TruTricks Notes: This is a great article I found from the social media maven – Chris Brogan. This article is a must read for anyone who is new to Twitter and planning to use it for personal or business promotion. Check out the article below and start tweeting with your pinky up high.
Source: “A Brief and Informal Twitter Etiquette Guide”
I love Twitter. I think the service is a wonderful tool that permits a whole new way of communicating. The thing is, it’s also a place where newcomers might often make some mistakes in their choices that will likely be taken in a negative manner, and will likely result in an unfollow or a block from other Twitter users. The idea to write a brief and informal twitter etiquette guide came from my new friend Zaven, who asked whether, in some cases, people might just be behaving in a social structure that makes sense to their culture, but not mine. He might be right. With that as a motivator, here are some guidelines for Twitter to consider. NOTE: these come with the You’re Doing It Wrong seal of “don’t take anyone’s word for law, least of all Chris Brogan’s.”
Maybe, as this is fleshed out, you’ll have some ideas to add or subtract to the guide, and we can update it accordingly. Fair?
A (less) Brief and Informal Twitter Etiquette Guide
- A complete bio and avatar pic (I like people’s faces, but do what you will) is always a good idea. We want to know who you are. (inspired by Kendra).
- It’s helpful to be transparent about your work/employer in your profile, if your use of Twitter has any implications for your day job. (from Eden Spodek)
- Face to face you get a sense of how your idea is being received. No such thing on Twitter. So play nice. (from Carolyn Stephens)
- Be yourself. It is ok and welcome to be different on twitter. (from Sudha Jamthe)
- It’s okay to follow people you don’t know on Twitter. They can choose whether or not to follow you back.
- It’s okay to unfollow people on Twitter. Unfollowing doesn’t automatically mean “I don’t like you.” There are many other reasons.
- It’s okay to @reply someone a question or comment vs direct message, especially if it’s an idea where others might weigh in or add a perspective.
- It’s better to direct message someone if you’re making 1:1 plans or having a very focused, personal conversation.
- It’s not polite to direct message people you don’t know well with your automated quiz results or similar. It’s great that YOU like those quizzed, but others see it as spam.
- Most folks don’t like seeing those “I just used whateveryoucallit.com to gain 300 new followers right now!” services. – (from Steve Woodruff).
- Some people are not a fan of auto reply messages that are sent in direct messages when someone follows you on Twitter. They (and by “they,” I also mean “I”) consider these robot behavior.
- Promoting others and talking with others is a great way to show your participation to the community.
- Only blurting out your information and links doesn’t usually come off as friendly or community-minded.
View the full article on Chris Brogan’s Blog
“A Brief and Informal Twitter Etiquitte Guide”
Tags: Etiquette, Social Media, Tips and Tricks, Tutorials, Twitter
