Many of the questions I get about Twitter involve etiquette issues. Today I want to go over some of the basics. If you have a question that doesn’t get addressed be sure to leave a comment and I’ll answer it there.
Which Should I Do, Reply or Retweet?
A REPLY is used when you answer a comment, or thank someone for mentioning you.
It’s good form to reply to someone who retweets something you said.
A RETWEET is used when you want to repeat someone else’s Tweet.
It’s poor form to retweet a tweet that mentions you. It’s not an unforgivable error, we’ve all accidentally hit the retweet button instead of reply, just try not to make it a habit.
Is There a Rule about How Often I Should or Shouldn’t Tweet?
Twitter has a 140 character limit for a reason and it’s considered bad form to Tweet 3 or more times right in a row. Doing this is called Hogging the Stream or Hijacking the Stream. When I schedule my tweets I try not to schedule them for closer than ten minute increments.
What’s Up With All Those @ Lists People Tweet?
There are several times you may see this.
First, it’s polite to thank new followers, and some people group them together in lists. This isn’t a bad thing, if you don’t hog the Twitter stream doing it.
Second, there are certain designations for days of the week. For example, Friday is often designated as #FF. This stand for FOLLOW FRIDAY. It’s a time for people to recommend others as valuable people to follow. I’ve actually found some really cool folks to follow through this. And once again, it’s not a bad thing, if the person doing it doesn’t Hijack the Twitter stream with multiple #FF posts in a row.
Do I have to Follow Everyone Who Follows Me?
No, absolutely not. I try to follow the people I believe have something valuable to say. I DON’T follow those who look like spammers or sketchy accounts. Often times you can tell because they don’t have a picture, only that irritating egg avatar. Another way I check is to look at the description they give for themselves. If they don’t have a description, I’m always skeptical.
What Does RT, MM, OH, HT Mean?
RT—means RETWEET.
MM—is MUSIC MONDAY, similar to Follow Friday.
OH—is OVERHEARD.
HT—is HEARD THROUGH.
Now it’s your turn. Be sure to post your questions in the comments section. And...
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Blessings,