Twittiquete: How Not To Suck At Twitter

Welcome! This is the second post in my Twittiquete series: How To (Not) Suck At Twitter! If you’ve been following this blog, you know that last time, we learned all about how to offend the hell out of everyone on Twitter and make yourself universally reviled! Did you follow those ten steps? Congratulations! Now it’s time to undo the damage that’s been done and recover your social network. Here are ten ways to NOT suck at Twitter.

1) Post interesting and relevant articles. Love mountaineering? Post articles about mountains and pretty photos of mountains. Love animals? Post news stories about animal justice. Are you a writer? Tell the world what your favorite books are and why.

2) Make friends! Make sure to @ people, retweet their articles and blogs when they’re interesting, and talk to them about what they’re posting.

3) Follow back! Unless they’re spambots. Or offensive human beings like the Kings of Douchery described in Twittiquete #1. Then report them for spam.

4) Be humble. Remember, there are lots of people out there in the world who are equally, if not more, awesome than you are. Share their stuff and they’ll share yours. That’s why it’s called a social network!

5) DM people (considerately) you want to get to know better! Starting a private conversation is a great way of telling someone, “Hey, I really value your thoughts. Let’s continue this conversation one-on-one.” Instant networking!

6) Tweet! Even things that seem mundane can be important. I’d love to hear about that awesome meal you cooked, though, or the fact that you and your daughter had a great time walking in the park. Little details like that bring people together on this big weird world.

7) ReTweet! People post awesome stuff, and retweeting their posts shows that you’re invested in helping them spread the word. “My book won an award!” or “My Kickstarter project just hit a major goal!” are all good things to retweet. Remember, sharing is caring!

8) Seek out new people to follow. Finding like-minded people is a great way to add to your group of friends. You’ll learn new things and make some powerful connections along the way.

9) Post photos. Photos are a quick and easy way to draw people into your life and share with them. It’s a great personal connection and people tend to like visuals in their Twitter feed – they’re easy to absorb and they stand out from the crowd.

10) Be a nice person! People have enough shit going on in their lives without being harrassed, threatened, or insulted on Twitter (of all places). Don’t be a troll, be droll!

So, there you have it! A quick and easy guide to not sucking at Twitter. By following these simple rules, you may even build up an awesome network of contacts, allies, and even friends who are willing to help you when you need it. And remember that the easiest way to not suck at Twitter is simply to be a real, live human being with a little bit of spunk and personality.

So go conquer Twitter, friends!