Adam Ginsberg Twitter Tips

Twitter is everywhere – and it seems like everyone is using it.  With all the hype and celebrity endorsements, lots of people are asking “What is Twitter”. I had 3 people email me today and say “Adam Ginsberg please Explain What Twitter is“.

There are plenty of sites out there that will tell you how to use twitter but if you want to learn what twitter is in plain english, Adam Ginsberg has posted a video which you should watch right away.

Here are some great Twitter Tips – what you should do and not do when using the fastest growing social networking website on the internet:

DO self censor.  Unless your status updates are protected, anyone can see what you are Tweeting.  Bear in mind the story of the girl who managed to Tweet her way out of a new job because a hiring manager read her thoughts on the position she had interviewed for.

DON’T use Twitter as a chat client. No one wants to see their screen full of irrelevant Tweets from a conversation they’re forced to eavesdrop on.

DO remember to retweet other people.  This can be a good way to build up a following of like minded people.

DON’T endlessly self promote yourself.  Okay, we get it – you have a blog.  Twitter is by no means one way traffic – interact!

DO follow people back, but….

DON’T be offended if users don’t always follow you back.  Users with tens of thousands of followers are unlikely to see your Tweet through the hundreds of other tweets anyway.

DO be funny, informative and creative with your tweets.

DON’T use the auto-DM feature.  This is the Twitter equivalent of a spam and a faceless “hi – thanks for following” is impersonal and can be off-putting.

DO use it to get help.Once you have built up a reasonable following you’ll find it easy to find answers to your questions quickly.

DON’T tweet if your message is likely to go over the 140 character limitation.Spreading messages over the course of several tweets is just going to confuse and irritate your followers.

DO quote famous people in 140 characters or less.

DON’T auto-DM with an affiliate link on how to get followers on Twitter – unless you want everyone to “un-follow” you immediately.

Whatever you DO or DON’T DO, make sure you are using Twitter.  And, make sure you Follow Adam Ginsberg on Twitter – he’ll follow you right back!