50 Things to Avoid When You Tweet

by Andrew Ran Wong on November 17, 2009

50 Things to Avoid on Twitter

50 Things to Avoid on Twitter

Twitter is wonderful tool. As a Twitter lover, I use it for both social and professional purposes. However, let’s face it. Sometimes, when we get too “creative,” we end up losing followers. There is something called “Twitter Etiquette.” There are a number of articles that have outlined what not to do with Twitter, and I have read most of them. Consider this post as a summary of all those pointers.

Here are the 50 things we should try to avoid when we tweet.

1. Do not put your affiliate links in your tweets

2. Do not repeatedly pitch your own products/services

3. Do not defame other people in your tweets (They may be following you)

4. Do not tweet trivial things that no one cares, such as what you eat

5. Do not have somebody else to tweet for you

6. Do not automate your tweets

7. Do not pretend to be somebody you are not

8. Do not tweet nonstop (annoying)

9. Do not tweet the same messages more than twice (If you have a new blog post you want to tweet twice, add an “Earlier” the second time you tweet it.)

10. Do not tweet way too less (People forget your existence)

11. Do not only follow celebrities (They are boring)

12. Do not spam

13. Do not make up stories that are not true (It will come back to bite you and your reputation suffers.)

14. Do not make your tweets too long (Usually leave 20 characters for others to retweet)

15. Do not tweet somebody’s message without giving them credit (Add “RT” sign)

16. Do not ignore other people (Use “@” sign to answer their questions and concerns addressed to you)

17. Do not auto follow back everybody

18. Do not follow everybody you meet (Be selective)

19. Do not ignore Twitter list, which will help you organize things better

20. Do not share things you don’t want people to know (Privacy concerns)

21. Do not send out negative messages

22. Do not ignore the power of hashtags (#)

23. Do not hesitate to unfollow spammers (Block them and report them!)

24. Do not forget to retweet positive messages

25. Do not click on links in the DMs

26. Do not use long URLs (Use URL shorteners, such as Bit.ly)

27. Do not ignore the power of Twitter clients (There are some really good ones, such as TweetDeck)

28. Do not be shy to share things that are valuable

29. Do not forget your purpose with Twitter (Social or business purposes?)

30. Do not neglect trending topics

31. Do not use a mediocre Twitter background (Customize it)

32. Do not tweet out a link without testing whether or not it works first, especially if you are using a shortner service

33. Do not lose focus of what you stand for

34. Do not forget to archive your tweets (Back up! I use twapperkeeper)

35. Do not hesitate to follow the right Twitter lists, such as Scoble’s lists (It’s educational)

36. Do not neglect to check if a link is useful before retweeting it out (Check my Timeline for reference)

37. Do not register for too many Twitter accounts (It’s hard to manage)

38. Do not leave your Twitter profile blank

39. Do not forget to listen and learn in the Twitterverse

40. Do not ignore other people’s advice on Twitter

41. Do not make your Twitter account look like a robot, such as the constant use of APIs

42. Do not be reluctant to unfollow people who don’t tweet often

43. Do not forget to integrate your tweets with other social media platforms, such as Friendfeeds, Facebook, and LinkedIn

44. Do not say anything that can potentially get your fired or prevent you from getting a job

45. Do not say anything that can potentially get you sued

46. Do not tweet something hard to imagine without attaching a link to a picture (Use TwitPic)

47. Do not complain or whine about things unless you are really, really pissed off

48. Do not forget to install a mobile app to help you tweet while away from your computer

49. Do not limit your creativity when you tweet (Innovate or die!)

50. Do not leave your iPhone charger at home when you are going out (It has happened to me three time when I tried to use TweetDeck with an exhausted iPhone battery.)

What are your thoughts on the dos and don’ts when it comes to using Twitter? Feel free to comment these 50 pointers as well.

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Article by Andrew Ran Wong

Andrew represents the new generation of entrepreneurs who know how to leverage technology and social media for business purposes. Andrew believes in the power of networking, which is the reason he founded the NY Entrepreneurs Business Network (NYEBN) in 2009. The group is the fastest growing entrepreneurial business network in NYC and currently conducts business face-to-face meetings on a very regular basis. Andrew lives in NYC. And he blogs at WebStudio13. The blog is all about new trends, cutting edge technology, social media, and entrepreneurship in general. If you'd like to be featured as a guest blogger, just fill out the contact form on this site.

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  • Rule 51. There are no hard and fast rules about Twitter. Don't let anyone tell you how you should or should not use it.
  • Theres one point that i notice which is very popular among the twiterratis that i follow. Tweet on food. A lot of people seems to think that tweet on food is NOT trivial like what is suggested in one of the points above. I myself think that tweet on food is interesting. Sharing about where you eat and what you eat is a good way of easing your stress and to distract yourself from your daily work problems and all. Almost everybody loves food. Dont you think so?
  • With a lot of people using Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, why should anyone worry about their Twitter Background? Good tips mostly, however, after reading all the Don'ts it would be nice to see a list of the Do's. I don't personally have a problem with clicking on affiliate links if they are valuable. Why shouldn't someone make a little cash if they are offering good information?
  • Rebecca, understood. All 50 tips do not necessarily apply to everybody. Depending on your hobby and how you use Twitter, you should only use this post as a suggested user guide. In social media sphere, I don't believe there are right or wrong answers. But there are ways or tips that can make you more productive and efficient. Thanks for leaving your comments here.
  • I don't agree with everything on the list but there are a lot of very valid points! Good reminders <
  • Cool You did covered everything. Nice Post
  • toni rowser
    brand new budding internet marketer here.what do u suggest i do to get into the game an stay in it as quickly as possible. theres so much info out there i feel so far behind...thanx...any positive/accurate information would be greatly appreciated (i say this because i ask an always end up with spam an everyone trying to sign me up for their e-business)..
  • Krishna
    Great,

    Thanks -- very useful.

  • Excellent post that all Tweeple should read! I pulled my 5 favorites and linked to this from my blog.
  • Nice "50 Things to Avoid When You Tweet", but I follow people who sistematically forget them, and their followers grow and grow. So the question is: Why do people keep following anyone with no valuable tweets?
  • Perfectly Put... thanks.
  • Wow, excellent list, although I must say...I am overwhelmed by it...will have to bookmark this one.
  • A very good list to know. Simple 50 guidelines to understand.
  • wileyccoyote
    Great list. I'm guilty of #4, though. What can I say? I heart good food and want to share the love. :) Seriously, though, thanks for the top 50 list.
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