It’s one of the most debated topics on Twitter and is sure not going to stop anytime soon, the fact that we all want Twitter to be just how we like it to be. We have our own ways and our own needs and that make it difficult to get into the same mindset about how things are supposed to work. As a matter of fact, it’s what makes Social Networking so damn fun but also ultimately irritating sometimes. The reason why some people have the need to express their disappointment publicly is, of course, their full right, while some people keep it to themselves and just unfollow people that don’t measure up to what they expect.
Pretty much everyone on Twitter has asked themselves the question, “What is ethically right?” and also “What behavior is to be followed on Twitter?” If you think that true manners are solely the guide to follow, you are only partly right. While some think cursing on Twitter is an automatic “ban,” some express it’s their full right to tweet however they feel is their everyday language. And oddly, no one is wrong here really.
There is one source of information that twitter ethics and behavior is founded on, and that is what I am going to express in this much overdue article. There is, however, a fine guideline through your Twitter career that you can use and it is quite simple: “What you tweet is what you get!”
1. Language Barriers
Twitter is a world wide phenomena and therefore, it’s built up of people speaking many different languages. It becomes a virtual reality that could be compared to a cauldron of multi-cultural expression. In most cases, this could be a good thing however, for some people, this is not acceptable. I have seen it many times, and it still blows me away how narrow minded we can be on Twitter. It’s almost like if you’re not speaking perfect English, you are not entitled to tweet or express yourself through a blog, even if it is your own. Some people demand that if you have a blog, you should be able to express yourself in correct English. In a perfect world, everyone would understand every language, but as it is, we’re far from it. For some people, this is altering their style of tweeting and keeps them from expressing themselves just because of the fear of being bullied again over their grammar or spelling.
Sollution: Stay who you are, tweet how you want and keep being unique. It’s because of people that are unique that the world is advancing one step at a time.
2. Content Trapping
Spreading content on Twitter is one of the main things people are doing and almost what Twitter is all about. However, this poses a problem for sharers with a solid following. People sometimes come to expect a certain kind of topic from you, and if you ever expand outside your area of expertise, you can almost be certain people will tell you. Of course, sharing the same topics again and again will paint you into a corner and getting out of it won’t be easy. This could alter your whole experience on twitter and possibly halt your growth as a person.
Solution: Go outside your area of expertise and start tweeting things that interest you right away. Let people know you are a human being and not some topic munching machine. Teach yourself to grow.
3. Too Many Tweets
It is a recurring topic among people on Twitter and the standpoints are as different as ice cream and hot dogs. Some people might say you are tweeting too much and others might say you are not. There are a lot of different variables here to address if we are ever to resolve this issue by pure statistics, but the fact remains that some people can have a negative effect on your Twitter style because they repeatedly tell you that you are tweeting too much. However, there isn’t really a “tweeting too much” because Twitter rules clearly state that you are allowed to update your status up to 1,000 times a day and do 350 API requests per hour. Staying inside those boundaries is a legit activity. But, there will still be people on Twitter that feel you are tweeting too much and that might keep you from staying true to your own pace and Twitter style.
Solution: Stay within the limits and try to spread out the tweets over that whole day or hour. Tweeting 15 status updates in 2 minutes, even if it’s possible, might make you lose followers. Stay cool and tweet with care, and you will be able to maintain your Twitter style without interference.
4. Auto-DM
This is for sure the most hated and diverse action you can undertake on Twitter and it poses a huge concern among the non Auto-DM users who wants personal and natural interaction. Many have complained to Twitter asking them to address this issue by disabling the API interaction that auto DM applications are using to continuously greet and welcome new followers with one and the same message. People use it to save time and energy while trying to be nice and kind. Receiving a lot of new followers and trying to write a personal welcome DM to all of them is impossible, so therefore, the escape and use of an Auto-DM application comes in quite handy. Even though it causes a lot of “spam” in your Direct Message inbox, it’s unfortunately still a legit action as Twitter hasn’t turned off that function, yet. For people that still want to use this feature, it can become hazardous and style altering to do it as most people dislike the outcome of it.
Solution: Stay personal. If you want to keep using Auto-DM applications be sure to understand the consequences of losing a lot of your followers. The loss can be worse than the gain in many cases. However, as it is still a legit action, stick to your guns and style, but be prepared. Turning it off every once in a while to actually send a few DM’s yourself to welcome your new followers would probably do you good.
