Day 22 - Rules for Reputation Building With Twitter
It's part of learning that you make mistakes. I've spent some time on Twitter over the last couple of weeks - listening, learning, asking and dipping my toes in.
Came across this nice article by Sean Ludwig on things you shouldn't do if you want to succeed on Twitter and keep your followers happy. Here are a few I've adopted for any kind of online networking. See if any might apply to the networks you're involved in:
1. Don't give away plot lines and outcomes on 'live' things like TV shows or films. People around the world may not have seen them yet and you'll spoil the surprise!2. Don't post anything that you rather wasn't in the public domain. Stuff can come back to haunt you. Online is 'shooting season' for anyone who needs ammunition against you. If you want to be fired or not hired, say anything!
3. Don't be boring. People want to be entertained and educated. That means relevance and humour. Talking about what you had for breakfast is no longer cool. If you're going to say something, SAY SOMETHING!
4. Don't post or tweet too often. You can over-expose yourself. It can get annoying and crowd out other contributions and observations. Some people seem to tweet all day. The article recommends no more than ten times a day, or more than five times an hour. "If you have that much to say, maybe it belongs on a blog."
5. Don't respond to everything. One reason - you'll burn out. Another reason, you'll get ignored after a while. Pick your topics, your battles and your lane!
6. Don't tell us about something cool or life-changing without a link or picture. With the range of resources and images around, there's no excuse for not adding colour, evidence and value to your contributions!
7. Don't claim other people's stuff for your own. Give credit and references where due. It's only fair. And if you get it wrong, apologize!
8. Don't ignore people who send you a direct message or a reply. Business is personal. Build relationships and build followers. Be polite!
9. Don't moan about how slow things are. This one gets me. there's always someone to compare yourself to who has a better following, a better profile and a better life. Do what you can do and be patient!
Rules is rules, even if they're unspoken. Play the game and you'll reap the benefits. So I've stopped posting so much, put in more pictures and links, given more credit, quit my moaning about those doing more than me and got on with being me!