Journalists & Bloggers Toolbox Blog

The first rule of Twitter – don’t be obnoxious.

Social media sites, such as Twitter, are great ways to get the news out about your blog. And tweeting about a new blog post can bring in some quick readers.  But remember — people have to follow you and read your tweets for them to do any good.

Now I’ve seen a lot of Twitter advice and Twitter help out there and much of it is good. But now and then I’ll see a recommendation that seems downright dangerous to your reputation.  So, remember the first rule of Twitter – don’t become and obnoxious Twit.

How do you know if you’re being obnoxious?  I have a friend who insists on asking this question on online groups.  I’m always tempted to respond to him that if he doesn’t know when he’s being obnoxious, perhaps he shouldn’t be online.  The same goes for Twitter. If you can’t spot actions that annoy you and are likely to annoy others, you’re going to find that you’ll have trouble keeping followers. But here are some basics.

- Don’t spam. This means don’t send DMs (direct messages) or @ messages to people trying to get them to read your blog or buy your product.

- Don’t repeat messages. Reposting over and over that you updated the blog is going to lose followers.

- Don’t post too often. A few times a day is more than enough.  Every 10 minutes is too much.

- Don’t expect to gain followers if you don’t follow back. Become a part of the community.

Now these aren’t the only guidelines for Twitter and I will be blogging some more about how to use your Twitter account to your best advantage. But these are the first best practices that you want to put into place. Because unless you conquer “don’t be obnoxious” nothing else matters.