Twitter took off as gang members in 2008. At the end of 2008, the numbers told us that 70% of all Twitter users had joined in 2008. Some people prefer to have a few close friends to follow them. Those people can do whatever they want. But if you’re interested in building a brand and using Twitter to promote it, here are some observations and best practices. Just keep in mind that old saying from elementary school: “What if everyone did that?”

Rules for tweeting:

  • Don’t Tweet more than 4-5 times a day.
  • Tweet cool stuff.
  • Share images and links with services like twitpic
  • Don’t talk about what you’re eating unless you want to share the recipe.
  • Don’t put private communications on the public twitterstream
  • DO NOT publicly welcome all of your new followers. Imagine reading pages of it.
  • It’s okay to tweet your blog posts, but turn people off if that’s all you do.
  • Don’t join a “monetize your tweets” service like Magpie, as it will cause people to abandon you.
  • Don’t brag about the number of followers you have. Everyone can already see that.
  • Don’t ask for more followers. Bored!
  • Retweet other people frequently when they have Tweeted something good.
  • Respond to people in public if you think others would be interested.
  • Don’t tweet things like “Gaaaaaaah”. We need context.
  • Tweet at least every other day.
  • Be happy and positive.
  • Be human.

How to treat people who follow you

  • Don’t send a self-address message thanking each new follower and sending them your pitch. Direct messages are individual and personal.
  • Thank new followers by following them if you haven’t already.
  • Do not send direct messages to followers you are not following because they cannot reply to you directly.
  • Recheck the profiles of the people you are not following from time to time. Some idiots just need a little getting used to.

How to treat the people you follow

  • Don’t follow people just to get them to follow you and then stop following them.
  • Don’t do massive follow-ups, or you’ll be considered a spammer even if you never tweet.
  • Follow the followers of the people you really like.
  • Don’t just follow “rock stars.” Follow some interesting newbies. They will love you for it.
  • Use a third-party Twitter client, such as the tweet deck, to manage the tweets you follow in groups.
  • Don’t just read their direct messages and responses. Take a dip in the creek every now and then.
  • Give them a little time to follow you.
  • Try to follow as many people as they follow you.