10 signs your Twitter etiquette could be improved
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Almost every single day, I see numerous things on Twitter that can be quite frustrating. We all have our own likes and dislikes. Here are 10 things that I think are an indication you might need to work on your Twitter etiquette.
1. Only posting self-promotional links.
Here's a link to my blog. Oh yeah, here's my latest post. Now here's something I posted last week. Have you read that first post yet? Sorry for posting this again, but it's really good! Come on everyone! Come to my blog! Yeah!
(of course, due to the length of the above comments, they would need to split across a few separate tweets)
While it's fine to promote your own stuff on Twitter, make sure it's not the only thing you post.
2. Rapid tweeting.
Hey everyone! I have SO MUCH to tell you! Look at all these cool links! I just had some pie! I'm now going to do something else but will be back soon! I promise!
I'm not trying to tell you what to post. But just imagine that the above comments were posted within 10 seconds of each other. Surely I'm not the only one who's seen that? Suddenly, I see the same name all the way up the screen. Either I don't have anyone else on my list, or nobody else is talking... or, most commonly, you just flooded my screen. Unless it's something VERY good - I don't want to see that.
You don't publish 10 blog posts at once, surely? Oh, you do? Bye then!
3. Blind retweets.
I've seen a few of these recently. Someone posts a link, and lots of people retweet it without really reading it. In some cases the link is really not that exciting (but to be fair, not everyone agrees with me).
There was one link I saw recently that was a humorous "state of the web" page... except it was out of date. A cursory glance at the post showed a link to a newer version. So I grabbed it and tweeted that instead.
In another case, a link was tweeted with a comment that "100 million Gmail users were unable to access the service". While it did appear to be a widespread issue, the news story that had been linked to did not say exactly what was tweeted. Instead, it said that Gmail had 100 million users, and "some" were affected by the issue. Maybe the original statement was correct, but that's not what the news story said.
It's like Chinese whispers - one person tweets, others retweet without reading the post fully, someone shortens the text because of all the usernames at the start, then the meaning gradually gets further and further from what it should have been. Don't just retweet anything. Check it out first.
4. Using multiple hashtags for the same thing.
A hashtag is basically a word with a # symbol before it, usually added to the end of a tweet. Like this:
Advertise at CMF Ads for as low as $0.25 / 30 days #cmfads
You can then search for the hashtag - #cmfads - by going to search.twitter.com. This is a great way to keep up with comments on breaking news.
However, if multiple people use different hashtags for the same thing, or the first person to use the hashtag didn't think about its meaning too carefully, we end up with a mess of hashtags that don't really help us to find what we want.
Because of its high speed nature, it IS possible for multiple users to came up with their own hashtag at the same time, but I think it's a case of "look before you leap" - read a couple of tweets to see if someone is already using that hashtag. This won't help if someone has already made the mistake, but if everyone checked the available hashtags before thinking up a new one, it might help.
5. Not clicking reply.
Replying to another user's tweet is quite simple - just ensure your tweet starts with @username. Like this:
@DaivRawks your blog post hit the nail on the head
But you should click the "reply" link - the little arrow next to each tweet - to ensure your conversations are linked together. If you just type the username, it's very difficult to see what you're replying to. If you click the reply link, you'll see "in reply to" underneath your tweet, which can be clicked to see what you just replied to.
As Twitter is all about short messages, a lot of tweets need to be put into context.
6. Auto-following everyone.
There are services that do this for you. Someone follows you, and the service automatically follows that person back.
I think this is a bad idea because it's all too easy to end up with thousands of followers, including spammers and people who don't actually interest you. If you auto-follow everyone, your Twitter home page will soon be clogged up with far more comments than you will ever be able to keep up with.
Granted, I don't read every single tweet, but I like to be able to keep up with the tweets that are posted when I'm online.
The worst part of this is when someone says it's so easy to auto-follow everyone - then they get frustrated with all the direct messages they're getting, and they delete their entire list. I saw someone doing this recently - I won't name names. My question would be, why auto-follow everyone if you can't keep up?
Instead of using a service to auto-follow everyone who follows you, check a person's profile before you follow them. It does not take long. I'm not exactly "famous" but I get a few dozen new followers in a typical week. I can go through them very quickly. If you don't have time to follow people individually, what makes you think you'll be able to manage your Twitter stream when you auto-follow everyone?
There is an exception to this rule that I'll mention in #9.
7. Sending an automatic Direct Message (DM) when someone follows you.
Now, some people may argue this is easier than sending individual "hello" messages... but why would you do that anyway? We can't reply to every tweet, nor should we try to.
