The two tweets I sent out about @DarrenRovell‘s “100 Twitter Rules To Live By” I felt didn’t reach enough people, so I’ve highlighted what I feel are two dozen of his most tweetable tips (and I’ve edited some slightly to make them shorter or more easily tweetable). If you like these, I suggest you read his whole list.
- Tweet your gratitude when anyone goes above & beyond for you. If you are impressed, let your followers know. (Tips for tweeting thank-yous.)
- Instead of complaining about “free iPad” spam, take 3 seconds and report them as spam. Help solve the problem.
- Twitter isn’t a megaphone, it’s a telephone.
- Twitter Search may be the most valuable search engine on the Internet. Use it. (Twitter search tips.)
- When mentioning a person or brand, look up and use their Twitter handle if they have one.
- Follow and tweet out strangers sometimes. There are smart people outside of your circle of friends.
- When someone visits your account, your most recent tweets are your resume. Tweet a mixture of things.
- Don’t obsess about missing something in your timeline. Obsess about furthering the dialogue.
- Don’t announce when you’ve unfollowed someone. Egos run rampant enough on Twitter…move on.
- #FollowFriday tweets are a waste of time if you don’t say why they deserve a follow. (#FollowFriday tips.)
- Add your touch to a retweet sometimes—even if it’s just a word or two.
- Ask your followers for good accounts to follow.
- Have 3 good tweets that aren’t time sensitive? Schedule them at different times so each gets attention. (Tweet scheduling tips.)
- Proofread your tweets. The amount of typos in 140 characters is mind blowing.
- Short tweets stand out. Try saying something poignant in 50 characters. It has a great chance of getting RT’d.
- Comment before the RT. Commenting after makes it difficult to distinguish your comment from the original. (About Retweets: Glossary, Syntax and Punctuation.)
- If you experience Twitter writer’s block, just take a break. You don’t have a daily quota to meet.
- Put up an avatar. Nobody wants to follow a colored egg. It only means your future on Twitter is “cooked.”
- Never RT a list of #FollowFriday’s someone included you in. At most Favorite it…and spare your followers.
- Lists come in handy when you want a specific group’s most recent tweets. Make some and follow some. (Tips for using lists to find good people to connect with.)
- Don’t tweet during important life occasions. Savor the moment; Twitter will be there for you when it’s all done.
- Get people who surround you on a daily basis on Twitter. Believe me, it’s a marriage tip too.
- Know when something reaches critical mass. If your entire timeline has tweeted the same quote, hold back.
- Spend time with people you know in real life…or who are you going to talk to when Twitter is over capacity?
