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What you need:
1 Computer
1 Website with a cute picture of a cat or dog

Open your browser. (You don't use I.E., right?). In the address bar, type:

www.twitter.com

Click on the button that says "Sign Up" (if you already have an account, you can just log in). On the next page, enter your name, email address, and a username. (Helpful tip: Your username should be pretty close to your actual name. Nobody respects @NickelbackFan1.) Then choose a password, fill out the Captcha box, and hit "Sign up."

Now we are ready to compose a tweet. Find the icon with a pencil in it and click on it.

In a new browser window, go to the website with the photo of the cute cat or dog you've chosen. Click in the address bar, highlight the entire line, and click Edit > Copy. Go back to the window with your tweet. Now, we write. Try starting with something like this:

Hey, check out this (adjective) (cat or dog) I just saw on (website title*) .

*On the internet, there are Good Guys and Bad Guys. Good Guys credit their sources. You want to be a Good Guy, right?

That's a good start, but we're not done yet. If you want to connect with others, you'll want to use a hashtag somewhere in there. This allows anybody who uses the same hashtag to see what you've posted. Friendship ensues. So let's add a hashtag to our tweet:

Hey, check out this (adjective) (cat or dog) I just saw on (website title) . #(one-word description of the feeling evoked by your cute cat/dog here) .

Almost there. Now, we just paste the link in place after your hashtag (Edit > Paste).

Congratulations, you've composed your first tweet.

ADDED BONUS

Click the "Tweet" button to post.

HELPFUL TIP

Tweets must be under 140 characters, including spaces, punctuation, and other characters (hashtags, too!), so try to be concise.