1. No Photo
Ugh. Come on are you serious? No picture. It doesn’t get anymore 101. Unless your name is John or Jan Doe you need to have a photo. Please, no more Mr. EggHead. Think photo before logo, but please get something in there today.
2. No Profile
This just in, Twitter is a social network. Having a profile and letting the rest of the world know a little bit about you is a social action. Don’t look like a bot, if you’re not a bot.
3. #Too #Many #Hashtags
Use 3 hashtags at the absolute most, but preferably 1 or 2 for any given tweet. Please pick your spots. Do not have #hashtags in every tweet. Tone it down. Refrain from placing all your #hashtags at the end of the tweet. #ThankYou.
4. It’s all About Me
Promotion is OK and suggested, but use your head. Our friend 80/20 comes into play for this one. So 2 out of every 10 tweets can be about your site/blog, promo, etc. While that is perfectly acceptable, personally I think it should be closer to 10%. Any more than 20% is annoying. Don’t make your Twitter account a walking billboard!
5. Direct Messages aka DM’s
It’s notorious for being spam central. You don’t need any more spam in your life. If someone has a question or legitimate request, shame on them for sending you a Twitter DM. Yes, it’s a known black hole for most.
6. Begging
Please follow me. Please RT this for me. Please mention. Vote for Me. Any and all blind requests are just in poor taste. Did I mention, Vote for Me? You can vote for me daily over the next 165 days.
7. Thanks for the Follow and Do This
We’ve all seen this one. “Thanks for the Follow, Follow me on Facebook to” with a link attached which equates to more begging for Facebook likes. Don’t get greedy, be thankful for the Twitter follow and don’t push it…
8. Tweeting every 47 seconds
You know who you are. If you’re in a conversation, rapid tweets are acceptable. Don’t be tweeting non-conversational tweets once a minute. A good rule of thumb on the active end is every 15-20 minutes. More than that is a little much.
9. Inactivity
This one is rampant. While Twitter is enjoyable and valuable, there is a ton of attrition. Do everything in your power to be active and consistent. Show up daily. Your experience will be pleasurable and rewarding if you can be active every day.
10. “My Followers” and “Audience”
Don’t talk about your followers and audience as if you’re on the mountaintop. Some of you think your followers only follow you on Twitter. Get a grip, come back down earth. If we really dissected your account we’d likely find 40-60% of your “followers” have been inactive for more than 30 days, and only about 1-5% are on at any given time. You’re not the leader of a cult, give it a rest.
So what are your Twitter Pet Peeves? Let us know down below.