Welcome to Twitter Tuesday. Every Tuesday we will post about Twitter. Stop by for advice and how to's for marketing professionals. Every other week we will post our AppQuest Edition featuring a review of twitter applications.

10 tips to good Twitter manners

It doesn’t matter if you’re CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a 75 year old grandmother, there are basic guidelines that people follow to get the most out of Twitter. These are the ten twrules that I find most important.

1. Don’t Auto DM – The whole business model of Twitter involves people following people they don’t know. You don’t have make your first impression an obnoxious bore. In the summer of 2008 it was a great way to promote yourself, now it’s just annoying spam. This is probably the quickest way to get someone to unfollow you. Honestly, no one cares that ”you’re glad they are following you and that you look forward to their tweets.” If you would like to block people from auto DMing you, start with this opt-out page from Social Oomph.
   
   
2. Share useful information - We’ve all been guilty of tweeting the most banal subjects: ”I just got coffee”, ”That ham sandwich at lunch was delicious”. The good news is it is OK to do it occasionally provided you also provide useful information. People want to connect and showing that you share a common interest through useful links, insight and comments works best. Keep your lunch, bathroom and bedtime events to yourself.
   
   
3. It's OK to ask for a ReTweet, just say Thank You - The best way to get people to retweet your tweet is to ask. It sounds simple but most people don’t do it. When you have really good content, ask for people to share it. Odds are they will. You’ll garner even better good will after you thank people for their time.
   
   
4. Give credit to someone for good content - It’s easy to steal a tweet and use it as your own. It’s better if you retweet and give credit. Odds are then next time you tweet something good, that people will retweet you.
   
   
5. Don't spam - A certain amount of self-promotion is to be expected. These days everyone has a blog or a website. Be proud of your links. But don’t just don’t repost the same link over and over again. Mix in other links, retweets and comments instead of the same link.
   
   
6. Watch what you say – This is one of the most important guidelines. The internet has a very, very, very long memory and rarely forgets. One offhanded comment or inappropriate link might not harm you right away but could find you later. Or it could set the internet on fire with bad publicity and brand reputation damage. If you think your tweet might be too controversial, odds are it probably is.
   
   
7. Become a resource - This is especially important to smaller companies. Show you’re more than just a brand trying to sell someone on your product. Provide links to news, website or blogs that your clients might find useful. Become an expert in your field so when you do tweet your followers look forward to what you say.
   
   
8. Tweet often but don't over tweet or under tweet - This is the hardest to define. How much is too much? How little is too little? The ”experts” say that 20-30 tweets a day is too much. Anything less than 10 times a day is too little. You need to establish a presence and anything less than 10 times a day will be lost in the stream of tweets. Otherwise, go crazy. Tweet as often as you feel comfortable. Through feedback and time, you’ll develop a natural feel for what you think is the proper amount your audience will accept.
   
   
9. Learn the lingo - What is RT, hashtags, DM – it’s important to be able to talk to the talk with others. Learn what the language of Twitter is before you get started.
   
   
10. Don’t have huge conversations – Twitter isn’t a message board or instant messenger. Its main function is send out a single message. Of course you want people to respond to your tweets. As a rule of thumb, anything longer than three tweets back and forth should be moved to DMs or another channel like email, AIM or MSN. Since everyone that follows you can see your tweets, if they aren’t following the other person, they miss half the conversation and your tweets are cluttering their twit stream.

If I could offer one last piece of advice, read and listen to what’s being said by your followers. You’ll have a much richer Twitter experience and develop greater relationships. There are more rules that could be added but these are the top ten that I find the most useful.

What are your rules for good tweeting?

Stefan Halley is the Digital Project Leader for The Duffy Agency. He love to talk about social media and won't shut up about Twitter.