Social Media: Are You Doing It Right? (a series) Part 2: Twitter is for The Birds

Are you a Facebooker or a Tweeter?

This cerebral, exigent question divides people as much as political party lines, at least in my inner circle. I’ve been on Twitter on and off for a few years, and though I am no expert, I’ve seen and heard a few things. I’d like to take the opportunity to discuss the many features of this social media tool, as I again say (with love): many of you are doing it wrong.

The good news is that your Twitterverse can be as big or small as you make it. Twitter is an experience in which you can completely personalize, from who you follow to whom you let follow you, to how active you’d like to be in sharing your thoughts. I enjoy the customization of my twitter feed, as it is filled with things only I would care about. Every day, I view a confusing (albeit AMAZING) mix of news, medical/science information, Michigan Sports commentary, and (obviously) celebrity gossip. News moves fast on Twitter, and in many cases, stories break that aren’t on TV or other media outlets first. This alone has made Twitter worth it to me.

What Else Should We Know About Twitter?!

Lots.

Sharing What Shouldn’t be Shared on Facebook/Running Life Commentary

I think Twitter is a great environment for sharing what isn’t necessarily okay to share on Facebook. This includes drinking pics, selfies, wry observations, and complaints. I share things on Twitter that I absolutely would never talk about with hundreds of “friends” on Facebook. Twitter is a #SafeSpace to let your personality hang out. I’m an oversharer/emoter by nature; I enjoy emoting (“I’m a pusher, Cady. I push people.”) Twitter was literally made for people like me. It’s totally okay to be more real on Twitter, as you are a) probably either closer to the people you follow/are followed by or b) followed by strangers that you really could care less if they see  your “Good Hair Day” selfie or know about you drinking all weekend. Strangers be damned---your real friends know what’s up. (Pro tip: do NOT feel pressured into following people that follow you. That’s on them.) I also think Twitter is an easy way to get things off our chest or have confessionals (#FullDisclosure, #AskingForAFriend) which is just plain good for the soul. Sharing your awesome (or latest) taste in music in youtube video form, voicing concerns over current affairs (on Twitter, it is TOTALLY okay to let the personal be political), or poetry/music quotes are tolerable. Note: only post the previously mentioned if you really enjoy whatever it is you are about to post...do not post say, song lyrics as a cryptic, thinly veiled message to a potential/ex mate. I'm here to save you from yourself. Chances are he/she is scrolling RIGHT past you and is busy online dating; they did not see the hidden meaning laced in your tweet (see: Taylor Swift #ForeverAlone.) There's a higher power that will judge you for your indecency, and it is absolutely Tom Cruise. Again, just exercise good judgment, or don’t if you really don’t care. I provide a running life commentary because this is America, and I’ll do what I want. I invite everyone to UNFOLLOW ME IF I’M BEING TOO REAL FOR YOU, aka I tweet too much (guess how many F’s I could give if you unfollow me? That’s right, zero.)

 ***Warning!*** There is a fine line between being an oversharer and tweeting every 1-5 minutes (even for me, that's excessive.) There is no coherent thought process that is involved with that frequent of tweeting. You are probably looking for a personal journal...this is not how Twitter should be used. 

Conciseness of 140 characters

Say what you mean to say, and grab people’s attention. The best thing Twitter ever did was have a character limit. We don’t need your life story, but if you can fit it in 140 characters, you know we’ll read it. We all have shorter attention spans, so this method works well. Try to be not boring if at all possible (for some of you, this not possible. SAD FACE.)

Organization

Using Tweetdeck is a good way to categorize your newsfeed and weed out important/not important tweets. You can have separate feeds for say, just your good friends, or sports/athletes you follow, or even your favorite news outlets.  I have to admit that I sometimes prefer the simplicity of standard Twitter and the streamlined look of one feed. Using your smart phone to tweet on the go is also fun, and user-friendly. It’s up to you.

Re-tweeting

Retweeting someone else’s tweet is a great way to say “I like what was done here enough to share your brilliance with others.” It’s mostly a good idea to re-tweet funny/cute things or things that you think your friends might enjoy knowing more about. Re-tweeting your alma mater is also appropriate, because only monsters don't have school spirit. I would refrain from re-tweeting inside jokes, as the rest of your friends won’t get it, and will write you off fairly quickly. I try to keep it simple with my re-tweeting, as I’m confident most people don’t care about what I care about. I re-tweet medical and science news because most of my friends are in the science realm for their work, and it also greatly interests me. Chances are, I’m totally wrong and nobody gives a shit. If you care enough, I would suggest  the  age-old writing tip of “knowing your audience.” I guess I personally don’t care enough.

Favoriting

Favoriting a tweet can be two-fold: a person can either really enjoy what you are saying, or are just acknowledging that something was said. I mostly favorite things I want to go back and read again, or I genuinely had a reaction to. Feel free to favorite away to your heart’s content.

