One of the best things about
Twitter is its open nature, but that also means people can use it for spam, excessive self promotion, and so on. In order to avoid annoying your Twitter
followers and attract new followers, use the Twitter etiquette tips below as a guideline to creating interesting and useful tweets that are welcomed by the Twitter community.
1. Keep personal conversations private
While it's certainly okay to post personal tweets and
@replies on Twitter, remember that anyone and everyone can see your tweets (whether they're following you or not). With that in mind, use your best judgment and keep very private information private by sending a direct message or communicating outside of Twitter entirely.
2. Don't just talk about yourself
Twitter is a great place for self-promotion, but too much self promotion is not a good thing. Your tweets need to include a good mix of self promotion, conversation, information sharing, etc. Otherwise, people will think you don't care about them or building relationships. Your Twitter stream will look like nothing more than a list of links and ads.3. Tell who your sources are
Don't take credit for an idea, topic, link, opinion, etc. if you got it from someone else. Use the @reply and
retweet features in Twitter to give credit where credit is due.
Attribution is just as important on Twitter as it is on blogs.
4. Use a link shortener
Super long links in a Twitter update are just plain annoying. Take the extra 5 seconds to use a
URL shortener. Both you and your followers will be glad you did.
5. Avoid automated services
Automated Twitter updates, automated responses that thank new followers, and so on are annoying and can be viewed as 'spammy'. Since they require no thought or effort, they aren't useful in building relationships either.6. Watch your language
Remember, anyone can see your tweets. Don't forget the manners your mother taught you. They apply on Twitter, too.7. Don't start flame wars
Healthy debate is one thing, but flame wars and arguments are another thing entirely. Keep these types of conversations out of your Twitter stream.8. Block spam followers
Help make the Twitter experience better for everyone by
blocking spam followers (you'll know who they are when you see them).
9. Don't tweet too much
There is such a thing as over-tweeting. Make your Twitter updates interesting and useful. Sure, you might want to post mundane aspects of your life on occasion, but no one needs to know that you're on your way to the bathroom or cutting your toe nails.10. Help promote other people
A great way to build relationships and ensure your Twitter stream isn't just about you is to promote other people, too. Share links to articles and blog posts you enjoy. Retweet interesting updates. Join conversations and answer questions. Twitter success is rooted in conversations and relationships.