I particularly dislike the auto DMs that say "thanks for the follow, please visit my blog..." and then they include a link. I'll unfollow these people immediately. I would rather connect with you in a more personal way than just receiving the same automatic message you send to everyone else.
8. Welcoming your new followers in huge batches.
I have seen some people who post half a dozen tweets (I assume it's automatic) that simply list their new followers - I mean why would I want to follow someone who does that? Half of their feed is filled with these long lists of usernames. Where's the real content? It's like posting other people's YouTube videos on your blog and never writing any original content.
9. Not reporting and blocking people who spam.
Most Twitter spammers are easy to spot. Usually they follow loads of people and only have one tweet, which is an affiliate link or the kind of link you'd expect to go into the Spam folder in your email software.
There is an account called @spam that can be used for reporting spammers. Simply follow this account and it will automatically follow you back. This is the exception to rule #6 - the account has to follow you, so you can send them a DM.
If I find a spammer, I report them to @spam, then I go to the spammer's profile and block them. Everyone should do the same. Don't ignore spammers.
10. Ignoring replies.
I don't expect a reply to EVERY comment. I know some people get a LOT of replies. And if we replied to everything, the same two people could have a back-and-forth going on for months. Well, maybe you already do have one of those going on. But not every comment needs a reply.
However, some could really do with a reply, and there are a few people who appear to ignore replies. It's just rude.
What do you consider to be bad etiquette on Twitter? Do you agree with all of the above examples?
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Comments on 10 signs your Twitter etiquette could be improved
2
Thanks for the tips, I didn't know about clicking reply instead of just typing @username.
3
There's a great little service that helps with the advice you give in #6. http://twimailer.com/ Instead of getting the really unhelpful Twitter notice that someone has started to follow you, it sends you get their follower/following stats, their profile blurb and their most recent stats without having to go to their actual profile. It saves on a few clicks, at least, when trying to decide if you want to follow them back or not!
Now, if only more people could read this post and take it to heart. (I admit, I'm way guilty of #2 sometimes, but hopefully infrequently enough not to scare people off!)
4
I found this post very helpful.Number 7 (Sending an automatic DM when someone follows you) was an issue that I was going to address today because I often receive "thank you for following" messages, but I never know if they are auto-dms or sincere thank you's. Occasionally I send a thank you, especially if it is someone I really respect and am honored that they follow me, or if they are a newbie. What are your thoughts on that?
5
I like 7. I decided to follow someone at a conference who was already following me. I got an auto-reply "Jonathan, thanks for the follow. I don't follow just anyone though. I'll check out your profile and I may do so." Of course I had to tweet back, "But you followed me first!." Thankfully she disabled the auto-reply.
6
As a twitter, I appreciate reading these twit tips. Now if only you can get people to stop using their cell phone while driving and in the grocery store...
7
Thanks for the comments everyone. :)
Rarst, I unfollow too. However, I'd rather give people a few tips so they know some of the proper etiquette, rather than just unfollowing and never giving them the opportunity to find out why. In some cases it's a choice to unfollow someone who doesn't really interest me, so etiquette wouldn't make much difference. I wouldn't unfollow for all of the above reasons though :)
Nick - few people seem to realise it makes a difference. I'd like to see more people clicking!
MoJo - thanks, looks like a good idea.
Stacey, most of them are automatic - sometimes it can be a tough call, but most of the ones I've received are obviously just a blanket welcome note. If you're sending an individual DM, I'd suggest putting the person's name at the start (not their username) - of course this does rely on being able to find out their name. I don't know if it's possible to do an auto DM with the username, but if I received a note saying "benbarden thanks for the follow" it would sound more of a generic note than "Ben, thanks for the follow".
Jonathan - are you sure it's an auto-reply if it had your name in it?
PukaDog - that's a bit outside the realms of this post, but I'm not a fan of mobile phones either :)
8
I didn't realize that #7 was a big deal. I guess you may have unfollowed me in that case, LOL.
Whenever someone says thank you when they get an auto response, I do respond back to them. I'm appreciative that they even bothered to respond though they don't have to by any means.
9
Don't worry, Carla - I didn't unfollow you :) I don't recall getting an auto DM from you.
10
Hey this was a really good post, especially for people like me who have not been on Twitter an enormously long time. I use Twitter to network - I don't care about following huge numbers of people, I'd like to build a group that has something in common and really reads what others post and I'll read, too. The quote of the day Tweeters really drive me nuts. One cool quote is inspirational, 30 or 40 are just a crashing bore and I'd rather know what YOU have to say. Thanks for this piece.
