I have a confession to make: I'm not much a Twitter user myself. Shameful, I know, but I reaally have a hard time getting on that boat. However, since Twitter is not going anytime soon, I thought I'd share with you some do's and don'ts from the experts in tweeting since you should not be like me and should get on that ever so popular Twitter boat ASAP.
Here's some solid advice from, believe or not, GEICO:
Think before you tweet.
- Avoid telling your followers how much you hate your boss or your job. Your current coworkers could see it, and future employers could find it and get a negative impression.
- Beware geotags. Twitter, Foursquare and other apps can share your real-time location, making your home address, daily routine and other information public.
- With identity theft on the rise, consider the personal information you want to share. For example, don’t mistakenly give away password hints or contact information.
- Don’t be annoying. This one protects your followers from you. No one is looking for a play-by-play (with pictures) of the lasagna you’re making.
- Be yourself
- Show some personality
- Start following people
- Acknowledge tweets sent to you
- Thank people when they RT you
- Fill out your bio with something meaningful
- Load up decent profile pic asap
- Fill your location in
- Tweet at different times to catch different groups of people
- Consider different time zones (see above)
- Search on topics that interest you and follow topic experts
- Check out people’s bio and link habits to see how much they engage
- Find original content to share
- Ask people questions
- Use Twitter to send traffic to your other social media profiles
- Retweet content to gain new followers
- Share content from industry “experts”
- Add your thoughts to links your share
- Use a URL shortner like bit.ly
- Try out a Tweet scheduler to program your tweets
- Watch, look and listen to how other people tweet
- Follow people that seem interesting
- Unfollow people that don’t add any value to your Twitter experience
- Use Twitter to connect with people at business events
- Listen to what people are saying and use it guide your content
- Try and build relationships, just like you would offline
- Do find your own style on Twitter
Happy Tweeting!!
Don't worry, Kathleen...I am not a big "tweeter" myself! However, I think the Do's and Don'ts is critical to read before engaging in any type of social media, for anyone! I know for myself, as an interviewer for potential candidates, social media is the first item I look at before I even look at someone's resume. The way you represent yourself on these platforms plays a significant role in whether or not you get an interview, a job, or anything for that matter. This type of information should be constantly shared and incorporated in our daily lives, so thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteKathleen, this is a great article! I also agree with Priya that the Do's and Don'ts are good tips for any type of social media. I am a Twitter user, and the best tip I have found is to keep your work & social lives separate. I have a professional account that is open (public) that I use when I attend conferences, to interact with coworkers or others in the industry, and where I post professional tweets. I also have a separate personal account that is private so that only users I approve can read the content. It is more of an "unedited" view of life, but I still never post anything that I would be embarrassed if the general public read.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I find ultimately that the real value comes in who you select to follow on Twitter - I have learned so much, met great contacts, and found out about many local professional events through Twitter that I never would have known about otherwise!