Twitter Tips, or How to Not Annoy and Alienate People Online

"The Twidiot's Guide to Twitter Etiquette: Twelve Essential Do's and Dont's for Twitter Beginners"
Shrinking the Camel (September 26, 2009)

"I have been using Twitter for five months now, which, as you probably know already, makes me a seasoned expert. It doesn't take much these days in the social media circles to be considered a specialist. Really, you just have to actually use those social media gadgets and then take a know-it-all attitude in advising others on how they should use them, too. I can definitely do that.

"Now let's talk about you, dear Twitterer novice. So. You are quite adept at Google searches, and you have even mastered Facebook, but you are looking at this Twitter thing, this over-hyped, apparently useless communication technology, thinking, 'Why the hell would anyone want to do that?' And then you read about it every freakin' week in the New York Times and People magazine, and you hear all your favorite celebrities dropping sound bytes about their Tweets like loose change falling into a beggar's tin cup, and then you think, 'Who do all these people think they are? I am certainly an Important Person, too. Now, get out of my way. How does this thing work?' You sign up your very own account and cautiously begin typing your first 140 characters. 'Hey everyone in Twitterland! I am th..' "

That gives you a pretty good idea of the tone and style of the post. Expect long paragraphs, a colloquial style, and pretty good advice.

I'm making note of this post, on my Facebook account, partly to share with others - and to make sure I can find it quickly a week or month or whatever from now.

The advice is, I think, pretty much common sense - which doesn't seem to be all that common, just like in days gone by. Sure, most of the points are the sort that you'd say 'well, duh!' about after you've read them: but review doesn't hurt - and I've learned that some 'well duh!' points weren't on my mind's front desk before I read them.

Enjoy, learn.

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A tip of the hat to Twitter_Tips, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this post.