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Nicholas Kristof: My tutor on Twitter has been Liriel Higa (@iDiplomacy), who works on social media for The New York Times Opinion section. I asked her to write this quick “How to Tweet” guide for the public. Liriel, a former nationally ranked gymnast, was a congressional reporter early in her career, then oversaw social media for the Half the Sky movement, and finally joined the Times in 2014 and has been with us since. Here’s her guide to how to make Twitter work for you.

It’s easy to hate on Twitter. It recently ditched its trim 140-character identity to become (to the naysayers) a bloated 280 characters. It verified (then unverified) a white supremacist, but it suspended Rose McGowan’s Twitter account, leaving the initial impression it had to do with her speaking out about Harvey Weinstein. It enabled racist, misogynistic trolls to attack Leslie Jones.

But for all its flaws, Twitter is where so much public debate happens, much of it fascinating. It’s where you can actually reach beyond your bubble. It’s where you can leapfrog publicists and aides and interact with your idols. Here are my suggestions for how you should use it — and why it’s worthwhile.

Start by listening. There’s a misconception that the main use of Twitter is for self-promotion. Unless you’re @Beyonce, who has tweeted 10 times and has 15.2 million followers, chances are, you won’t have tons of followers when you’re starting out. Thoughtful tweeting certainly improves the platform as a whole, but you don’t need any followers to mine Twitter for useful information.

Don’t just follow people you personally know. Follow people who are experts in your fields of interest. Maybe you like comedy, in which case Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) or Stephen Colbert (@StephenColbert) are must follows. If you’re a fan of cooking, try the chef Yotam Ottolenghi (@ottolenghi) for gorgeous food photos or Ruth Reichl (@ruthreichl), the former editor of Gourmet, for her scene-setting morning poems. To learn more about the universe, follow Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson). If you want insights on Sweden, @sweden turns over the account to a new Swede each week. Regardless of your political persuasion, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska (@bensasse) has a terrific Twitter feed, especially for a politician — authentic and humorous, while Democratic Sen. Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) is great about replying to people. For those following the investigation of Russian meddling into the election, Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara), Sally Yates (@SallyQYates) and Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) are ones to watch. Check out who they’re following and retweeting for more ideas of where to go from there.