Glossary

# (hashtag)

See "hashtag".

@

The @ sign is used to call out usernames in posts: "Hello @X!" People will use your @username to mention you in posts, send you a message or link to your profile.

activity dashboard

Our easy-to-use analytics tool to learn more about your posts and how they resonate with your audience.

Alerts

X Alerts enable public safety agencies to inform people during emergencies by highlighting critical time-sensitive content with notifications and a unique look.

block

If you block a X account, that account will be unable to follow you or add you to their X lists, and you will not receive a notification if they mention you in a post.

bio

Your bio is a short (up to 160 characters) personal description that appears in your profile that serves to characterize your persona on X.

Bookmarks

A feature that allows you to save posts in a timeline for easy, quick access at any time.

cashtag

A cashtag is a company ticker symbol preceded by the U.S. dollar sign. When you click on a cashtag, you'll see other posts mentioning that same ticker symbol.

bug

An internal error in our site code and functionality. If you see one, please point it out to @XSupport by sending us a message.

dark mode

Dark mode for X features a dark-colored palette that is optimized for experiencing X comfortably in low-light situations. The dark mode feature is available on x.comX for iOS, and X for Android.

Direct Messages

Direct Messages (or DMs) are private messages sent from one X account to another account(s). You can use Direct Messages for one-on-one private conversations, or between groups. 

deactivation

If you deactivate your account, it goes into a queue for permanent deletion from X in 30 days. You may reactivate your account within the 30 day grace period.

Display

On X for web, use the Display option from your menu to customize your view by font size, color, and background.

Explore tab

The Explore tab on X is where you can find what's trending, Moments, live events, your Topics, and more.

DM dock

On X for web, your messages will conviniently be available in a small window in the lower right-hand side of your screen so you can scroll and DM without having to toggle.

follow

Subscribing to a X account is called “following.” To start following, click or tap the Follow icon next to the account name on their profile to see their posts as soon as they post something new. Anyone on X can follow or unfollow anyone else at any time, with the exception of blocked accounts.

follow(s)

A follow is the result of someone following your X account. You can see how many follows (or followers) you have from your X profile.

follow count

This count reflects how many people you follow and how many follow you; these numbers are found on your X profile.

hacking

Gaining unauthorized access to an account via phishing, password guessing, or session stealing. Usually this is followed by unauthorized posts from the account. Hacked accounts are sometimes referred to as "compromised." Learn more about what to do if your account has been hacked or compromised. Read more about how to keep your account safe.

geolocation, geotagging

Adding a location to your post (a geolocation or geotag) tells those who see your post where you were when you posted that post.

hashtag

A hashtag is any word or phrase immediately preceded by the # symbol. When you click or tap on a hashtag, you'll see other posts containing the same keyword or topic.

hidden reply

post authors can choose to place any reply to their post behind an icon. A hidden reply is still accessible for anyone to view, however it won't be directly viewable within the main post conversation.

impersonation

Online impersonation (pretending to be someone you're not) that is intended to deceive is prohibited under the X Rules. Parody accounts are allowed.

Home

Your Home timeline displays a stream of posts from accounts you have chosen to follow on X.

like (v.)

Tap the heart icon to like a post and the author will see that you appreciate it.

List

From your own account, you can create a List of other X accounts by topic or interest (e.g., a list of friends, coworkers, celebrities, athletes). Lists create a timeline of posts, which you can also pin to the top of your Home timeline. We also make it easy to discover new public Lists to follow!

mention

Mentioning other accounts in your post by including the @ sign followed directly by their username is called a “mention”. Also refers to posts in which your @username was included.

mobile web

X's website tailored to fit your mobile device. Visit it at mobile.x.com. When you visit mobile.x.com from a smartphone or tablet, you’ll experience the data-friendly X Lite.

name

Your (display or account) name is a personal identifier (sometimes a business name or real name) displayed in your profile page and used to identify you to friends, especially if your username is something other than your name or business name.

