Erin M. Wiles

Having wandered through the Twitter desert for many days and many nights now, I have been exposed to many Twitter faux pas.  In some cases they were purposeful, while others were just rookie errors (some I even made).  While I am no Moses of Twitter, I did do a fair amount of research on what is ok and not ok to do on Twitter.  The following are Ten Twitter Commandments that were common themes in all the blogs and articles I found.*

*Be reminded these are just general opinions and suggestions of Twitter behavior.  Many are still in the camp that there are no rules when it comes to Twitter, and rightfully so.

I. Thou shalt not tweet before you complete your profile

How can you have a conversation with someone who has no face?  Or why would you want to?  Many people don’t typically follow a person who doesn’t have a complete profile.  And why would you?  You have no idea who they are or what they would tweet about so why litter your home feed with their nonsense?  Plus, more times than not, they are spammers.  The set-up of the profile is so simplistic (name, short bio, and picture), so no excuses why you would not complete yours.

II. Thou shalt not make yourself in the image of God

Avoid constantly tweeting about yourself, what you are doing, projects you are masterminding, or webinars you are hosting.  There is a place in Twitter for self promotion, but it is not in a never-ending broadcast of your actions.  Share what other people are tweeting about or something new you have learned from an expert.  You can even carry on a conversation with a follower. People will be more likely to follow or engage with you if they see @ symbols or re-tweets (RT)  in your feed.

III. Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain or use any other 4 letter expletives

There is some debate on whether swearing is appropriate on Twitter.  Some are in the camp that this is a free medium to express yourself in whatever fashion.  Others say that you wouldn’t swear out loud in a mall or store, why would you on Twitter?  I side with the later, but not because I disagree with swearing (I have been known myself to utter some fancy words on roller coasters or in traffic).  I disagree with it because it is a VERY public medium and anything you say can come back to bite you (either with a future employer or friends).  Stay on the safe side and avoid the naughty words.

IV. Remember the Sabbath and take rest

One thing I learned about Twitter is that it is a constant stream of info and is very difficult to keep on top of (especially if you follow hundreds of people).  Because of this, many Twitter users have become accustomed to sending out @ messages, RTs, or direct messages (DM) and perhaps never hearing back.  Some may consider that rude, and I personally try to respond to as many as I can, but some say that it isn’t always necessary to respond.  Take heed of your days of rest.  Don’t feel obligated to always reply, after all, if it is that important I am sure they could contact you again or find you through another medium.  Wait, do people still talk face-to-face?

V. Thou shalt honor and follow all of your followers (Well, sometimes)

Some people are lucky enough to receive follower after follower and are burdened with the question, should I follow back?  Others are already following someone and realize that this person is not contributing anything of interest at the moment or is on a Twitter tirade and littering their feed.  From what I have heard in the Twitosphere, it is perfectly acceptable NOT to follow someone back who starts following you or to unfollow someone who may not post tweets that interest you anymore.  In some instances you may want to follow everyone as a courtesy or to increase your numbers, but don’t feel obligated.  Instead, look for people with common interests or those you connect with on a personal or professional level.  It is all about making your Twitter experience better, not saving face.

VI. Thou shalt not give too much information

When I refer to too much information (TMI), I refer to it on many levels.  For example, TMI could be tweets about your bathroom endeavors, yuck!  TMI could also be drunk tweets with impaired typing inhibitions.  Yes, you can delete tweets, but who is to stop someone from re-tweeting while you sleep off your escapades?  TMI could also be a long chat between you and a friend or friends (”so where we going for dinner?” “I dunno, where do you want to go?” “I dunno”).  There are a number of instant message providers on the internet and most cell phone plans have an unlimited texting option.  Use those mediums instead to do quick chats and save the space in your follower’s Twitter feed for more pertaining information.

On another note, TMI could be a constant stream of tweets from one person all throughout the day.  There is nothing worse than someone who has set up an auto-tweet to go off every couple minutes.  I have removed a number of people who have dominated my feed.  I read somewhere that 30 tweets a day should be your max, but I still find that scary.  I find more than 10 tweets a day is too much and borderlines Twitter obsession.

VII. Thou shalt not commit automated direct messages

I personally don’t have an opinion about automated direct messages, but there is a large body in the Twitosphere who loath automated direct messages, particularly ones that are sent after you follow someone.  Instead, if you are wanting to send a message to a person, take the time to type it up, play on the conversation aspects of social media, and personalize it to the person and their interests.  Or, don’t send one at all (see Commandment IV).

VIII. Thou shalt not steal tweets

When you come across another’s tweet that your would like to share because it is funny, interesting, or just because, please Re-Tweet (RT) it with class.  This means giving credit where it is due.  Before the actual message be sure to put the name of the person who originally tweeted it.  i.e. - @bananas tweeted, “I Love Bananas.”   You (@apples) want to share this love so you tweet “RT @bananas I Love Bananas.”

What is even better is that Twitter has recently made it even easier to RT messages with the simple click of a button.  (Thank you Twitter!)

IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness with sales twitches (pitches)

Commercial tweets are not welcomed by the Twitosphere.  No, we are not interested in your free e-book on how to make a million dollars nor are we interested in how we could win a free iPod.  If we wanted commercials we would turn on the TV.  If we wanted sales pitches, we would read all our email spam.  Sales twitches will not be responded to positively and will quickly get you unfollowed or worse…BLOCKED!

X. Thou shalt not covet your neighbors followers

With Twitter it is not necessarily the quantity of followers, it is the quality. While some sales twitches (who are abusing the system) may tell you that you need thousands of followers and they can get that many in three days, the quality of those followers will be hollow and any variation in your following/followers numbers will seem shady to any future followers.  Some Twitter advocates recommend that your follower number be close in proximity to the number you are following, but I have seen some Twitter superstars only following a handful of people while thousands hang on their every word.  Long story short, don’t sweat the numbers.  Keep the numbers where you feel most comfortable.  Remember, it is all about YOUR Twitter experience.

Now you.  I gave ten Twitter commandments, give me more.  What have I missed?  What other rules or etiquette would you like to voice out to the Twitosphere?  Or, was there a commandment you disagreed with?  Comment below or twitter me @emwiles.

Tags: social media, social network