The Listenary

Here's my checklist of good tweeting:

Make your tweets short, all of them. When I'm looking for something to RT I don't choose long ones because I want to add a bit plus my name, and I don't want to take time to try to abbreviate the material, not much at least.

Make your tweets complete. A response to someone else's tweet, if not actually copying and pasting the original tweet, should tell what the response is about. You're talking to the whole world, not just that person, so include context. Make it a stand-alone gem. (BTW, I think the next Shakespeare will write each classic in 140 characters!!! Smile.)

Make your tweets positive. The world is hurting for positive. The world responds to positive. It's not insincere or impractical to put an upbeat notice on your profile. True, you don't know the person you're affirming and you might affirm a evil person somewhere along the way. I guess that's the risk I'm wiling to take in order to inject some hope into the world. Respond with a "you can do it" rather than an "ain't it awful" feel.

Tweet to the trends if possible. Seldom can I really use this, but it's cool when I can. I don't much like using hashtags (#) but I do like using the trending words. Hashtags is overused and abused, in my opinion, but I believe you're noticed more when you speak to the trending topics.

Always thank someone who RTs you, always. Thank or RT them from the "Replies" (@xxxx) page and you'll get the magic banner that "your status has been updated."

Whatever your tweet, start it with a space. That's right, press the space bar ahead of any typing, before pressing "Tweet." If you don't, someone will RT you and forget to put that space there, and you will never know they did it. Neither will the analyzing/crediting sources, so no one will ever know you got RTd. Your replies page picks up only those that give your name correctly (space)@xxxxxx(space). You can help ensure that it will be done correctly.

Tweet often. Tweet something at least every four hours to build presence and followers. Tweet every seven minutes for a marketing blitz. Somewhere I read that the life of a tweet is seven minutes, so more often than that is not really necessary.

Vary the nature of your tweets. Let there be something remaining on your profile page to interest each of a wide variety of retweeters.