Twit-iquette

Now that Twitter is taking off in Jordan, and across the Arab World, it may be a good time to establish some form of Twitter etiquette, regarding what to tweet and how many times!

Twitter is a tool that means different things to different people.
Teenagers create an account, follow their friends, get followed by them, and then report every minute detail of there lives so everyone knows what’s happening.
Young adults do a bit of that, but mostly Twitter about something they saw, or read or that happened to them. Many of them use it to congratulate one another on occasions and so on.

Users in the 21+ range do a bit of both of the above, but add in ‘marketing Tweets’ which are about their achievements, careers, products and services they offer. In that sense, Twitter is mainly a self promotion tool for them. They also look at it as a ‘networking’ and ‘introduction’ tool to show others that they are interested in knowing more about them- by following them.

So, with all of these different motives behind Tweeting, it’s no surprise my Tweet Deck applications keeps buzzing with incoming tweets.

Accordingly, I wish people stuck to a general guideline of Twitter etiquette, which won’t only be a relief for people tried of their countless, meaningless messages but will also help them maintain their public image.

For starters, don't say something that makes you look like an idiot. Only Tweet about topic you understand, and conduct yourself on Twitter as you would socially in the real world. After all, it’s a ‘social network’.

Don't overly criticize someone or something which will go on public record as your position, making you look like a total hypocrite when you change your position about that person or thing.

For example, government employees in the US are advised not to Tweet, or re-Tweet, news or analysis that may reflect their political position.
Journalists of the Washington Post have received clear instructions from management to “refrain from writing, tweeting or posting anything that could be perceived as reflecting racial, sexist, religious or other bias or favoritism. Because that would tarnish the newspapers journalistic credibility."

And, be careful who you follow because it reflects your interests and general principles.

So, as you can see, Twitter is not all fun and games.

It’s a communication tool which could cause serious damage to your image or that of the organization you represent. To sum up, think before you Tweet. It does not take the fun out of it, it just takes out the potential damage!

zanasser@gmail.com