11
Maryann - thanks for stopping by. :) I totally agree about not following huge numbers of people - it's not so much that I keep my numbers low, it's that I just don't have an interest in the numbers. For me it's all about who I follow and what they say. The follower numbers just don't matter.
12
I should borrow this or reblog it. Good list. I especially like the ones regarding blind retweets and about blocking and reporting. If more folks did the blocking and reporting, Twitter would be much cleaner for the rest of us. I do what I can there.
Also, it's a good reminder to me to vet links before I send them out.
13
Thank you for some great points. Maybe twitter could included a list of etiquette tips to be read by new members. This kind of insite comes with experience and I know that I made some mistakes, early on, out of innocent enthusiasm and inexperience. I know I probably turned off some interesting people. I did read lots of comments by more saavy people and quickly corrected my behavior. I learn so much and find many great sites from the people that I follow. Thanks again.
14
11. Not acknowledging people who send you useful links and then posting it like you just thought of it. Not acknowledging people who send you business leads and then announcing you just won new business.
I'm telling you. This happens. I know.
15
If only these tips had been available last year. ;)
16
Todd - blind retweeting is a fairly common problem. If I find a bad link I will usually let the person know. Of course, it's just my view, and they are welcome to disagree! :) By far the worst blind retweet is when the link doesn't even work - that's a sure sign that the person should slow down and check their tweet before posting it.
frankie- happy to help!
Sarah - good point, sometimes there may be a reason though. Perhaps the retweets get so long that you have to delete some of the names, or the tweet is too long to add the "RT @username" part to the front in the first place. For problem #1, I usually remove all the names except one; with problem #2, I'd try to shorten the tweet, but it isn't always possible.
17
@Sarah - I'm starting a new movement away from retweeting into re-tweeting or freetweeting.
http://www.toddrjordan.com/thebroadbrush/2009/05/retweet-no-freetweet/
I'm tired of folks even retweeting my stuff when it's just a link, it's not my content, and I could care less who gets credit. It's not about me it's about the content really.
18
I'm not a fan of telling people how to suck eggs and so am not a great fan of dictated rules of etiquette.
The community corrects for people who abuse it. People who get torqued off with n00bs need to have a nice big warm cup of empathy to calm themselves down.
I've found some great stuff via retweets and some not so great stuff. If someone is spamming, I unfollow or block them. If someone puts up multiple quotes/inspirational messages, I unfollow them. If someone constantly retweets info not of use to me, I unfollow them.
Communities that work are organic -- I read a great TOS statement recently that sums it all up (I'm not quoting exactly and don't remember where I got it -- if you know, please let me know):
(LANGUAGE WARNING)
"Our terms of service boil down to this: don't be a prick."
Words to live by.
19
Thanks for the comment Kerry. None of these are hard and fast rules. New users may appreciate to know what kind of things may be frowned upon. Some people may deliberately ignore the points in this post because they have reasons for doing things the way they do them. Everyone has their own style.
I think if you read the post again you may find that many of the points are quite logical suggestions and far from getting "torqued off with n00bs". For instance, clicking reply helps with threading; reporting spammers is something we should all do (don't assume other people will do it); ignoring replies may be a symptom of not noticing the replies tab. Duplicate hashtags can result in a lot of tweets being missed when you do a search.
There will always be alternative options, such as just using Twitter the way you want to, and not worrying about what other people think. For those who want to interact with more people and not get unfollowed by half of them, these tips are pretty solid.
20
Hi Ben!
Great blog! I learned a few things...but I have a question that hasn't been covered yet. I just got scolded for doing a RT where I included a question about their quote at the end of the RT that anyone could reply to. The person wrote me back to tell me that I am not supposed to include any comment in an @reply other than one directed just to the person I'm replying to.
I didn't realize that was a rule. Could you please explain why what I did was so inappropriate?
Thanks!
21
Thanks, SPwrite! I've seen plenty of retweets where comments are added to the original tweet - I don't see a problem there. If you want to get an answer to a question though, it's probably better to separate it from the retweet. I think it makes it easier to answer the question. That's just my view, though. :)
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My secret recipe of making Twitter good experience - if I don't like tweets coming from someone, I unfollow. That might (and does) look mean. Not that I care and I am able to read every single tweet comfortably and reply to everything that needs a reply - is it follower, following, both or neither.