So you’ve jumped on the Twitter band wagon and you’ve heard you can make money via Twitter and you want a gazillion followers. First stop right there, TwitterPants! This blog is about what NOT to do.

He who is without sin, let him cast the first tweet. Yes, I have been guilty of some of these things when I first started tweeting. What’s worst…I have witnessed some of the so-called social media gurus and big name bloggers  (especially tips #3 and #4) commit these offenses.  Perhaps they feel since they have numerous followers they can get away it.

If you are yearning to get reported for spam, unfollowed or blocked,  just take up the following Twitter practices.

10 Twitter Practices To Avoid:

1. Tweet @ replies to people who are not following you with your affiliate links. Instead just send a regular tweet and give people the option to click on your link if they want. Most won’t, especially other “serious” affiliate marketers. Sure clueless newbies will click your link and I assume that’s what you are wagering.
2. Tweet a direct message with an affiliate link or the latest product you are promoting. If someone is interested in more information on your product, they will ask you. Isn’t that what your Twitter URL is supposed to do…refer followers to your web site. (Which brings me to the next offense.)
3. Use a URL shortener for your Twitter bio URL. That just screams spam or affiliate link to God knows what! Most likely it’s always a link to a porn site to which you have to register to view pics or a new fangled program to gain a million Twitter followers overnight. Don’t be so shady.
4. Tweeting a link that takes the user to a bookmarking or social media site. Most annoying. Why take some one half way around the world to read the information? Tweet a link that takes the user directly to the link. If the user wants to vote your post up or down or bookmark it, they will more than likely do so from your web site or blog. Surely you have some of those neat little buttons on your site to let the reader bookmark or share via their favorite social media site. Using this technique might get your post voted down by someone who is ticked off at your twitter tactics.
5. Retweeting other people’s Follow Friday tweets. Follow Friday is about recommending people whom you think are follow worthy. If you are not following someone on Twitter, why the heck would you want to recommend them? No one will take you seriously. Research and get to know the people you are following and make your own recommendations.
6. Twitter Fights. Name calling and fighting on Twitter is  juvenile and makes you look very unprofessional. I have seen some ugly things go down on Twitter. Be the bigger guy/gal and hit that block link on your side panel and go on about your business. Trust me, it ain’t that serious and certainly not worth your time.
7. Get a Twitter profile pic. Again this just screams spam. Take the time to upload a picture. The picture doesn’t necessarily have to be of you…just pick a picture that reflects your personality or your business. You might want to refrain from posting a pic of boobs unless you are a porn star and they are your boobs.
8. Write a Twitter Bio. Take the time to write a Twitter bio and it might gain you a few followers. Tell  users about yourself with your bio. Bios can be witty and funny or as serious as you want them to be. If people don’t know who you are, why would they want to follow you?
9. It’s not all about You. I hate to burst your bubble, but it’s not all about you! Add value to your tweets. Tweet and retweet other links besides your own. Get to know people by interacting with them…after all this is social media and it’s all about being social.
10. Just say “No” to cutesy Twitter apps and games. This is Twitter. This is not Facebook or MySpace. Invites to join Mafia Wars or Farmville, play games, or cutesy hearts are just down right annoying. If you do not personally know (in the “real” world) the person, think twice about sending these annoying little tweets or direct messages. They will get you blocked faster than you can say “Tweet, Tweet.”

For additional information on the correct way to use Twitter, you might want to download or read online Mashable’s Free Twitter Guide Book.

BTW the adorable little Twitter Queen graphic on this blog post was downloaded from the Little Box of Ideas and was designed by Sneh Roy.

These are some of the major annoying practices on Twitter. Feel free to add your own comments.

Related posts:

1. My Twitter Philosophy, Do You Have One?
2. Domain Name Purchase Offer…Scam or Spam?
3. Comment Policy

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I’ve been using Twitter for a couple of months  and in fact I  have a couple of Twitter accounts for other web sites. At first I wasn’t too sure about Twitter…what was all the hype about? Twitter what? Now I love it!

Finally I decided I just needed to develop some sort of  Twitter policy or philosophy and take some actions on my accounts.

First off, I think I did what most people do (affiliate marketers) – followed all the “big name” SEO, SEM, internet marketing, affiliate marketing and social media gurus. I’m not trying put down ALL the “big name” gurus but, I began to notice a pattern. (There are some exceptions.)

