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| Photo credit: leeander on Flickr |
I was originally
going to write a post about why writers need to be on Twitter, but I basically
covered that in my Social Media for Writers post, and the vast majority of you
reading this are already on Twitter. So.
Instead, since I
know we all secretly want to be awesome on Twitter (it can't be just me,
right?), this post was birthed.
Being awesome on
Twitter is actually much easier than it sounds. It basically revolves around
the idea that we're all here to support each other and share interesting things
with our epically amazing followers (like mine). It also revolves around the
idea that spam is spawn of the devil and must be destroyed with the spam gun of
doom.
Some awesome things to do on Twitter:
1. Re-tweet
things.
You'd think this goes without saying, but if you see something interesting or
you simply want to help your fellow writers (or other talented Twitter
buddies), you need to re-tweet things. Not only does re-tweeting bring awesome
content to your followers, but it's a way of saying hey I like what you said
there, keep being awesome.
2. Be friendly. I've heard it
said that Twitter is like an enormous cocktail party where everyone walks
around schmoozing with each other and butting into random conversations and
speaking in a fancy accent with their pinky fingers sticking up as they hold
their crystal wine glasses (ok, so maybe only that first part).
Point is, if
Twitter is like a giant party, the only way people will notice (and remember)
you is if you speak up and say hi. Make a point to welcome your new followers.
Show them they're appreciated. Chat with your tweeples and make connections.
That's what social media is all about.
3. Be yourself. I know I say
this all the time, but believe it or not, this also applies to Twitter. If you
want to tweet about random sugary deliciousness or throw virtual confetti
everywhere for no apparent reason or pass out random virtual hugs or squee just
for the sake of squeeing, by all means, go for it. Don't be afraid to be
ridiculous— I once posted "Do you know the muffin man?" and got
something like five responses in five minutes. True story. Randomness is
totally acceptable (and awesome) on Twitter.
4. Be positive. People like
positivity, period. Even if you're feeling crummy, I suggest trying to tweet
positively— you might be surprised to find just how quickly it'll change your
outlook. Otherwise, remember that rule you learned in kindergarten? If you don’t
have anything nice to say…
Some NOT awesome things you definitely
SHOULDN'T do on Twitter:
1. Spam. Being the person
that I am, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and say that many
times they don't realize they're spamming, so let me give some examples:
Tweeting (or
DMing) someone a link they didn't ask for = SPAM.
Tweeting (or
DMing) someone a link to your blog when they didn't ask for it = SPAM.
Tweeting (or
DMing) someone you just followed with HI FOLLOW ME PLEASE = SPAM.
Moral of the
story, be careful what you tweet, because no one likes a spammer.
2. Whine or Rant. I understand
some ranting. The occasional rant can be understandable— even amusing at times.
But if you flood the timeline with a really long rant or going on and on about
your terrible day, well...chances are you're going to lose some followers. Most
people can empathize with an occasional rant, but don't make a habit of it.
3. SCREAM
CONSTANTLY.
I understand an occasional loud tweet. Even I have on more than one occasional
overused the caps lock because I was rather excited and throwing confetti
everywhere or prancing around Twitter and giving out hugs. There's nothing
wrong with that.
BUT WHEN YOU
TWEET LIKE THIS ALL OF THE TIME, YOU'RE GOING TO SCARE PEOPLE AWAY, AND YOU
DON'T WANT THAT, DO YOU?
I didn't think
so.
So that wraps up
my tips. What tips do you have for being awesome on Twitter?
