How To Be A Good Tweeter
With more 175 million users, Twitter is one of the web's most popular
destinations. Using short, timely messages, the website has become a
bonafide social network, a successful marketing tool, and a valid method
of sharing news.
As with any social environment, there are rules for engaging
successfully and respectfully. Here's our guide to politely expressing
yourself and connecting with others in 140 characters or less.
Remember style
When trying to cram a thought into 140 characters, it can be tempting to
throw all spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules out the window. To
avoid sounding like a slang-happy, abbreviation-loving 13-year-old, use
short-forms and web colloquialisms sparingly. Acceptable tricks include
"w/" instead of "with", "b/c" instead of "because", and "&" instead
of "and". Refrain from using too many "LOL"s and from using words like
"da" and "dis" to replace "the" and "this."
Be interactive
Twitter is a great way to meet new people and build your social or
business network. Check your mentions (@username) often to see who's
trying to communicate with and about you. Reply promptly and politely to
keep your Twitter relationship going.
Don't overshare
Twitter is a place for sharing, but not for oversharing. To maintain a
sense of professionalism, and to keep your followers from feeling
grossed out or turned off, stay away from über-personal tweets. Tweeting
about the Grey's Anatomy finale is fine; tweeting about the new zit
cream you just bought is not. While the occasional plug for your
business, your band, or your blog is fine, overdoing it will make you
seem both pushy and self-absorbed.
Tweet in moderation
There is no prize for tweeting the most often and users with the most
tweets don't have the most followers. When it comes to tweeting,
remember quality over quantity. Share jokes, recipes, interesting news
and trivia, updates on news events, and links to a great blog; just
don't do it every 30 seconds. Your followers' timelines will become
overwhelmed with your messages and you'll earn yourself the reputation
of a spammer.
Give due credit
One of the most useful features of Twitter is the ability to discover
things and then share them with your followers via the retweet option.
It may seem trivial, but acknowledging the source of the article, photo,
or video you're sharing is key to maintain a happy and healthy network of followers.
Be wary of spam
As with all other corners of the internet, Twitter is susceptible to
spam. Watch out for purely promotional tweets singing the praises of
acai berries, or a weight loss product. Spammers often follow thousands
upon thousands of users. Check out a user's bio and timeline of tweets
before choosing to follow them back.
 Jaclyn Tersigni | |
| About the author: | |
Jaclyn is a 20-something journalism student
at Ryerson University. She traded suburbia for the big city two years ago and enjoys
navigating life as a single woman in Toronto. She’s a burgeoning foodie, a borderline
music snob, a news junkie, and constant explorer of the world. | |
| Read More >> | |
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