I was reading an article a few days ago about people being upset that someone posted their tweets to a newspaper when the subject discussed was rather sensitive. The writer titled the article “Twitter still misunderstood seven years out”. What happened is that people posted comments but did not seem to be aware that their comments were public. And so, in an effort to clear up confusion I thought I would go through a list of things I’ve learned about navigating around the Twitterverse and how NOT to tweet naked.
Tweeting naked:
Every tweet you send out unless you specify otherwise is public, meaning it has the potential to be seen by the entire universe. Directing it at another person using the @ sign does not change that. Your tweet simply goes to that person, and anyone else who follows them, or you, or decides to view your profile.
Six degrees of separation without Kevin Bacon:
Everyone wants followers or is following someone else, but the thing to keep in mind is that each time you perform this action your tweets reach a new level of amplification. Every tweet can be retweeted by multiple people who then can tweet to even more people and before you know it your tweet is trending or viral.
Hate the sin, not the sinner
You have begun to follow someone and really like their tweets but their retweets of jokes or pictures tend toward overkill. You’re torn and don’t want to unfollow them but are slowly being driven mad by their constant retweets. Go to the person’s profile, click the button that says “more user actions”, scroll down to “turn off retweets” and instantly their retweets are removed from your feed. Problem solved.
Good Manners
I read a tweet from a user that I thought was deep in its simplicity: “Want to get more followers? Just be nice.” Say hello to people you don’t know, favorite or retweet things you find interesting, and thank people for retweeting or favoriting something you’ve sent. Thank you’s are worth their weight in gold and offer a pleasant means of making a connection with others. Most tweeters will respond in a positive manner and remember your thoughtfulness.
Get the full list of do’s and dont’s by listening to the latest podcast episode from the player link above or on the podcast page player. Be careful out there…