Live-tweeting

Live-tweeting is something I approve of, but buyer beware: this could annoy others. You should do a cost/benefit analysis to see if annoying others is something you actually care about. (Thankfully, I don’t.) I enjoy live-tweeting quite a bit! This may be socially isolating, but live-tweeting is done to mostly satisfy yourself and create a sense of community/interaction with others that could be watching/doing/wanting to be a voyeur to what you are undertaking. Things that you can live-tweet:

a)    TV Shows: This is mostly the type of live-tweeting I partake in. I have been known to post live commentary on the teen classic “Glee” from time to time, and right now I can’t stop myself from tweeting my true feelings about the extremely relevant show “Catfish.” I also do award shows.

b)   Sports: I don’t really do this, but many do. This is permissible because it follows the same idea as live-tweeting a show. WE CAN ALL SHARE THIS EXPERIENCE (and engage in shit talking.) I participate in sports tweeting when I am celebrating something one of “my” teams has done, to mock something I don’t really understand, or to open a discussion about a male player’s athletic prowess. Never their looks.

c)    Experiences: One can live-tweet something like traveling somewhere cool, waiting it out during something boring, or various other unusual occurrences. Once I live-tweeted waiting in line for a musician of questionable fame’s concert to entertain friends. We’re in this together.

Community Experience

The great news is that even if your friends don’t care about your tweets, someone on Twitter WILL. I have asked random tech questions, and had complete strangers that I’m not following answer them for me. I also am very flattered when someone I don’t know “favorites” one of my live-tweets. Twitter is very interactive, so make of it what you will.

PSAs (Public Service Announcements)

I think tweeting a PSA is very thoughtful and helpful to your followers. This can range from a head’s up about a great movie that’s on TV, a sports game that has gotten out of hand, weather conditions, or general life advice. I would, for example, tweet something like “PSA: Turn Read Receipts off on your iPhone” or “PSA: Subway is now offering avocado for your subs.” We could never fault you for your kindness.

Conversations with Friends: When is it Okay?

If you’re anything like me, you probably have a handful of friends that you mostly communicate with on Twitter. These are good pals or people that have similar interests as you. Conversing with Twitter friends is always a great thing when gchat/texting isn’t an option (i.e. you are all on different time schedules, working, studying, traveling, etc.) This is a fun way to break up the monotony of the day, and a convenient mode to leave messages/thoughts/links/ideas for friends that they can read at their own leisure. Many times, these are fleeting thoughts that aren’t necessarily important enough for a whole email, so a tweet is the way to go (current debate with my friends: the kings and queens of pop music, and the vilification of Miley Cyrus.) But should you carry on a mindless conversation for more than 5-8 exchanges? Probably not. This runs the risk of annoying all the friends you both have in common, as it will show up in their feed. If you have a lot to say, a better medium such as a phone or email is a safer route.

Cross-contamination of Other Social Media Tools

Should you link your Twitter to your Facebook, Instagram, and so on? General consensus (me) says no. Each medium has its pros and cons, and is best left to exist on their own in their own social media universe. This isn’t to say you can’t occasionally post a picture from your Instagram or Vine on twitter, but don’t make a habit out of it. Double (and triple) posting is a social media faux pas. Probably the worst thing ever is linking your twitter to your Facebook account. You will make many [internet] enemies and be hidden ASAP.

Tweeting Celebrities/Organizations

Twitter is one of the rare forums that makes it possible to interact with celebrities. It can be somewhat interesting to view real-time, unmoderated commentary from our favorite “famous people.” This is neat because we get to see that CELEBRITIES ARE JUST LIKE US, GUYS. The best is when one gets drunk and/or goes on a non-PC tirade (see: Alec Baldwin). Try not to tweet celebrities too often, as you will look crazy if you make this a habit. It is never admissible to ask a famous person to “follow you” because you should have understood by this age that famous people hate non-famous people. They absolutely do not care about what you have to say. I have made a few concessions for myself regarding tweeting celebrities (obvi) to tweet Mindy Kaling (I asked her to donate to The American Cancer Society!), Judd Apatow (he’s hilarious?!), and Jay Z (his tweeting burst was INSPIRED, and I couldn’t help myself from asking a Miley related question.) I am also okay with tweeting NPR and other interactive news outlets (they encourage input) and schools you are affiliated with (I have tried to win football tickets in this manner, which was humiliating, but still allowed.)

Amanda Bynes: a Cautionary Tale

 Amanda Bynes is not in the celebrity discussion because she deserves her own category. I've held a soft spot for Amanda Bynes ever since viewing the canonical film "She's The Man" and I have a honest interest in her well-being. I believe we are all witnessing either a sociopath of genius proportions who is laughing at all of us, or a true mental breakdown. Maybe the two are related, but I haven’t gone to school to diagnose psychological issues. Amanda Bynes has lashed out at other celebs, such as Perez Hilton and Drake (“He’s Ugly”/”He’s Not Ugly…I want him to murder my vagina”/”He’s Ugly Again”) and has taken to posting disturbing selfies involving askew wigs and terrifying winks. She is a lesson in how to NOT use twitter…don’t cry wolf too many times, or people will stop caring. Stay relevant, guys! (Dear God, please watch over Amanda Bynes. Thank you.)

Hashtags

Hashtags are invading our regular conversations, FACEBOOK (gasp), TV shows, commercials, and even music videos (cough…Robin #Thicke.) I can’t tell you how many times I’ll respond to someone in real life by saying “hashtag awkward” or something, which is, ironically, very awkward. I also really hate when TV shows put up hashtags that they expect you to use, like something really long/ridiculous such as #WhoIsTheKillerAndHowDoYouKnow. All of this overexposure might contribute to the demise of Twitter. You heard it here first.

I hope I’ve helped, Tweeters! Will you live-tweet tonight? 

-UP