Seven Habits of Highly Effective Twitter Users
Whether you use Twitter for business or pleasure, the way you interact with the community will have a lot to do with the quality of your experience.
Incorporate these seven traits, or habits, into your twittering and you’ll be sure to be a more popular Twitterer. For an all around better time Tweeting, be quick to follow users exhibiting these traits!
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Twitter Users
1. They Listen First
Good Twitter users will listen to what others are saying, and then join the conversation. Why is listening first so important? You will not add nearly as much value to your followers, or the conversations without it. If you’re not listening, you’re butting in.
2. They Give More than They Expect to Get
The best Tweeters out there give far more than they get. They are constantly passing on interesting items, telling a witty story or using the medium in new and interesting ways. They tweet to give value, not just get value.
3. They Promote Others
Look around at some of the most followed and well respected Twitter users out there – they are promoting others far more than they promote themselves. This builds community and trust, and allows them to promote themselves once in a while and actually have someone listen.
4. They “Mix it Up”
Variety is the spice of life, and it’s no different in Twitter-World. Sharing stories, passing along links, videos, and pictures is a great way to keep it fresh for those who follow you.
5. They Are Interactive
Twitter is a conversation, and most conversations tend to flow better when it’s a two way street. Great Tweeters ask questions, “poll” their audience, take suggestions, and create conversation.
6. They are “Goldilocks” Tweeters
Much like the fairy tail of Goldilocks, effective Twitter users know that there is a “just right” amount of Tweets. They aren’t bombarding their following, yet they have a presence.
7. They Never “Flame" Other Users
In the land of “follow-unfollow” effective Twitter users never get into verbal altercations with someone they are following. If someone is doing or saying something they don’t agree with, they just hit that “unfollow” button and move on.
Try incorporating these 7 habits of highly effective Twitter users and see if it changes your experience for the better. Also, be sure to seek out those demonstrating these habits as people to follow, they will enrich your Twitter experience as well.
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Matt,
This is the template for success on Twitter. I’ve had folks ask me how to be successful using Twitter and I usually include most of these tips. It’s not hard to be a success, just be yourself and remember that it is a *social* thing. Treat it like a party with (insert follower # here) closest friends.
Cheers
George
@Tumblemoose
It’s amazing how many people forget the *social* part of social media!
Matt
I agree with 4. They “Mix it Up”.
I just started using Twitter few months ago. I realize that passing along stories and links really fast with the use of Twitter. I get a lot of my blog posts idea from Twitter too.
@Dicky
That’s a good point, you can really generate ideas using Twitter. Part of the interactivity I was talking about, you can get some really good feedback or ideas from your followers.
Thanks for coming by,
Matt
These are fantabulous tips, Matt! I think of Twitter as a place to share great information, interact with awesome people, and learn lots as well. I am having a great Twitter experience by just being myself (like George said) and pretty much following your tips.
Great post!
Very good advice.
Mix it Up – is my favorite right before snapping pics of the city.
Once I was asked why I don’t have separate accounts for business and casual/personal life. I say, – because Im in the people business, and frankly I don’t see that being in any spectrum the point of twitter creators, to make it disconnected.
I think this is as authentic as humanity ever got so far, over any means of communication.
This article would be a classic to look back on a decade from now. I mean think Back to 1999 and how you used the internet back then? Now fast forward to 2019… how will Twitter be used then?
I’m always fascinated about how much irony their is in the simplicity of Twitter etiquette tips because twitter hasn’t even developed yet.
I mean most of the people reading this have hundreds if not thousands of follows, and how available is the efficient use of that data to your typical twitter user?
Currently anyone who has thousands of follows hasn’t a clue as to what 90% of their follows are even saying!
10 years from now semantics / intuitive search will be able to keep the most vital tweets to our workflow ever present in a way that accelerates our efficiency, especially when it comes to real people collaborating / doing business with each other!
10 years from now whatever relevant experience your friends have of a specific geographic location will pop up in a bubble on your phone as you walk into that area. And as search / intuition evolves, that information will create profound meaning and connectedness to our ability to empathize care about and help our fellow beings.
10 Years from now tweets won’t be a static flow of unique people’s info on a fixed screen, from a specific website called twitter.com. Instead tweets will be integrated into both the internet of things as well as the wearable internet. With this, a whole new culture and economy of data packs / tweets of info will begin to fill up our surroundings, yet not in material form, but as data stored and distributed by and and rewritten by lightwaves, radiowaves, soundwaves, etc.
10 years from now this flood of data will finally be so well organized that if we want to solve a problem and we need help, the foremost experts of that particular problem will be able to immediately collaborate with us as if we were in the same room / face to face.
Be well, Deane
…GRT! simple I think…
will tweet this! there maybe,
one or two following me
that may want to read this…
remembering, most of the twitter
profiles are real people.
keeping it real!!
