This Is the Way I Tweet

Inspired by Jeremy Tanner's, "You Owe Me Nothing (My Twitter Policy)" and my mother lamenting that she doesn't get the 'rules' of Twitter I began to think about how I tweet and why.

First of all, when it comes to Twitter rules, I say there are no rules. Influential pundits talk about twitt etiquette, but there is no manual or handbook that you must abide by. I tell people, "Use it how you want..." Eventually, they're going to figure out how it works for them or doesn't. Which is why my (informal) Twitter disclaimer naturally came to mind.

My Twitter disclaimer:

• I care less about gaining a large following and more about sharing and receiving the digital or day-to-day information I find interesting. This includes connecting and creating a dialogue. I follow people who @reply, interact, share and don't say "me" or "I" in every tweet.
  
• I don't follow everyone back because I believe I reserve the right to choose if that person's tweets are compelling, intriguing or relevant. Nothing against you, I'm not even that picky but you have the choice to not follow me back as well. I'm following you because I like what you're saying, I've met you or it's work related.
• If however, you begin to follow me I try (90% of the time) to send a personalized Direct Message to you, thanking for the follow and whatever peaks my interest about their recent tweets. Sidenote: I hate auto DM's-I want to un-follow when I receive them.
• I believe @Lijit has immediate and personal, customer support and I think as a brand we use Twitter very well. With that being said, I often connect with my Lijit users on my personal Twitter profile, as it's easy and concise or I can RT @Lijit news or releases.
• I've made some meaningful relationships on Twitter because of this personal interaction I've focused on. It is turned into why I love Twitter: the connections. When I first moved to Boulder I began to connect with a lot of Boulder Tweeps online, made some friends (and currently still doing so) that I have met off the Tweet grid or am planning to. I also like to tweet live via my crackberry at an event or tweetup, by contributing to the conversation.

Think I'm interesting? Want to connect? Talk tech, start-ups or share a laugh? I would love to!

So there you have it. My own personal, Twitter usage disclaimer. It works for me and is unique to who I am. How do you use Twitter? Is it for personal use or your company? Do you @reply often? What benefits have you experienced from Twitter?

Photo Credit: carrotcreative