5. Über Twitter Syndrome
This is a syndrome that is becoming more and more apparent in some cases. If you are new to Twitter it can be good to understand what the ethics are on Twitter and what good behavior is and isn’t. As tweeters get more and more followers daily, it can become an installment of what I call the “Über Twitter Syndrome“. It’s when someone starts thinking that their way of doing things is the one and only way and everyone should follow those detailed instructions down to the last punctuation. For a new tweeter, this can be a wrong entry point to Twitter as it will most certainly alter his or her behavior on Twitter. To be unique and to gather followers because they want to follow what you stand for, and for what you express, is über important.
Solution: Stay who you are. Listening to pointers is a good thing, but don’t live by them to their full meaning. Make up your own style and branding and become a force in yourself. Of course, there are things you shouldn’t do if you want to still be friends with people and retain your followers, but that is pure common sense.
6. Reciprocation
Sometimes it feels like Twitter is all about how many followers you have and how you compare to others. This should, in my opinion, never be the case. Some tweeters have the strategy of following back pretty much everyone that graces their followers number with one more dot. Some stay off the follow button entirely, trying to grow their following number only. It’s entirely what you feel works for you. There are some people out there that will tell you that you are no good if you don’t follow back. This could potentially alter your twitter style as you might not have time or have the interest in following back people. The choice is open for everyone, and it should never be mandatory to follow back people just because they followed you.
Solution: Keep doing it “you” style. There is not a rule saying that you must follow anyone back. However, unless you are a star of TMZ proportions, you should probably follow a few back every once in a while. If not, your experience on Twitter may become quite limited.
7. “RT PLZ” Banning
It’s an abbreviation of “ReTweet Please” and if you look at your Twitter stream, you will eventually find someone that is using it. Some people think it is begging while others see an act of help being presented. Some people think it is quite rude to put the “RT PLZ” abbreviation behind a tweet as it is impolite to beg, and therefore, they will go after you with a torch to correct your behavior. But you can question for yourself whether it’s their behavior or your behavior that needs correcting since it is never polite to pose as an “all knower” of things. Their correction could potentially alter your Twitter style and put a stopper in your advancement. In some cases, such as Amber Alerts, Charity etc…, it can be the one thing that makes a tweet and a rescue successful.
Solution: Choose your moments when you use the “RT PLZ” abbreviation but stick to how you want to tweet. It’s your Twitter stream and your expression highway so tweet how you like. Continuously using the abbreviation will, in time, diminish its effect quite profoundly.
8. Public Ranting
There will always be followers that just started following you only to find out that you are doing something to tick them off in pretty much every way possible. Their way of handling the situation is to grab you on open ground so to speak. What they’ll do is to go after you publicly on Twitter and make you feel uncomfortable as you, in most cases, have not even had the chance to hear why your follower has such a pickle with you. This could, and in most cases it will, alter your Twitter style and make you more guarded about who you follow and what you write in your tweets.
Solution: Be yourself. You can’t please the entire world and no one is expecting that of you either. Public ranting is as foul as spamming porn on Twitter, so take it with a smile and let the follower drift on. The main thing for you to remember is to be original and tweet just the way you want to. Free speech is a wonderful thing.
9. Tweet Modification
Even if it’s not such a huge concern for most people, it is still something that can potentially change and ruin your Twitter style and brand. The way you write a tweet is unique to you and everyone else. The way you form your sentence and the way you use the words in a tweet is why people are following you in the first place. That, and of course, the content you share. When some people retweet stuff, they change around things to shorten the tweet and also, in some occasions, they change the words. This makes your original tweet disappear and your touch and style are no longer to be seen. Even though your tweets are no longer your property once you tweet them, it can still be annoying as your whole online identity is then based on someone else’s way of tweeting.
Solution: Be gentle and kind. Don’t go publicly bashing your retweeter. Instead, write a personal and kind direct message to the person and politely ask him or her to not change your tweets as it is not what you had intended it to be at that point. In most cases, you just have to adapt to the occasion and try and give some room in your tweets for retweeting if you want it to be spread throughout Twitter. This may not necessarily change your Twitter style.
10. Twitter Methods
Some tweet personal stuff and some are trying to break their band. Some share content and tactics, while others spread a quote or two. The things we tweet are forever different, but the way we tweet can be subject to huge controversy. People might dislike the use of auto-tweeters and in disgust, act upon the non personal experience it gives them following you. However, Twitter is a place of many methods and one is not better or worse than another. They are all just there for our consideration. The style you pick and how you administer it is your choice. People can potentially start arguing with you about it, unfollow you, or even block you, which could change your way of tweeting. But the fact is that either method is legit and approved by Twitter as long as you keep within the limits presented.
Solution: Pick the system that works best for you. Stay within the limits and you will be fine. The outcome of your way of tweeting is what will cause your success or failure. Don’t change your way just because someone tells you to. Even though it sounds controversial, it’s your own choice, so you decide.
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