by Trish Lawrence who blogs at Real Brilliant. Follow her at @trishlawrence.
Don’t talk with your mouth full. Don’t stare as you’re walking down the street. Don’t type your emails in all caps. Don’t start talking in the middle of a business meeting unless it’s your turn or you’re invited to. Don’t send unsolicited emails.
There are many rules in place for everyday living and business culture. We all know them by heart, perhaps too well.
What about social media? What about Twitter? Do you follow everyone who follows you? Do you send automatic direct messages after someone follows you? Do you blast your Twitter followers with advertising more than once a day? Do you fire off a reply or derogatory direct message when someone doesn’t agree with you or you feel slighted?
Ah, so we don’t know all the rules quite yet. Well, here’s some to think about.
- What’s the point of you on Twitter? Is it so you can always be right or are you there to learn something? Are you there to use everyone to get to the top or are you actually willing to give a little? Do you think you’re an interesting person with ideas to share? Do you actually share them or do you try to sell them?
- How do you act when you’re behind your Twitter handle? Do you argue more because you can? Do you always have to have the last word in a discussion? Can you agree to disagree or do you have to bend everyone on your Twitter feed to see things your way?
- Is your Twitter feed your ideal client? Do they really want to buy the stuff you’re hawking? If you say yes, how do you know? Have you asked them about what they’re looking for? Have you interacted with them at all except to send them an automated direct message sending them to your web site?
- Do you think the real you is on Twitter? Do you put up pretense on Twitter and fudge your sales numbers or your success record? Do you brush off attempts by your followers to interact with you because you’re too important? Do you ignore direct inquiries for more information because you’re not interested in actually helping anyone?
If the answer to any of these questions makes you just a bit uncomfortable, you need a dose of Twitt-iquette.
- You are on Twitter to network, to socialize, in essence to be one of the good memories from the party. You don’t have to spin jokes like Chandler Bing or talk louder than anyone else, but you do need to leave Twitter folks with a good impression. Skip the Tweet that reminds folks to come to your site to buy and instead ask a question or post an interesting news story.
- Your Twitter handle should be synonymous with success. When folks see your Twitter name, they should instantly picture someone who is committed to being part of the social community on Twitter, someone who strives to let others win an argument on occasion, who can stop when asked, and can let others have their own viewpoints, even if it’s a topic everyone knows you are passionate about. They will also be more likely to respect your position, because you’re respecting theirs.
- Most of your Twitter feed is probably not your ideal client. That’s okay. The point is not to only talk to folks you want to sell to, rather the point of Twitter is to enjoy the virtual water cooler that it is. Learn to utilize others’ viewpoints, even if they have no interest in what you do for a living. It’s a place to stretch your horizons just a bit.
- The real “you” should be on Twitter. This is not a place for you to create a persona that you “think” everyone wants to follow. If you’re caught up creating multiple Twitter personalities and are exhausted by it, give it up already. The best persona you can be on Twitter is authentically you. Even if you have multiple projects and are looking for very different clients for each one, being authentically you is the best way to gather folks who want to know more about you. Trust me, if you are real, folks will visit your blogs and sites without you having to push them there. Plus, because they came on their own volition, they’ll be more open to what you have to sell.
All in all, Twitter is an amazing tool, but as it gains in popularity and more and more conversations and business deals take place using it, it’s up to all of us to use some Twit-iquette now. And really, these aren’t “rules,” they are just a way to make sure Twitter continues to grow and flourish.
@Farrhad
Great post!
Am following you know.
Happy tweeting
@ideasculture
Hey there.. great article! will retweet it. just a weeny typo: Most of your Twitter feed is probably not your idea client should be IDEAL client.
@robbtg
great tips/advice, thanks. new & experienced twitters should keep these at hand and refer often. just like blogging, twitering should be “real” and have value.
best!
@paulsarcia
Same here.
@http://twitter.comm/mentalmakeover
I think if one is caught up on Twitt-equitte and what to say, what not too say, then you’re taking the whole thing waaay too seriously.
Twitter IS an amazing tool and yes commonsense prevails in terms of integrity, honesty, etc. But at the end of the day Twitter IS a social media tool and it’s free. It’s totally elective in terms of whom you follow and don’t follow. I think it is ridiculous for people to pay for Twitter training and just about equally ridiculous for for someone to sell Twitter “courses.”
Not everyone is using it for heavy duty business purposes (and yes, if it is being used for business, commonsense should rule when posting). I also don’t believe that every post has to be deeply profound. Let’s keep the fun in Twitter and not get bogged down by a bunch of “artificial” rules.