1. They weren’t following me
2. They tweeted amongst themselves mainly with occasional tweets to others
3. The quality of their tweets weren’t that great
4. Some of them just aren’t very “nice” (so much for personal branding that they are always  touting)

The next thing I did was unfollow the “gurus” and took a long serious look at why I was on Twitter.

Why I Am On Twitter

1. To network
2. Socialize (yes, this is social media)
3. Learn something
4. Self Promotion
5. Amusement/Boredom

First I was blindly following EVERYONE, then I stopped.

After careful thought, I came up with the following personal Twitter policy:

How To Get Me To Follow You

1. Follow me
2. Be nice, funny or informative (or all three)
3. Be patient while I check you out and decide if I want to follow you

How To Get Me To Unfollow You or Not Follow You

1. Be argumentative
2. Belittle people
3. Rudeness
4. Send me spammy DMs
5. Excessive tweets trying to sell something
6. Follow me (to increase your numbers), then unfollow me
7. Excessive vulgar language (My ex-husband was a biker/musician and trust me I can “hang” with the boys. Some of the language is enough to make a biker blush..insert disclaimer here —> Not all bikers curse.)
8. You post in a foreign language

How To Get Me To Block You

1. Be Rude and Crude
2. Follow and Unfollow, Follow an then Unfollow again (If you can’t make up your mind, I’ll do it for you.)
3. If you follow just so you can shoot off a couple of spammy DMs my way in an effort to sell your latest product and then unfollow me (this is an absolute sure fire way to get blocked)
4. Personally attack me online (I’ll block you, it’s not worth my time to deal with you ’cause I’m busy.)

My Views On Other Twitter Practices

Answering @replies

1. I do try to answer @replies in a timely manner but there are times when I am away from my computer for extended periods. I most always try to reply back…if I have something to say.
2. If I miss you please don’t be offended. There are times when I have a lot going on.
3. I think it’s just good manners to acknowledge someone when they have taken the time to speak to you (I grew up in the South and my granny made it very clear, “Hon,when someone says something to you, you are supposed to say something back. Don’t be rude now.”)

Handling DMs and Auto DMs

1. Well I don’t normally answer DMs since most are “Thanks for following me, download my free report on how to make $1,000 a day on Twitter” plus a link to their site.
2. Once in awhile I do get a good DM and I respond.
3. At first I did try auto DMs, your typical…”thank you for following me blah blah blah.” This is another practice I have discontinued. They clutter up your inbox. I don’t want my inbox cluttered, why should I clutter someone elses

Retweeting

Some things I have observed about those who are retweeting.

1. The same people get retweeted over and over (referring to gurus again)
2. Most gurus retweet other gurus tweets primarily (Insert Disclaimer Here —> There are some super helpful and friendly gurus who retweet others

Why  would I  retweet your message?

1. If I thought it was amusing, funny or informative
2. If you are following me (Why would I want to retweet some gurus tweet who has 10,000 followers and is only following 125 people and I ain’t one of them. What’s he/she gonna do for me? Retweet my next message? I sincerely doubt it.)
3. I would prefer to retweet a tweet of the lesser known person, who happens to be following me and who quite often has something to say that just as important as the above gurus.

Following & Unfollowing Issues

You know life changes and your interests change and that leaves you perfectly free to follow and unfollow anyone you choose to reflect those changes. Of course I am free to do the same.

Do I get upset when someone has unfollowed me? NO. This is not grade school. It happens, get over it, and move on.

Though I am an affiliate marketer and webmaster I do follow people that have no interest in what I do but they are following me. I’m an equal opportunity Twitterer and I embrace people from all walks of life and all ethnicities. Some of the people I’ve followed, I have done so simply because their tweets brighten my day

What Am I Tweeting About

1. I’m still playing around and trying to find a healthy balance of personal and business related tweets
2. You will probably never see me tweet about politics or religion (I think of  Twitter as a great big bar room, plus as a retired bartender, I’ve seen more fights break out over politics, religion or a pool game. Thanks goodness Twitter doesn’t have virtual pool.)
3. Some self promotion
4. Helpful information that I have found relating to computing, the internet, social media, affiliate marketing
5. Plus I don’t mind jumping in and answering a question or offering assistance to other Tweeples

I hope I haven’t missed anything. If so, leave me a comment about your Twitter Philosophy.

You can follow me on Twitter @reneethronson.

Related posts:

1. How Not To Win Friends and Influence Followers on Twitter
2. New 2009 Free Copy of Social Media Daily
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