check out this helpful content below!