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Top 7 Twitter Etiquette Rules (Please RT!)
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 18, 2012
Modified May 18, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 18, 2012
Modified May 18, 2012
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We're going to wrap up National Etiquette Week with some rules on how to compose yourself on Twitter. Listen, it's your Twitter feed, and you can do with it what you want, and we don't like it when people tell us how to act either, but we're gonna put this out there. All we ask is that you RT it, and Tweet it at some celebrities, and then #FF us.
Keep in mind, they're just some suggestions that you can take or leave but we stand by them and will unfollow you if you break any of these rules. Yes, even you grandma Ann.
1. Do not ReTweet your own Follow Fridays. Like, if someone #FFs you, that's great for you, all of your hard work curating your Twitter feed has finally paid off. Validation! But no one cares that someone included you in their #FF. Yes, even if that someone is famous-ish.
2. Do not ReTweet other people's Tweets where they are complimenting you. You are better than that.
3. There is almost never a good reason to @ celebrities. So, just don't. And if you "must," don't make a habit of it. It's creepy.
4. Do not Tweet every single Foursquare check-in (particularly when you check in to the gym or yoga studio, those make us feel bad). And don't use that weird program that Tweets your weight out to all of your followers each week (but congrats on losing 5 lbs, must have been all those gym check-ins we read about).
5. Are you making plans with a friend on Twitter? Then we're guessing you have their email address or phone number, both are much more appropriate channels through which to make plans. (But definitely get that fried clam special at that restaurant tonight—SO GOOD, see the 18 Instagram photos we Tweeted of it.)
6. Do not ask people to "Please RT." If people want to RT something they will. People have free will, we don't care what Spinoza essays you read in college.
7. Do you have Summer Fridays? We don't want to hear about it. Discretion is the better part of entitlement. And while we're at it: if you're on vacation, that's terrific! But we're capping your enviable vacation Tweets at a generous 3 per day. One of them should feature you wearing an embarrassing hat with a bad sunburn.
Tagged
etiquette
national etiquette week
please RT
twitter etiquette
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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