How to Display Good Manners on Twitter

twitterdudeWe were all raised to appreciate and practice good manners (hopefully). Unfortunately, some people have assumed that there is no need for manners when interacting with others on the internet. This is especially true of social media platforms. It seems that social media has become exempt from the good manners that we were all raised to practice.

Manners can actually be hard thing to keep in check on Twitter. The Twitter environment—or “twitterspehere” as some have taken to calling it, is set up in a way where interacting with one another is regulated by the amount of characters allowed per tweet.

So just to play it safe, here are some good manners that you can practice on Twitter to keep a good online reputation.

  • Acknowledge a re-tweet by a simple word of thanks. Make sure you hyperlink their handle (using the @ symbol and their name) so others can visit their page and follow them.
  • Avoid controversial topics. Believe it or not, no one cares about your feelings on whatever the controversial news topic of the day is.
  • Every now and then, send a shout out to your new followers. This not only thanks them for their interest, but it also increases their exposure, as all of your followers will see their names.
  • Always respond to Direct Messages…unless it’s something spammy.
  • Even if you curse here and there in your normal life, try to keep it to a minimum on Twitter and other social profiles.
  • Whenever someone mentions you in any way, shape, or form, always respond with thanking them and try to get them additional exposure through your followers.
  • This is thought to be a preference for some people, but it seems that most everyone gets irritated by people that use ALL CAPS. This applies elsewhere, too…not just Twitter. Please don’t be that person…

And that’s the brief guide to good manners on Twitter. What are some other considerations you take when engaging with people via social media?

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