I follow Wendy Piersall on Twitter. I also read her blog posts and some of her side kick’s blogs on Spark Plugging. This week Wendy wrote a post listing the twitter trends that most annoyed her and I was so in agreement with some of her comments I asked if I could share some excerpts from her post with you.

She mentions, “Really - some people just don’t get it.” Although I may be using her comment out of the context she refers to ( you will have to ask her). I agree that many Tweeters don’t get it.

If you choose to follow someone on twitter you will receive tweets of interest to that person. You can not and should not expect to control what or when someone tweets. You can however easily choose to not receive their tweets by simply unfollowing. This leads me to another of Wendy’s annoying trends;

“People who Get Pissy When You do ANY Self-Promotion at All”

For some people Twitter really is just a tool to keep in touch with family and friends. They want to keep up to date with their friends and learn about their day. Other’s are looking for industry specific knowledge. A good example of this is that I choose to follow the Canadian Political leaders to stay up to date on their happenings, conversations, and views during the federal election. I also may choose to follow gurus in a specific field (such as Wendy) to learn about their industry. In the case of Wendy I am looking for her blog posts, ideas, and knowledge. Why not JUST follow her blog ? Twitter allows me to correspond real time in a quick and efficient manner.  Its a two way stream.

So if you just want to hear the endless ramblings of someone’s day “I am at the airport “  “I baked a casserole”  then you shouldn’t follow those who use Twitter as a networking and business tool.  If you use twitter as a networking tool and are actively seeking out well though posts offering you new knowledge. Then don’t follow people who simply want to mini blog their daily personal life.

If you use your twitter account for all of the above reasons then GREAT. That is the beauty of twitter. But DON”T COMPLAIN or accuse others of spamming you.  I have heard endless discussion about one person’s complaints of twitter spam. Personally there have been days when their endless posts of daily life ( I personally don’t need to know whet they ate for lunch) are what I might consider Spam. They feel the use of a service such as Ping FM (which I feel is a great administrative tool to help us stay organized) is spamming.

This is a difference of opinion. I am not right. They are not right. We use Twitter differently. I bet we even say the word About differently.  I use Twiiter differently then the leader of a political Party. I use Twiiter differently then my teenage babysitter. I also use twitter differently then my friend who is a stay at home homeschooling mom.

Spam is “unsolicited”. I seek out and follow other twitter users. The delivered messages or ‘tweets’ I send out regardless of how they reach those who follow me are not “unsolicited”.  My followers have elected to receive them when they hit the follow button. To Twitter and those who scream Twitter Spam, you have the power to UNFOLLOW. That is the beauty of twitter.

The rest of Wendy’s suggested annoying Twitter Treads hit home to me as I do see them on a daily basis. People asking me to follow them on Utterz. People tweeting the same messages on their Corporate twitter accounts and then again on their personal accounts.  I believe this is about Networking etiquette. Online networking or in the real world. The point of networking is not just sending out your “advertisement” it’s a relationship. You must give back as much as you promote.

Networking equals 50% (or more) helping those in your network as a gesture of good will and 50% (or less) promoting your business and services. That theory is based on my personal experience.

So how are you going to help those who follow you on twitter ? Take the time to reply to their tweets, visit suggested links when they may be of interest to you, retweet if you feel they may be of interest to your followers. Off ideas and suggestions, correspond with each other. Build relationships with your followers.

If you have any suggestions for fellow Tweeters please be sure to leave a comment. YOu can learn more about Wendy’s annoying tools visit Wendy’s Blog Spark Plug CEO.

Karrine