Spam and Scheduled Tweets

Chris Brogan said it perfectly when he called for “No Robot Behavior on Twitter.” Social media are not channels for spam or selling services.  They are a forum for honest, authentic, and progressive information and relationships. Automated DMs, scheduled tweets about your business (or worse, yourself) and spewing links for “special online deals” are not OK. You will quickly be ignored, unfollowed and de-friended, with your online rep in the dumps.

Me, Myself and I

Please, if you’re not a celebrity, an influential politician or Albert Einstein – stop talking about yourself.  Stop re-tweeting yourself and compliments from others in an attempt to boost your followers. If we want to know about you, we will ask. Twitter is a collaborative community that freely shares with each other.  If you think you are good at something, don’t say it. Show it and be prepared for feedback. Don’t be fake!

Please, Thank You and Giving Credit

Unlike the real world, the Twitterverse is friendly.  Remember when you were young and learned to “treat others the way you want to be treated?” The same rules apply online.  Adding a “please” or “thank you” may seem like a waste of 140 characters, but it prompts people to listen and respond (see graph).  Keep in mind it’s not practical or even appreciated to publicly thank every single new follower.

Content and Collaboration

Promoting others and crediting good content is a great way to engage with your followers and start a conversation. How you respond reflects on your credibility and value.  It’s important to be personable and not be afraid to ask questions or share your thoughts.  At the same time, you need to keep your posts open-ended and clear. Try not to use single word responses – give a little context so others have a chance to contribute to your conversation. Topics you want to steer clear of are similar to things you don’t say on a first date – money, politics, gossip or sensitive information.

Don’t give into venting about people you know or work with! You never know who’s listening.

Grammar and Spelling

Twitter is one of the only “public” place we are allowed to stray away from proper grammar and punctuation.  One hundred and forty characters can get tricky, so if you use a few common abbreviations such as “U” “w/” or “gr8,” it’s OK. Your old school teacher won’t slap your knuckles with the ruler this time.

P.S. Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. are not exceptions – everything you post reflects on how you choose to communicate with others. Don’t forget to spell check!

Followers and Following

Twitter is not about the number of followers you have. When you produce quality content, your value as a contributor increases and your follower count will go up. Social media are not about a popularity contest – find people who you’ve connected with in the past, search for local “Tweeples” or the elite users known as the “influencers,” for great content and innovative ideas.  Swearing or only RT-ing others will lead to negative attention (Remember the Chrysler F-bomb fiasco?).

P.S. Face-to-face interaction will always beat online relationships. Use social media as the first step to developing important relationships and to learn about someone’s interests and background. Meeting in person will always be the best way to connect with people.