Be Careful What You Tweet For

There’s no question that Twitter provides marketers and business owners with many great opportunities for reaching their target audiences. We’ve discussed such opportunities numerous times at WebProNews.

There are ways you should avoid using Twitter also, and that is the subject of this article. I’m going to list some ways not to use Twitter, and I’d like to encourage you to add to the list, just like you did with the "What is Twitter to You in One Word?" article.

So here are a few Twitter strategies to avoid:

- Don’t tweet like the stereotypical car salesman (no offense to car salesmen)

- Don’t tweet in ways that can have a negative effect on your character

- Don’t spam people

- Don’t harvest email addresses for spamming

- Don’t follow people then turn around and unfollow them

- Don’t tweet while intoxicated

There are plenty of other ways not to use Twitter, and there have been other articles in the past on this subject. Are a few that provide some more good examples:

- How not to use Twitter for Work
- Top 5 Ways NOT To Use Twitter
- How Not to be a Key Online Influencer
- How to lose your job in 140 characters or less
- How not to use Twitter
- How not to use Twitter (different)
- It Takes Seconds To Kill Your Brand Image In Social Media

When tweeting, you have to keep in mind that everyone is potentially watching. Your tweets can be easily searched, and you never know who will do so. Your employers may be watching. Your teachers may be watching. Your pastor may be watching. Your family may be watching. Whoever you don’t want keeping tabs on you may be watching. They might even find your tweets just from searching Google.

To quote the great Mike McDonald, "Don’t stick it out there if you’re afraid to get it cut off." This principle of course applies to the web in general as well as other social networks, but Twitter is rising in popularity at a rapid rate, and it is clear from the realization that people are throwing their email addresses around so carelessly that people do not always think before they tweet.

Can you think of other ways not to use Twitter? Please share in the comments below.