Steve Urkel may have gotten into trouble with the Winslows on the television show Family Matters, but you don't have to do the same with your Twitter followers.
Tech N Marketing has a brilliant list of 11 not-to-dos when using Twitter.
Some highlights:
- Do not ONLY promote your blog/business in your tweets
Do not consistently make spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes in your tweets (Pierre's note: always a good rule)
Do not Auto DM someone who choose to follow you (Pierre's note: I will admit I am not 100% sure why this particular action gets a negative mention among Twitter folks, since this is a simple acknowledgment of being connected. However, I am sure this is a result of the desire to socialize, instead of being an autospammer),
Do not Tweet exclusively in another language (Pierre's note: IMHO, I do not agree with this - if the message is to an audience with a shared language, then go for it!)
It is an interesting list, particularly considering the open end nature of Twitter usages. But like many new social medium, time and usage dictates the manners and etiquette.
Buit if you still find that you offend folks, just give a loud cackle followed by a nasal snort, then everyone will know that you simply Urkel-led on Twitter (ok you may have to video the cackle, then twitpic to show it, but you get the idea!).
You can check out the unsocial Twitter ills (UTIs? Unsocial Twitter Ills?) avoidance list here.
