How to Put Icons on Your Twitter

Twitter messages can only contain text, but there is a way to include certain icons within your tweets. Most common fonts, such as Arial, include special characters beyond standard letters and numbers. These icons include triangles, stars and even smiling faces. You can type or paste these icons into a Twitter message. So long as your followers see your tweet in an interface capable of displaying these special characters, such as a Web browser or certain mobile phones, they can see your icons in your Twitter feed.

Instructions

1. Sign in to twitter.com.

2. Write a new tweet in the "What's Happening?" box.

3. Click "Start" > "All Programs" > "System Tools" > "Character Map."

4. Click on the icon you want to include. Look for new icons by changing the "Font" drop-down box and scrolling through the possible icons.

5. Find that icon's code in the bottom right corner, beginning with "Alt." Make note of the numbers.

6. Click inside your tweet on the Twitter website exactly where you want the icon to appear, such as at the very end of your message.

7. Hold down the "Alt" key and type the icon's numbers using your keyboard's number pad and not the row of numbers above the letters. The icon now appears in your tweet.

8. Click "Tweet" to send your tweet.

Tips & Warnings

• If someone viewing your tweet does not have that font installed on her system, she may not be able to see your icon.