Think twice before starting a tweet with an @ sign

.@jetairways update: Fire was under control as the plane landed and no passenger was injured. http://t.co/gxz56ecYax
— Nepali Times (@nepalitimes) December 29, 2014

Did you notice a period in front of @jetairways?

Why the period at the start?

If you start a tweet with @, only the people who follow BOTH you and the person named at the beginning of the tweet will see the tweet – not all your followers.

This tweet has been targeted to Pat and only the followers of Jet Airways.

@patdesma Waiting to welcome you on a Jet Airways flight soon. :)
— Jet Airways (@jetairways) December 29, 2014

I got to see it because, one of my followers retweeted it.

So what’s the solution?

It’s simple. Rephrase the tweet and put the @ sign in the middle of the tweet.

Another crisis averted. @jetairways safely landed at #TIA after it collided with a bird. #airsafety #birds
— Subhash Ghimire (@subhash580) December 29, 2014

Here’s a presentation by Gary Vaynerchuk that describes it all.

The Number One Mistake Everybody Makes on Twitter from Gary Vaynerchuk