Don't Be A Twit When You Tweet

After reading about automated Tweets and Facebook status updates, and deciding that I'd like to have a few days off from maintaining my online presence, I looked up automation software. What I found first was Hootsuite, so I signed up and I haven't looked back.

It took me several days to learn how to use it, but once I figured out the basics, it was very easy. It makes scheduling tweets and status updates so very easy. This came in especially useful in the last few days before my coupon for Cass Gets Her Kicks expired. I scheduled promotional tweets to post every few hours and it worked beautifully.

Here are three of my tips for using Hootsuite, or any other automated posting software, effectively.

All promotion all the time is a good way to get yourself unliked and unfollowed.
Seriously, no one wants to see their news feed full of "Buy my book! Read my blog!" No one wants "Hello, buy my book/read my blog/check out my website" messages when they first like or follow you. Whenever I schedule tweets, I schedule one "human" tweet for every promotional tweet. I don't want to spam my followers' timeline with buy buy buy. My eyes skate right over most promo tweets, especially when they come from Twits who rarely, if ever, post anything else. I want eyes to see my tweets and brains to read them.

You're human, so act like it.
Whenever I decide to follow someone, I read through a bit of their timeline first. If every single tweet is a link to their book, blog, or site, I skip it. I follow people because I find them interesting or useful or both. Both is the best. I also like to talk to the people I follow. I like to know there's a human on the other end of our exchange. Don't be a bot. Bots are everyone's least favorite thing (except for maybe those trending topics that sometimes rise to the top ten or whatever, like #youshouldbeembarrassedif and #wifeymaterial and BS like that). Make sure you actually visit your home feed and mentions screens. You should also check on the "your tweets, retweeted" screen. Say thanks. Acknowledge your followers. Have conversations. If you're going to automate, say so, and let people know when you'll be back "in the flesh," so to speak.

Remember that you're a professional.
It's okay to get a little bit personal, but remember that your image is first and foremost one of a professional. Try to check your spelling (everyone is going to make typos), keep your tweets and status updates consistent with the image you are trying to cultivate, and if you're going to share anything personal, make sure it's consistent, too. I talk about my daughter and my husband sometimes and even my fannish interests. I feel that adding personal updates gives followers and friends some insight. I know that when the people I follow share something personal--a story about a husband, a mention of a kid, capslock of doom over something exciting--I like them a little more. Your professional Twitter and Facebook are probably not the places for your five-thousand-word-rant on people who can't park.