@frank_einstien
You might want to make sure your voice doesnt drown others’. Keep @replies to within 25% of your total tweets. Also dont make more than three updates every two minutes. It would be helpful if you check your tweetstream. You may be surprised to find a long coloumn of your own tweets.
Please remind offenders politely, even if its me. From my experience, they usually acknowledge it happily.
Happy Tweeting!
@Richcroc
I’m always authentically me that’s why it would be far too strenous for me to have different twitter accounts. It’s enough that i already have different accounts at youtube for my different niches which actually are all part of my lifestyle anyway.
Oscar Wilde once said, “be yourself for everyone else is already taken.” Being yourself doesn’t mean you are stuck with bad habits and all. You can always develop yourself to your very best – I like to think I’m becoming the best person I can be.
@renkai
Proud to say I have one, and only one, Twitter ID.
I post stuff that I find interesting and that I think others might find interesting. If I launch a new site or write a blog post I’m proud of, sure I’ll tweet about it and promote it some. But mostly… I’m just there to have fun. There’s something about Twitter that is unique and cool and I enjoy being part of it.
Hey everyone, thanks for the comments. I hope no one thinks I’m attempting to put rules on Twitter (I am a copyeditor by trade; we have rules for everything and we do push that aspect often).
But not for Twitter. The point of the post was that as users YOU will get more out of it by thinking about how you’re using it. The goal is to turn Twitter into a successful business-building, networking powerhouse. My questions were to get people (myself included) thinking about how best to utilize it.
Have a great Twitter week all!
Trish L.
@trishlawrence
@rachaelosborn
I think the first sentence in this article is wrong. Do you mean don’t SPEAK with your mouth full?
@terryberriest
Very good post. I’ll retweet!
@socialmediadork
I have several twitter IDs… but I think for good reasons. I’m a sex ed/sex toy dork, and lead an interesting life (@sextoyjenn) that isn’t PG-13 or Facebook-appropriate (thanks to my family and high school friends joining)… so @msplaid was born.
But I’m also known as a blow job dork (@blowjobdork) which includes twit’s that are a little to spicy even for @sextoyjenn followers… and, as an information architect and online community leader by day, I also have a lot to contribute regarding social media that would bore (or just confuse!) my other followers (and @socialmediadork was born).
Not everyone has such split worlds, but I think it is possible to have outlets for each of your interests, especially when they don’t cross over well (blow jobs and social media may be related in MY world they aren’t to others!).
Yeah, there are some typos. They are killing me, but I’m trying to be authentic (I correct typos for a living, too! Yowza.).
Jenn, you make a very good point. It sounds like you’re doing a really good job juggling multiple Twitter handles and staying authentic to what you’re trying to accomplish on Twitter. Brava! x three to you. Keep it up.
Thanks for the retweets, everyone! And for commenting. Keep it coming.
Trish L.
@trishlawrence
@chiatar
don’t gentrify twitter
@SusanLambe
Good advice for a Twitter newbie like me. Only just learning how powerful this network is.
thanks for the tips!
@japanesestreets
Excellent tips. Thanks! I am now following you on Twitter and look forward to more.
@phillipgibb
“The Real you should be on Twitter”
Great Post
Phill(synapticlight)
@RichandCreamy
I think there are tons of people who have 2 accounts for different purposes. I just started my “professional” account @BeRichandCreamy because I’m pretty sure not everyone I met are interested in my drunk tweets. They may be interested in my business though so I started a 2nd account for it.
@MadlabPost
Nice post here. I am actually on twitter to build my audience but have found that it is also a great way to keep up with other websites, services and people. It saves me from the whole bookmarking thing, which can get very long and out of hand if there are a lot of websites that you like to visit. My interests are all across the board from Film to Writing to NASCAR to arts & crafts to Music to Television to Health and many other areas in between so bookmarking every single blog or website that I find interesting ends up taking up so much space that it’s just better to visit sites that are remembered, even if that means losing out on some cool information.
I also find that some websites do not update often and some just stop updating at all and going through a whole list of bookmarks only to find that maybe two out of eight actually have current news is discouraging and annoying. That is where Twitter has come in and made it easier for me to pay attention to topics that are useful without worrying about what I may be missing out on. All of the updates are there (depending on how those who you follow have set up their twitter page) and listed, which is great.
@hectorhenry17
Its easy to use twitter and to fallow the rules but whit the time its hard to keep your adentity on twitter if twitter take you over so whit this rules you will show your power over the machina.