When it comes to Twitter, there is some etiquette involved. At Salty Waffle we’re all about passing on the social media knowledge we’ve come by, so here are three things you should do on Twitter, and three things you probably shouldn’t. If you are interested in learning more about social media etiquette and best practices, try out one of our classes, they are a load of fun!
[Dont’s]
- Auto-follow: As Nicole puts it “Twitter auto-following is so 2010”. Websites and software that auto-follow all those who follow you used to be in vogue, but as Twitter has evolved, it’s become outdated and can even be seen as spammy and irritating.
- Long Links: This might seem obvious now that most Twitter clients and even Twitter have built in link shorteners, but putting a long, ugly link in your post is a real turn off. No one wants to read through all those slashes and dots when they could be looking at a cute little bit.ly link instead.
- Updates Spanning Multiple Tweets: When you just can’t seem to fit your post into 140 characters, it’s never OK to just finish your though in a second tweet. Twitter is a micro-blogging network, there isn’t a place for updates longer than 140 characters, that’s the nature of the network.
[Do’s]
- Thank For RT’s: If someone takes the time to repost your tweet and share your link, take a minute to thank them, it makes it much more likely they will be willing to do it again in the future.
- #FollowFriday: Recommended the twitterers you like by using the hashtag #followfriday or #ff. Everyone likes to hear nice things about themselves and promoting other people is a good way to get started on building a partnership beneficial to you both.
- Listen: Twitter is a network full of rich and live information from real people. It is also full of a lot nonsense and noise. Use a Twitter client like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to set up listening channels and cut through to the conversations that are important and useful to you.