What is the “Via” string and do I need it?

  • Resolved Eric Armstrong

    (@aeric325)


    6 years, 1 month ago

    When I click a bctt tag to test it, I see “via ericTreeLight” at the end of the tweet.

    Question #1: If user JimmyJames clicks the tag, what does he see? Is it his twitter handle, or mine?

    Question #2: When I tweet something, I don’t see the “via” text. When I tweet from pages on other sites, I don’t see it either. So what is it doing, and why is it needed?

    (I’m sure there is a good reason. But my confusion grows. Thanks.)

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • Plugin Author Ben Meredith

    (@benmeredithgmailcom)

    Hi Eric,

    Apologies for my slow turnaround on these questions.

    Answer 1: It will always show “via ericTreeLight” no matter who clicks it. Essentially, the via attribute is set to give credit for the quote that is being tweeted. It also will suggest to the reader to follow ericTreeLight on the page after they tweet the quote.

    Answer 2: The point of the via is to give credit for the quote. An added benefit is that you will be alerted that people are tweeting about your article and can respond. A normal tweet (not generated from a Better Click To Tweet box) does not need attribution, so it doesn’t have that via attribute.

    Finally, if you find it confusing and don’t want to use it, the via attribute can be disabled, either site-wide or on individual BCTT boxes. To disable it site-wide, delete the value from the settings at Better Click To Tweet > Settings, and save the settings.

    ??Let me know if that resolves things, or if you need further assistance. ?Thanks for using Better Click To Tweet! Have a great day.

    Thread Starter Eric Armstrong

    (@aeric325)

    Many thanks, Ben! It’s great to know what it does.
    I like it! I want it! I just never knew…
    :__)

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
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