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"Sarah Evans is the director of communications at Elgin Community College (ECC) in Elgin, Illinois. She also authors a PR and social media blog.\nIn my previous post I discussed how to build your Twitter community, offering 10 tips as a guide. Here are a few tips on what not to do:\n(Make sure you know a few of the basic Twitter commands to understand the content of this post.)\nDon\u2019t get caught up in the COUNT; get caught up in the CONTENT!\nMy biggest pet peeve on Twitter is when people ask for more followers. I don\u2019t think anyone has malicious intents, but it doesn\u2019t make any sense to me. You get more followers because you provide great content, are entertaining or someone likes you. \nIt\u2019s much worse to have someone follow you, not like what you tweet and then unfollow you. Chances are, you\u2019ve lost them for good. Practice good Twitter etiquette and don\u2019t solicit followers for yourself or your friends.\nDon\u2019t install the Twitter application on Facebook if you send more than 10 tweets per day\nYou will seriously start to confuse your network\u2026or worse, annoy them. If you\u2019re like me, my networks are separate. Not all of my Facebook friends are on Twitter, or plan to be. When I use \u201CTwitter lingo\u201D it confuses them.\nI learned this lesson from a personal mistake. I did have a Twitter feed updating my Facebook account until a few very nice friends \u201Cencouraged\u201D me to stop it (one was my sister!).\nDon\u2019t publicly thank each of your followers\nThe quickest way to get people to stop following you is to provide a lack of good content or engaging dialogue. Thanking each of your new followers is a nice concept, but not practical.  Keep in mind that tweeting the names of those following you is not valuable content to anyone. If you set the precedence you\u2019re going to thank each and every person, you better be prepared to keep it up.\nIf you really must thank each follower:\n1.\tUse the direct message feature and send it privately.2.\tRetweet good content they have posted and give them credit for it (the ultimate thank you!)\nDon\u2019t underestimate the power of tracking a trend\nBe part of breaking the hottest Twitter topic or find out what\u2019s going on and join the conversation. If you have information or news you\u2019d like to track, use the hashtag. Use Twitter search to get your results.\nKeep it short and sweet. The more you cut into the 140 characters, the less content you provide AND the less likely people will use it.\nWhen to use a hashtag (#)? \n\u2022 Taking notes at a conference (Ask everyone around you to do the same thing and then you\u2019ll all have access to ALL notes)\u2022 Promoting major events (i.e. conference, meeting, etc\u2026)\u2022 Tracking a message (see how far a reach you\u2019re getting)\u2022 Communicating during national and natural disasters (which is how the hashtag function began)\u2022 Promoting a favorite (i.e. Web site, musician, writer, etc\u2026)\u2022 Launching a new product or idea\nNOTE: You create a hashtag simply by prefixing a word with a hash symbol: #hashtag.\nDon\u2019t use up your entire 140 characters with a lengthy URL\n\n\nUse applications like TinyURL or Snipurl. They automatically shorten your URL and can offer link customization. Once you submit a tweet with a long URL, Twitter automatically converts it for you. It doesn\u2019t help your cause \u201Cpre-tweet.\u201D Make the most of your content and space by shortening the URL in advance.\nDon\u2019t worry about those who \u201Cunfollow\u201D you\nIt\u2019s like Pandora\u2019s Box, if you REALLY want to know when someone unfollows you, applications like Qwitter are available. I warn you, if you decide to use this function\u2014do not hold a grudge. Those who unfollow you on Twitter may want to connect with you on a different network, or search your info at their leisure. And, yes, sometimes it\u2019s just not a \u201Cmatch.\u201D It\u2019s not personal.\nI do use the application, and I only look for trends of people who unfollow after a certain tweet or trend (i.e. if I\u2019ve sent too many tweets in a short amount of time).\nWorry more about building the community you envision\u2026it\u2019s energy well spent.\nDon\u2019t be afraid of being a \u201Cpolyconversationalist\u201D\n(You caught me. I made up this word. For the purpose of social networking, it means one who converses with multiple people simultaneously.)\nYou are now part of an asynchronous microblogging world, multiple conversations are a reality. The beauty of it is the expectation that you\u2019ll reply as you have time. When you \u201Cfind the time\u201D you may find yourself replying to multiple responses at one time. Get used to it\u2026it\u2019s what Twitter is all about. \nDon\u2019t miss out on the face-to-face\nSocial networking is just the beginning. Many Twitter users host events to get out from behind the computer and get in front of one another. Find a local event or host your first Tweetup.\nScore major cool points at your Tweetup:\n\n\u2022 Supply name badges for people to wear. Have people write their Twitter IDs  on them (@yourname). For a few extra bucks check out Tweetup Badges.\n\u2022 Live tweet the event (don\u2019t forget to use a hashtag to track tweets).\n\u2022 Keep a sign in of all participants, including their Twitter IDs and a valid email address, then share the attendance list with everyone.\n\u2022 Take lots of pictures and upload to Flickr. \n\nDon\u2019t forget about your safety if you are going to meet up\nIf you plan on meeting up with someone you\u2019ve never met face-to-face, here are a few tips:\n\n\u2022 Google them. Take a look at their online presence. Are they well connected across many networks? Have they been around for at least six months to a year?\n\u2022 Shared connections. (There\u2019s nothing wrong with asking about someone prior to a meet up. Check to see if you share any mutual connections.)\n\u2022 Publicly tweet/message the name of the person(s) and location of your meeting across your social networks.\n\u2022 Exchange phone numbers. Call the number to verify it belongs to that person. Then give the phone number and any other contact information you have about that person to your partner or a trusted friend.\n\u2022 Meet in a group setting in a public location. (Don\u2019t meet at your home!)\n\u2022 If you\u2019re meeting up with several people you\u2019ve never met, verify that the others are coming.\n\u2022 Drive yourself or get your own transportation to the meet up. (I know\u2026I broke my own rule in my example.)\n\nMost importantly, trust your gut.  If a request to meet \u201Cdoesn\u2019t feel right,\u201D don\u2019t do it. There are several Internet safety resources out there. It can\u2019t hurt to take a peek.\nSarah writes her own blog PRsarahevans.com and is the director of communications at Elgin Community College (ECC) in Elgin, Illinois. She also worked for Advocate Health Care, the largest health care system in Illinois, as the manager of communications and government relations at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital. She brings a comprehensive background in the knowledge of non-for-profit and health care management. Her personal mission to engage and employ the use of emerging technologies in all communication makes her effective in reaching a dynamic audience.\nImagery courtesy of iStockPhoto, SchulteProductions,spxChrome"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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