Top Twelve Twitter Tactics

Twitter is a social media tool that enables users to post updates 140-characters at a time. It began in the summer of 2005 and has grown to more than 300 million users worldwide. As with other social media and internet-based tools, Twitter has evolved. Its use has evolved from mundane updates about personal breakfast choices to celebrity cyber-fandom to innovative charity drives.

One example of Twitter's use is the Twestival, which is a grassroots social media fundraising initiative that has generated more than $1 million in less than two year for more than 125 charities. All events are organized by volunteers and 100% of ticket sales goes to projects.

A second example is the innovative involvement of Twitter in The Voice, a singing competition which gives fans of the contestants, judges, and host unprecedented access to engage. “The kind of closeness, access and insider perspective that Twitter provides combined with a TV show is a really magical connection,” says Chloe Sladden, Twitter’s director of content and programming.

Additional Twitter uses include power outage notifications, flash mob instructions, conference communications, government rebellion updates, and university security emergencies. Twitter's use has evolved, and its users need to keep up. 

There are self-annointed Twitter gurus out there to provide their two cents on how you should use Twitter today. The list below includes my philosophy, based on my experience as a consultant, speaker, small business leader, entreprenuer, nonprofit leader, spiritual active participant in life. I'm not a guru, just an active user who has benefitted with friendships, clients, and knowledge from Twitter.

12 Twitter Do's and Do Not's

The Do's:,

1. Be social. Join the conversation, comment, RT, and reply. Lurking is not social and, while informative, will not be profitable.
2. Return follows. Twitter limits how many people you can follow who do not follow back, so I follow everyone back (except porn stars, get-rich-quick schmemers, and account-holders-but-non-posters). If you don't follow someone back, you limit the number of people they can follow, so, in my opinion, it is good manners to return follows.
3. Avoid self-promoters. It is time-consuming scrolling through endless sales pitches of self-absorbed people who use the tool incorrectly. De-follow them. (Yes, this is an exception to #2)
4. Use 140 characters. It is common today to dismiss the 140-character rule and cause people to click for your complete thought. If you cannot make the complete thought within the 140-character allotment, do not tweet it. Or, post it as a blog and clearly link it as a blog post.
5. Use your own words. Posting quotations is acceptable, but it is annoying if it's the only thing you do. People want to hear what you have to say. If you do not have anything new to say, refrain from posting. Constantly posting others' words shows you have nothing new to add to conversations.
6. Show appreciation for good tweets by RT'ing them, thanking the poster, or connecting that poster with others. Gratitude goes a long way in social media.

The Do Not's

1. Do not auto-tweet every minute of every day. I de-followed someone who did that, literally every minute, today.  No one wants your messages to take up the entire screen allotment.
2. Do not auto-tweet only. Twitter works best as an engagement tool, not as one-way blasts.
3. Do not overly promote yourself, your business, or your latest MLM venture. You lose credibility and interest, just as you would if you spoke in a self-absorbed manner in person.
4. Do not post a thought in 100 characters and use the 40 remaining characters to link to your book on amazon.com. That's just trampy.
5. Do not auto-DM your new followers. It is very 2010 to use DMs as auto-responders, but it would be acceptable to DM to engage in genuine conversation.
6. Do not post FF on Fridays any more--again, so 2010. Feel free to post a FF once in a while, even one a day, but do not post ten in a row full of FFs.

That's the list of Do's and Do Not's that are top-of-mind today. To sum up: treat Twitter followers with the same manners and respect you use with people in person.

What else would you add to the list?