We see everyone tweeting away about relevant and irrelevant issues these days. Now we get it, it is your profile, your tweet and there are hardly any restrictions, but even then, there are certain unsaid rules about things that you really shouldn’t be doing on Twitter. If you are unaware of those rules, then keep reading to enlighten yourself in order to become the perfect type of ‘Tweeple’.
- Spelling mistakes and bad grammar
Spelling and grammatical mistakes will make your content lose its meaning. People will then only focus on the mistakes and the tweet is likely to become famous because of a silly, little blunder. Don’t forget to proofread your content before posting, especially it if is about a serious issue, so that other ‘tweeple’ take you seriously as well. Be retweeted for the right reasons. You’ll find trolls in abundance on Twitter and it is always best to not give them a chance to take digs at you for an unintentional mistake.
- Too many hashtags
Hashtags are a definite way to make your content SEO optimised, but too much of anything is a disaster. Too many hashtags in a small tweet make it sound pretentious’ not to mention it looks plain dumb. Hashtags are to make the tweet searchable, not difficult to read. So limit yourself to one or two hashtags per tweet for better response.
- Don’t sound needy for followers
Everyone wants a large number of following for their profile. Asking people to follow you or retweet your tweets isn’t such a bad thing so long as you don’t sound needy. Avoid posting about how badly you need followers. The desperation will only have an opposite effect. Tagging people in your tweets and giving shout outs is a good way to subtly hint that you want followers instead or download video from twitter regarding the same.
- Avoid heated debates
Almost everyone on twitter is strongly opinionated and not in the mood to back out. Try to avoid getting into heated debates or arguments as they tend to go on forever. Everyone wants the last word and spectators have fun at your expense. Your followers are also likely to reduce if your profile shows you to be someone very argumentative and unnecessarily confrontational.
- Don’t be a troll
This tip qualifies as the equivalent of a good habits lesson in school. Being a troll is essentially being a bully on social media and nobody wants that. Everyone has their own opinions and the right to put them forth. Be open to others’ points of view and try not to be inconsiderate towards someone sad, angry or upset tweet, even if you may be finding it a tad bit funny. Do not have fun at someone else’s expense and hurt their feelings. Remember, it could be you some day as well.
There are no hard and fast rules as such, but it is always ethically a good idea to keep twitter a clean and safe place so everyone feels comfortable. Remember these 5 important things to avoid and you’re good to go, being a responsible netizen.