Comments on: Twitter DON’Ts: The Dirty Dozen

By: Jamie Pelaez

Jamie Pelaez — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:02:36 +0000

This is a great article. I agree with all of the above. #11 really resonates with me as I ran into a marketer using it to the extreme. He started talking to me briefly on Skype, then followed me on Twitter and Skypes a few minutes later that if I do not follow him he will unfollow me. It screamed desperation and was seriously tacky. Jamie Pelaez’s last blog post..I Killed the Can’t, but I Did Not Shoot the Deputy!

By: Beth Evans

Beth Evans — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:42:10 +0000

It seems like the people who are clueless about Twitter aren't interested in listening to ways to improve. I've never received a DM or @ after I ask new followers without bios or URLs to send me one, so I think I'm going to stop doing this either on my profile or in the form of tweets. Some Twitter pet peeves can vary among cultures. Within the China Twitter community, many pet peeves in the U.S. such as engaging in long @ conversations and tweeting when you don't have anything particularly useful to say are totally acceptable. Beth Evans’s last blog post..Bet You Haven't Seen These, Yet - New Beijing International Movie Week

By: Jaculynn Peterson

Jaculynn Peterson — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:54:19 +0000

Ann, great point. The Auto DMs have raised the ire of many in the Twitterverse over the past few months. This robotic approach to using social media is not going over very well with the folks in my Twittersphere. It’s like getting spam email.

Yes, as I mentioned in an earlier comment, the list is a general guide. Because we aren’t robots it’s not reasonable to think we can abide by all these “social” web rules! heh. But there is such a thing as abusing your audience with a specific message and I put a great deal of weight on the value of “moderation.” That’s all. I don’t have a problem with Tweeters giving an occasional update about follower numbers or ratings, etc. But when it’s a constant that seems to keep growing in the Twitterverse, it makes me wonder about purpose, value and intent. Although these trends are now so popular that I don’t believe anyone even thinks twice about it….

Then there are others who manage such topics and announcements with a great deal of social tact and grace…like Ann Handley of MarketingProfs today who hosted a drawing today on Twitter in honor of reaching a specific follower number. It was painless and it was fun. I also participated. The whole thing focused more on benefitting her followers and less about her talking about her # of followers. Do you know what I mean?

I’m grateful for your comment. Thanks again.

By: Jaculynn Peterson

Jaculynn Peterson — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:59:21 +0000

Sandra, thanks for rounding out the list! I know. The question “What are You Doing?” is taken literally by Tweeters. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could choose among 3 or 4 questions we wanted answered by our fellow Tweeters and flag the one we want answered on any given day. The other Tweeters could do the same and only “like flags” would make it through your stream….hmmm…

By: Jaculynn Peterson

Jaculynn Peterson — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:52:09 +0000

Thanks for your input, Janet!

Yes, I agree too about the two-way conversations – sometimes. For me, Twitter is a great place to have thoughtful and thought-provoking conversations (locally or globally) — whether you want to join in or even just listen. So I guess it depends if you like the topic of the conversation, eh? I’ve been pretty lucky with that. I admit I’ve been guilty on occasion of personal conversations that probably would have been best conducted in DM though…but I do make a point of keeping it super brief. For me, on the flip side, idle chit chat can give me a glimpse into the Tweeter’s character and personality, which is cool too. But again, it always boils down to “how much,” you know?

What do you think?

The best part is we all have the choice to ignore Twitter when we want or we can use tools like Twitter Snooze ( http://twittersnooze.com ) when we want to tune out a Tweeter.

p.s. Some of the folks I follow will even give a heads up if they’re about to engage in an ongoing stream (like watching a movie or #journchat or queries) and I think that’s great because it’s polite. It’s the social thing to do.

Glad you stopped by,
Jaculynn

By: Jaculynn Peterson

Jaculynn Peterson — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:32:23 +0000

Thanks so much Matt! I appreciate it. I plan to post a complementary Twitter Do’s list as well….

By: Jaculynn Peterson

Jaculynn Peterson — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:21:32 +0000

I agree Bart. Moderation is key – that’s really a key point here. While I’m not particularly big on Social Media rules, I was compelled to post this list because of certain Tweeting patterns that are becoming quite common.

By: Bart

Bart — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:18:28 +0000

MOD-ER-ATION is key. Don’t like the folks that tell me every – little – blog they are reading from sunup to sundown and beyond. Especially ones that say “Reading this blog – http://www...” and there is nothing that indicates what the blog is about.

DON”T follow me if it is obvious that your twitter account is a marketing account for the latest health drink, massage parlor or hair tonic.

By: The BC election and Twitter « John O’Shaughnessy

The BC election and Twitter « John O’Shaughnessy — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:50:34 +0000

[...] Here’s a really good set of rules from a seasoned marketing professional, local to Vancouver. Here’s another great resource. And of course, the do’s wouldn’t be complete without some don’ts. [...]

By: Sandra

Sandra — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:47:09 +0000

13. I really don’t care what you are eating/cooking/drinking unless you are doing it somewhere or with someone interesting or something interesting has or is about to happen. You at the drivethru waitinng in line clutters up my page of people with something to actually say. /rant