Let’s cut right to it. Twitter has been around for a while now, and for those of you who still do not know what Twitter is – well, it’s time to come out of the freakin’ Stone Age! Twitter is similar to blogging, but on a micro level, and has millions of users all tweeting for their own reasons. Whatever your reason for using Twitter may be – practicing good Twitter etiquette is extremely important if you want any chance of building a respectable Twitter reputation (which is actually becoming quite important these days).
Below, you’ll find ten common unspoken rules of Twitter etiquette.
Maintain A Good Ratio Of Followers
Probably the most important tip that can be given to anybody on Twitter is this – If you’re one of those people who follows hundreds, or thousands, but has only a few followers, beware. The majority of other Twitter users will quickly assume you have one goal – and that is to spam. No one likes a spammer!
Is It Important, Helpful, Or Funny?
Simple philosophy. In all honesty, no one really wants to know about what you’re doing with your best friend tomorrow, or what you did tonight. Use the Direct Message feature to share these types of things with Twitter friends.
Easy On The Twigger
If you’re a Twitter user, you’ve probably seen some users who Tweet 30-40 times an hour. Do not do this! Why? By Tweeting so often, you’re pushing others messages off faster which can be quite irritating. If you do so on a regular basis, you will likely lose a lot of followers. I know that when I see 15 messages in a row from someone, I’m most likely to unfollow them right away.
Don’t Drink And Tweet
In other words, do not Tweet when you’re intoxicated, stoned, high, depressed, sleep-walking, etc… With the ability to Tweet from phones, drunk tweeting is right at the tip of your fingers – literally, with your phones keypad. If you’re like any normal human, texting perfectly when you’re drunk is far from easy. Save yourself from the embarrassment and don’t tweet when you’re under the influence! (You might regret it in the morning, along with several other things).
Remember, It’s Public
Everything you say on Twitter can be seen by everyone. Everything, everyone. As you can probably guess, it would not be a good idea to say anything incriminating on Twitter. The last thing you want is the local Police Department at your door saying “Ahem, sir, we saw what you said on Twitter, and we’re not real happy with the bomb threat that you made”. Keep incriminating thoughts to yourself, and far, far away from Twitter.
Real life, Twitter – Not All That Far Apart
Don’t say anything you wouldn’t say in real life on Twitter. Just because you’re behind a computer doesn’t mean you should turn into the devil or Billy bad-ass. Now, given you do, be prepared for back fire. Other Tweeters will rally against you!
Mistakes Are Commonly Made – Move On
If you twitter a message by accident, just drop it there. No need to post apologizing, as Tweets directly following one another tend to bug other Tweeters. Majority of people will realize that you made a mistake – no need for an explanation. Who cares if you spelled Justin Timberlake wrong. We get the point.
Not All Direct Messages Are Human
If someone sends you a Direct Message, and it really doesn’t require a response, don’t respond. Save yourself the time and do something better. You’d probably only be answering a spam bot anyway.
Keep Tweets Short And Sweet
Chances are, more people will read what you have to say if you keep it short. Like they say, short and sweet. Long tweets may get annoying eventually. The whole point of Twitter is to be simple. Keep your tweets as simple as possible.
No Need For A Twitter Break Up Message
If you are going to stop following another user, just do it. It does not require a break up message to them. Simply stop following them, and voila. Nonetheless, chances are good (if they were following you), you will lose a follower. Stop following at your own discretion.
Not so hard, is it? If you want to be a respected member on Twitter, the above are all equally important. If you decide to rebel against the proper Twitter etiquette, feel free to do so – but prepare to suffer the consequences.
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As with most social circumstances, some social etiquette is always in order. It’s about time the unspoken rules became spoken. Thanks for articulating what’s been on my mind! Great job, Ryan!
No problem Anita, glad you enjoyed it
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