You need another Twitter article like you need a hole in your head. There are millions of articles about what to do on Twitter and how to get it done. Some of them include:
How to Grow Your Follower Numbers to Over 10,000 in a Week
100 Twitter Tools to Help You Achieve All Your Goals
Now I'm sure there is some valid information in these articles and the many others out there, but they are sorely lacking in one area and that is what not to do or how not to act.
Twitter is social. It's community-driven. So we shouldn't look to the opinion of one person about what Twitter is or how it should work. The community rules and we should decide our rules of engagement. It's at the nature of what makes Twitter special to begin with.
In order for Twitter to run smoothly and for each of us to make it a better place, not just for ourselves, but the community at large we need to establish what people shouldn't do, just as much as what they should. With the sheer volume of articles about what to do, this post will focus on what not to do. Look at my list below as a beginning topic of discussion. I want to hear your thoughts.
Your Top 10 Worst Twitter Tips
- Collect as many followers as possible and then just market yourself.
- Only pump out content that is going to benefit you.
- Crank out link after link. Conversation? Why bother?
- Assume everyone in the world wants your free e-book so promote the hell out it.
- If you're a business, forget that you finally have a chance to connect with your customer. Sell, sell, sell.
- Don't listen. There is no value in conversation.
- Automatically Direct Message people. They'll never know the difference.
- Don't bother replying to anyone's replies.
- Only tweet your daily events, no matter how boring and uneventful they actually are. Really, your yummy sandwich experience is important.
- Bait and switch. Who cares? You'll never meet the person.
Much of this can be summed up in terms of misinterpretation. Twitter's brand icon is a sweet, little blue bird, not a vulture.
So my questions to you are:
What advice would you give to a newcomer about what not to do?
What is the worst advice someone could give?
Add your responses to the comments and I'll compile them into a post.
