Wednesday
Apr112012
10 Don'ts of Twitter Etiquette: How to engage without annoying
Officially, there aren't many rules on Twitter, but there are definitely a lot of best practices that can help you fit in to the community a little more easily. Think of it as Etiquette for Twitter.
Here are ten practices for savvy users to avoid (in no particular order):
- Don't send automatic direct messages (DM) - people don't like them because they are impersonal.
- Don't fill your feed with only broadcasts of your message - engage others. A good rule of thumb is that less than 1/3 of your feed should be new messages from you and the rest should be replies and retweets.
- Don't call someone out for unfollowing you, most of the time it isn't personal. And often, there's a twitter bug. Politely ask if it's someone you regularly engage with, but don't make assumptions that it was intentional or that they will resume following.
- If you're having a personal discussion with someone don't move their name to the middle or end of the tweet with every reply. By keeping it as the first thing in the tweet only people who follow you both will see the tweets. Those who see both sides of the conversation can follow along (if they want) without losing the context of what's being said.
- Don't reply to every tweet by retweeting (RT) and commenting. This breaks the thread of the conversation and it can be frustrating to your followers when there isn't enough context to understand what is happening with a RT.
- Don't beg people to follow you. People will generally follow you back if you engage with them in some way. It would be far more meaningful if you replied to something they were talking about instead of simply asking them to follow you.
- Contrary to what some experts believe, you don't have to follow back everyone who follows you. Twitter is about creating your own unique user experience.
- Don't use Twitter to complain about every bad experience you have with businesses, services or products - social media isn't meant to be a place to air every grievance. It doesn't look good when a business owner uses it that way.
- Don't autofeed from other social networks unless you're sure your tweets won't be cut off. People don't want to have to go elsewhere to see what you're talking about. More importantly, it is obvious when you're feeding from other services and it can give the impression that you can't be bothered to take the time to tailor your message to more than one social network (because it doesn't have to take that much time).
- It isn't necessary to thank everyone who follows you. If you want to make a point of acknowledging them, go read their profile and start a conversation. Make it natural. The thank you is a nice gesture, but it isn't impolite to skip it.
The most important things to remember are to be friendly, personable and add value. The practices above are "frowned upon" because they are perceived as not adding any great value. Spend your time finding other ways to connect so that followers stay actively engaged with you.
What other Twitter Don'ts would you add to this list?
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 7:23AM 10 Comments | Share Article | Print Article | in Twitter tagged Business, Twitter, best practices, cross posting, engagement, followers, following, online etiquette, social media, social networks 
Reader Comments (10)
You have posted some great tips here. I see some of the things you say not to do quite often, which is unfortunate. One point in particular I can identify with a lot is your last point. Using a person's profile to get some conversation starters is a great idea. It really allows you to have some sort of common grounds to start a conversation.
I have a question. What would be a good way to start a conversation with someone who is not in your field or have nothing in common with? I am referring to a networking type conversation not a business conversation.
Iain
@ Iain - I would suggest digging a bit deeper than the Twitter bio to find more common ground. First, by looking through their twitter stream, within reason. You don't want to bring up a tweet from 3 months ago because they're unlikely to remember anything more than a day or two past. Check out their web site as well and think creatively about what you might have in common. It could be as simple as relating to each other as business owners/managers or some other life role in common.
If it's someone local, see if they've been invited to an event that would potentially be of interest to you both. An in-person meeting is incredibly valuable and often makes it easier to find common ground/interests. If they happen to be an individual with a personal and/or business blog, following it/them and interacting is a great way to get to know them and eventually open that door to further contact.
~KW
These are simple enough for me. I specifically like the terms 'unique user experience' and 'natural'. Respect and enjoyment are what I like to give and get on Twitter.
Great tips! When someone follows me, the first thing I do is check their profile and their recent tweets. If I do not see a connection in the bio or recent tweets that I can reply or comment on, then I don't follow.
Thanks for the info KW
Great tips here. I have a question about this one: "Don't reply to every tweet by retweeting (RT) and commenting. This breaks the thread of the conversation and it can be frustrating to your followers when there isn't enough context to understand what is happening with a RT."
When I'm in a chat, I usually RT and add my comments at the beginning/end - does this mean I'm doing a bad thing? I thought it would help to see what I'm commenting/adding to? Or do you mean in general when someone tweets to me directly?
@ Corinna - I don't think it's a bad thing in that context, though you might want to be selective about when or how often you do it even in a chat. I've seen some users (usually followers of multiple people in a chat) complain about the amount of RTing of host questions during chats. On the other hand, you want to help promote the chat to those who happen to be on that weren't aware of it. So, a balance is good. Even in a chat, there is a conversation thread if you reply to someone's tweet, so I mix it up. It depends on whether it's an ongoing conversation or a salient point being made that needs context, thus the RT.
That said, this tip was directed specifically to those who are in everyday conversations. I've had conversations with other users that consisted entirely of RT replies. After about 3 replies like that, I'm ready to stop talking to them. I wouldn't say never to do it, because even I have done and will continue to do it, but I'm selective about it. To have an entire conversation that way is impossible to follow. It can feel like you're on display to the other person's followers as well.
Great tips!!
I would add "Don't take it personally"
When someone doesn't follow/reply back etc. there are many reasons why (and almost always it's not personal). Focus on those followers/people you enjoy engaging with and build that community.
hooray for Twitter :)
LOVE this post!
I would add,
Before you post, think about whether you're adding value to whoever's reading it. So,
"Cup of tea and toast. Ready for the day." - not adding value
vs.
"Just put butter in my tea and sugar on my toast. Clearly not woken up yet." - adding value.
I would include within "adding value" as "adding value to me by making me look like I have really cool taste in books" or "adding value to my friend by plugging their new club night". Just not anything that's adding value to NO ONE.
Should have phrased that as "Don't post unless you're adding value", to fit in with title of post!