My 10 Twitter Tips

Hey there,

If you follow me on Twitter, this might explain some of my habits...or it might not.

Before doing anything else, check out Twitter's FAQ. The tips I will be sharing are not meant to be basic tips, which isn't to say they're necessarily advanced. They just are what they are, and they're what I do, so they're definitely not tips for everyone.

1. Do NOT sync your Facebook account (if you have one) - Now I should clarify, don't sync your tweets to push to your status updates. I actually blogged about this a little over a week ago, so you can read more on why, there.
2. Follow Tweetsmarter, as their blog provides some great insights as to best practices.
3. Pay attention to Pew Research Center articles on Twitter. Now this is probably just the wonk in me, but it provides for some great perspectives.
4. Create lists - lists that make sense to you. Check out my lists, for examples that might help. Lists are also a great way to "follow" someone without following them, and saving your following cap for those whose content might engage you more. For example, there are a number of DC institutions and organizations I don't necessarily want showing up on my home stream, but that I would like to check in on, so I added them to my DMV list. I will say, I tend to list accounts without following them, when they aren't following me back.
5. Don't be afraid to block or report for spam - It's not about quantity of followers, and it would be awful to let a bunch of spammy accounts follow you just to boost the count. Or accounts that probably have no interest in you.  I know that most of the real estate tweeps that follow me are NOT interested in anything I have to say or share.
6. Understand your Klout Style - you don't necessarily have to care about your actual Klout score, but your style may give you greater insight into how you use Twitter, and if you decide to do so intentionally, whether you're happy w/ your style, or want to aim for a different one. Check out my klout style, if you want.
7. Look before you hash. Hashtags are a great way to label tweets as well as become part of a conversation, whether it's an ongoing one or event/time specific. You can either search on Twitter through it's "discover" tab, or even go to tagdef.com to look some up. You want hashtags that are concise but also unique. The last thing you'd want someone to do is search for a hashtag and then still have to filter irrelevant tweets. Also, don't hash too much; generally three hashtags in a tweet should be the maximum.
8. #FF - Mashable has a great entry on Follow Friday. I will say, it's possibly a great tool to pop on the radar of people who don't follow you back yet. You can also have a theme for each Friday. Most recently, I selected a bunch of local arts organizations to list.
9. Tweet & Retweet - I try to keep my feed at roughly half and half, sometimes going through a period of RT's, and other times tweeting a lot, especially if at a live, public event. That's just for me, though. This might have to do with your klout style. Also consider when and how you want to RT. More on this later.
10. Lastly - Be yourself. Pretty self-explanatory. This goes for not just what you say and who you follow, but who follows you.

That's it for now,

JR

revised - 3.20.12