Last night on one of my Twitter accounts, I tweeted, “Twitter is an echo-chamber; media that hears for itself.”  There are two dominant characteristics of Twitter that can help you learn how to use it to your advantage.  One is the personal aspect.  People on Twitter want to know you as a person; not a company, a product, or brand.  The second characteristic is like-mindedness.  People on Twitter are looking for people with similar interests.  This means if you run a graphic design business, your Twitter account will most likely be following graphic designers.  If you are a visual artist, you will most likely be following visual artists.

Although Twitter is a personal and like-minded media, it is still media.

What does this mean?  It means that Twitter is a public source of information and entertainment for people.  The earlier you recognize this, the better.  You can increase your influence on Twitter by learning the rules of etiquette and “hearing” for yourself and your followers.  Find out what like-minded people are interested in.  Promote other people’s blogs and Twitter streams.  Network like crazy.  This is the wonderful world of Twitter.  Now for those suggestions from the pros:

PC World

Reconsider the running commentary.

Understand @ replies.

Go easy on the acronyms.

Think about the venue. It’s not okay to Twitter a funeral.

Learn the lingo.

It is acceptable to edit a re-tweet.

Mind the plugs.

Don’t forget: Unlike a Facebook update, a Twitter post can be read by anyone.

Original Article Here

Fast Company

Remember, Twitter is a conversation.

Ask questions; don’t just pontificate.

What part of 140 chars do you not understand?

Some things are better left unsaid. So avoid stream-of-consciousness-blogging via Twitter.

Transparency is vital — just as with any other social media.

Consider quality vs. quantity.

Many users provide links to interesting articles, information, etc.

Use proper grammar.

If people follow you, it’s polite to “follow” them back.

Original Article Here

The Morning News

Watch your ratio (followers to following).

Think twice before twittering in an altered state.

Consider pausing between tweets.

Keep small conversations private.

Accept that some people will use lots of @s.

Be vague when twittering private social events.

Remember everyone can hear you.

What’s rude in life is rude on Twitter.

Try to keep within the character limit.

DMs don’t necessarily require a response.

If you want to stop following someone, stop.

Plug blog posts, events, or products moderately.

Original Article Here

Mashable

Create a user-friendly Twitter ID.

Search for people to follow.

Learn the lingo.

Know who “@” replies to you.

Add your Twitter ID to all of your signatures.

Reach out and say something.

Read the bio of those who follow you.

Share your best information.

Find out who some of the big players are.

Original Article Here

Don’t solicit followers for yourself or your friends.

Don’t publicly thank each of your followers.

Don’t underestimate the power of tracking a trend.

Don’t use up your entire 140 characters with a lengthy URL.

Don’t worry about those who “unfollow” you.

Don’t be afraid to converse with multiple people simultaneously.

Send personal information over DM not @.

DM for longer conversations.

Use DM to correct someone, if at all.

Use DM to make a request from someone.

Original Article Here

You may see some overlap, but that is intended. I want people to see which aspects are emphasized among the experts.  I agree with each of these suggestions, and after reading some of them I even made a few changes.  For example, I added my Twitter URL to my email signature.

One issue I would like to mention is tweet volume. Many experts suggest you space out your tweets and that you don’t over-tweet.  I think every Twitter user has fallen into a pattern of over-tweeting from time to time, and it’s important to be aware of.

Twitter streams like the New York Times and Jet Blue are going to be posting a high volume of tweets.  Depending on your aspirations on Twitter, you may want to consider whether you see yourself as a casual tweeter or if tweeting is an integral part of your marketing strategy.  Personally, I send out a lot of interesting links on my account and I tweet up to 20 posts a day.  This may irritate some of my followers, but the great majority really enjoy the media I am providing.  Therefore, I suggest defining your role and maybe even polling your followers, asking them whether they are comfortable with your volume of tweets.

If you’re still getting your feet wet and want to learn more about Twitter for your business, check out this post, “Three Twitter Apps to Expand your Reach.”