Twitter etiquette is proving rather difficult to master, especially for corporate Tweeters trying to up their sales.
By now, most of us are familiar with some of the bigger faux pas. Habitat making a hash of their hash tags – marking promotional Tweets with traffic boosters like #Iranelection and #iPhone – is a pertinent example.
Another trend that’s emerging, however, is people venting their rage on Twitter. While bemoaning customer service can achieve great results, threatening and downright abusive Tweets could end in PR disaster.
Recently, an entrepreneur and writer enraged the blogosphere – first by sending out unsolicited and provocative Tweets, and then responding angrily to those who rejected them.
Similarly, novelist Alice Hoffman has come to regret her Twitter tirade. After calling a reviewer (who gave her latest novel a luke-warm reception) a “moron”, she has been pilloried and forced to delete her account.
In Hoffman’s defence, she may have been consumed by her literary labour of love. But it's crucial to remember the following:
- Twitter is a public forum. Are you happy for everyone to be able to see your rant?
- Expressing anger requires eloquence. Can you articulate your argument in 140 characters?
- Social networks are for building relationships – not for knocking them down.
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