…peace-
Excellent article! Thanks!
Matt, this is a great post … with great tips, for old and new tweeters alike
I joined twitter in March and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute. It has been amazing meeting new online friends, getting to know them, and interacting on a daily basis with so many wonderful people. Thank you for sharing with us!
(¸´ (¸.?´~Mysticle~•.¸¸.? (,.??’(,.?’)`?
@Michele
I have a feeling you live these tips in everything you do, and you’re one of the best “Tweeters” in my book! =)
Matt
@Luke
I love your Tweets, you give us a look at your daily life, your work, and things you find interesting…I’d say you got the seven habits down pat.
Matt
Ooops …. my cute swirlies convert to ? marks on here
Still, a really awesome post! Thanks Matt.
@Deane
I would love to see your vision come true. The speed and fluidity of information being shared is certainly exciting, and I think that is what has captivated people with Twitter. It’s instant, and broad, but lacks compartmentalizing that you are eluding too.
As for the relevance of this post in 10 years – A lot is going to change, but the *social* piece of social media will still be important, even if it looks more like you describe. This certainly isn’t a timeless piece of advice, as I’m sure in 10 years it will look like a VCR manual does to use today. But it’s a good set of operating rules for the here and now, and hopefully we will be able to adapt and change the 7 Habits to fit the world we’ll be living in 10, 20, 30…years down the road.
I appreciate you coming by and sharing a very well thought out comment with our readers.
Matt
@Rickbischoff
If it’s not simple I have a hard time understanding it! Thanks for passing it on to your Tweeple.
Matt
@Stephen
No problem, glad you enjoyed it.
Matt
@Mysticle
I wasn’t sure it was possible at first, but I’ve made not only a lot of business contacts on Twitter, but people I now consider friends as well…I’ve really met some great people too.
Glad you enjoyed the article, stop by and see us again! See you in the Twitterverse.
Matt
PS: So far, best comment signature I’ve seen around here! You’ve raised the bar for us all. =)
Smallbizbee,
These are all some great points. I’d say number 3 is my favorite — promoting others is very important. I see too many people on Twitter simply promoting themselves, and to their followers, this is not a good luck.
I think Twitter is great! I see it as an interactive and social forum. I often follow the links people Tweet about. Many of the links are very informative. What I do not like is the advertisers who hit you over the head with their product / service. I don’t mind advertisers on Twitter, I often promote a couple of the networks that I co-own, but I do try to provide something of value and not just a ‘buy my product’ mentality. I am not a car salesman, though I obviously have something to ‘sell.’ To maintain the social aspect, the blatant advertising with no informative value should definitely be minimized; this is why I appreciate the advice you give in this post.
@The Gooroo
Yep, self promotion gets old, turns people off, and eventually they stop listening if that’s all you’re doing.
Matt
@Rich
I agree, most people don’t mind buying but they don’t like to be “sold” too…there is a big difference between hitting them over the head, and selectively sending them offers.
Matt
I am still a newbie when it comes to twitter. so i guess this post will help me to use twitter effectively.
It may just be semantics, but in order to encourage more of a conversation with my business, I made our new Twitter icon with the phrase “tweet with us” versus “follow us” Of course, I only launched the account a day ago, so we’ll see how it goes.
Ken
Good tips. I will use these tips. I newbie in twittering. Thanks for information.
I made our new Twitter icon with the phrase “tweet with us” versus “follow us” Of course!!
Very interesting and informative post
. I would add that business owners should leverage free Twitter tools for optimal results. For example, formulists allows you to create a list about people who retweeted your tweets recently. These people definitely need more attention and appreciation from you.
Also, your tweets could include interesting questions. For example, you would say:”What are your absolute favorite 3 blogs that you can’t spend a week without reading?” or “Who is your top Twitterer that constantly shares killer tweets?”
In fact, we, at garious.com, took our Twitter interaction to the next level when we conducted a live interview on Twitter for more buzz and used #LiveInterview hashtag so that our followers could easily follow up. Then, we republished the interview in our blog.
Isn’t Twitter so awesome? I used to love him but now I adore him
.
I tend to look for the best in people-which makes them want to give their best. I also believe there are many millions in the Twitterverse (which is a subset of Life), who must learn to accept what the responsibility of living in this world means. I believe it means we all have to do our part and we are all leaders. If you’re not willing to put yourself “out there’ then why should you deserve the rights and fruits of someone elses’ hard earned labors?.Let the other person be killed, then I can erect a statue in their honor and name a school after them? Sometimes the hardest thing you have to do in life is let your kids take their first steps and fall. That’s the only way they’re going to learn their responsibilities to themselves and this planet.
My favorite tweets link to blogs that have steps to…..do something. I love that tweets are short and you can go and find more info elsewhere