 

 

Notifications, notifications

The Notifications timeline displays your interactions with other X accounts, like mentions, likes, Reposts and who has recently followed you. If you request it, we send notifications to you via email, SMS, or through the X for iOS or X for Android apps.

phishing

Tricking someone to give up their username and password. This can happen by sending someone to a fake sign-in page, a page promising to get more followers, or just simply asking for the username and password through Direct Message or email.

parody

You can create parody accounts on X to spoof or make fun of something in jest, as well as commentary and fan accounts. These accounts must disclose that they are parody, fan or commentary accounts in order to comply with our strict policy against impersonation.

pinned posts

You can pin one of your posts to the top of your profile page to keep it above the flow of time-ordered posts.

profile photo

The personal image (avatar) associated with your account. It's also the picture that appears next to each of your posts.

profile

Your profile displays information you choose to share publicly, as well as all of the posts you've posted. Your profile along with your @username identify you on X.

Promoted Accounts

Promoted Accounts present suggested accounts you might want to follow as promoted by our advertisers. These appear in your Home timeline, and via Who to Follow, search results and elsewhere on the platform.

Promoted posts

Promoted posts are posts that are paid for by our advertisers. These appear in your Home timeline, at the top of search results on X and elsewhere on the platform, and are clearly marked as "Promoted".

Promoted Trends

Promoted Trends display time-, context-, and event-sensitive trends promoted by our advertisers. These appear at the top of the Trending Topics list on X and elsewhere on the platform, and are clearly marked as "Promoted".

Promoted Videos

Promoted Videos are videos within Promoted posts that are paid for by our advertisers. These appear in your Home timeline, at the top of search results on X, and elsewhere on the platform, and are clearly marked as "Promoted”.

Quote post

You have the option to add your own comments, photos, or a GIF before Reposting someone's post to your followers.

protected posts

posts are public by default. Choosing to protect your posts means that your posts will only be seen by your followers.

reactivation

You may reactivate a deactivated account within 30 days of the deactivation date. After 30 days, deactivated accounts are permanently deleted.

Repost (n.)

A post that you forward to your followers is known as a Repost. Often used to pass along news or other valuable discoveries on X, Reposts always retain original attribution.

reply

A response to another person’s post. Reply by clicking or tapping the reply icon next to the post you'd like to respond to. A direct reply count is displayed next to the reply icon of a post, and indicates the total number of replies the post has received.

Repost (v.)

The act of sharing another account's post to all of your followers by clicking or tapping on the Repost button.

suspended

Suspended accounts have been prohibited from using X, generally for breaking X Terms of Service.

spam

Refers to a variety of prohibited behaviors that violate the X Rules. Spam can be generally described as unsolicited, repeated actions that negatively impact other accounts.

thread

A series of connected posts from one person. You can provide additional context, an update, or an extended point by connecting multiple posts together.

timeline

A timeline is a real-time stream of posts. Your Home timeline, for instance, is where you see all the posts shared by your friends and other people you follow.

timestamp

The date and time a post was posted to X. A post's timestamp can be found in grey text in the detail view of any post.

top posts

posts determined by a X algorithm to be the most popular or resonant on X at any given time. Read more about top posts.

Topics

Topics are a way to see more of your interests on X without having to follow individual accounts. With Topics we can personalize your experience with relevant posts, events, and ads.

trends

A Trend is a topic or hashtag determined algorithmically to be one of the most popular on X at that moment. You can choose to tailor Trends based on your location and who you follow.

Post (n.)

A post (up to 280 characters) may contain photos, GIFs, videos, and text.

Post (v.)

The act of sending a post. Posts get shown in X timelines or are embedded in websites and blogs..

Post button

Anyone can add a post button to their website. Clicking this button lets people on X post a post with a link to that site. Learn how to add the post button to your website.

X

An information network made up of short messages (including photos, videos, and links) from all over the world. Sign up for an account.

X emoji

A X emoji is a specific series of letters immediately preceded by the # sign which generates an icon on X such as a national flag or another small image.

X Polls

X Polls allow you to weigh in on questions posed by other people on X. You can also easily create your own poll and see the results instantly.

X Pro

Available on tweetdeck.x.com or Mac app store, postdeck offers a more convenient X experience with managing multiple X accounts, scheduling posts for posting in the future, building post collections, and more.

unfollow

see "follow"

URL, URLs

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a web address that points to a unique page on the internet.

verified account

A verified X account receives a blue check icon to indicate that the creator of these posts is a legitimate source. Verified accounts include public figures and those who may have experienced identity confusion on X.

username

A username (or handle) is how you're identified on X, and is always preceded immediately by the @ symbol. For instance, X Support is @XSupport.

who to follow

Who to follow is an automated list of recommended accounts we think you might find interesting, based on the types of accounts you already follow and who those people follow.