Twetiquette 101

Twet-i-quette; noun - the customary code of polite behaviour in Twitter society.

There is a certain tolerance level that people have when it comes to social networking sites.  I personally don't like it when my friends bombard my Facebook wall with nonsense nor do I take kindly to dirty old men flooding my MySpace inbox with impious messages.  While I find Twitter to have the least amount of spam, there are some gripes I do have.  This is my Twetiquette 101 lesson for all the new Tweeps or for those who are still wondering why you frequently lose followers.  

Do: Get Engaged.  Unless you're Oprah, chances are people are not going to flock to your Twitter page.  You must keep your updates interesting and relevant.  Check out the trending topics and add your unique and fabulous input.

Do: Use hashtags (sparingly).  For example, when the Toronto Blue Jays are playing a game, fans use the popular hashtag #gojaysgo to clump all the Jays tweets together.  This is a great way to find people with common interests and vice versa.  However, there are some Tweeps who go way overboard and use hashtags (#) in every word in their tweets - that's super annoying.

Do: Read @replies.  After the whole @reply controversy with Twitter this week, you are unable to see @replies from people you are not following unless you are using Tweetdeck or other Twitter platforms.  However, this does not stop you from seeing @replies from people you follow, so if you see a tweet directed at you, kindly reply.  It all goes back to the engage aspect; it's called social networking for a reason.

Do: Post an avatar.  The little brown smiley face avatar is rather mundane.  I'd much prefer to see a picture of you - so post one, please.

Do: Make sure you speak to your boss or place of employment about what you can and cannot disclose on Twitter.  WSJ issued an exhaustive code of conduct for social networks this week and I wouldn't want anyone's job hindered for misconduct.  

Do: Keep your tweets short.  I know what you're saying, '140 characters is short enough'.  Hear me out; sometimes you read a phenomenal tweet, then try and re-tweet but can't because that would be going over the 140 character limit.  Use abbreviations and contractions whenever you can.  People re-tweeting is another great way to attract followers.

I'm no Twitter police but here are a few tweet don'ts:

Don't: Use @replies as a means of having a back-and-forth conversation with someone else (that's what instant messaging is for).

Don't: Beg for followers.  People should follow you because they like what you say, not because you offer prizes to the 100th follower (I've seen in done).

Don't: Forget to treat Twitter as a micro-blog.  Filter your tweets by asking yourself, 'Will my followers care about this?'  

When used properly, Twitter can be a phenomenal site for networking and staying in-the-know about pertinent topics.  If you haven't already joined Twitter, you can do so here.