Apart from Twitter's own terms of service which prohibit obvious things like harassment, transmitting viruses and spamming other members, there really aren't many rules to the site. You can essentially use Twitter however you like.
However, for people and businesses who want to use Twitter successfully (eg: build a following and grow their circle of influence), there are a number of best practices that can be observed. I cover many of these in my book, Twitter Power.
And as I look back on my own tweets, I discover that many of them can be easily categorized. While this list is by no means exhaustive, I think it covers a lot of ground. I present you with my list of Fourteen Types of Tweets.
- The Mundane - What better way to answer the question "What are you doing?" then to share that your dog is licking himself in proprietary places or that you just burped and tasted the hotdog you ate an hour ago for the second time. Full of self and without any apparent redeeming value, The Mundane tweet is the backbone of Twitter. Narcissistic and banal, it's all about me. But don't think for a second that the mundane tweet is not without merit. If you have any doubt to its importance, give another read to my previous post Twitter and a box of donuts.
- The Communicator - Instant messaging is mostly for person-to-person communication. Forums allow more people to enter the conversation, but the process is slow. The immediacy of Twitter has facilitated dialogue unlike any Internet-based tool before. Not only can you respond to someone else's tweet instantly, but others can enter the discussion just as easily. The Communicator tweet is nothing more than a public reply to another member. Many of the relationships formed via Twitter find their roots in this simple interactive tweet.
- The Inquisitor - I learned at a very early age that one of the best ways to get answers was to ask questions. The Inquisitor Tweet answers Twitter's question with a question of it's own. It's not interested in what you are doing. Rather, it seeks to use the massive Twitter member base to derive solutions, opinions or any other response that can be gathered by polling the public. Asking a question is a great way to not only find an answer, but also to stir up your followers. After all, people love to be the one who provides the solution. Want to see something amazing? Go to Twitter search and type the phrases "How do I" or "does anyone know". People are always asking questions. Forget Wikipedia. Twitter provides a much more instantaneous and interactive method of getting answers. And if you don't like the answer, you can always fact-check later. Which leads me to #3...
- The Answerman - Are you one of those people who dominate at Trivial Pursuit and would be willing to go head-to-head against Ken Jennings on Jeopardy? You probably love answering questions on Twitter. After all, with so many people posting The Inquisitor tweet, there is no shortage of opportunity to enter the conversation and save the day. The Answerman tweet can be as simple as responding to a trivia question or as serious as helping someone locate a dry cleaner in New York City. (I understand @thedrycleaner is the guy to see. If you are able to answer a question for someone, why not do it? They will appreciate you taking the time to answer. You also score 10 Twitter Points for each correct answer. Um... well, if Twitter were a game. But it's not.
- The Sage - Want to tweet but don't have anything particularly important to say? Looking for something more significant than "Watching Three Stooges reruns. Gosh I love Curly!" The Sage tweet is there for you. SImply find a quote from a famous author, lyrics from a favorite song or line from a classic film to share with your followers. Pithy sayings and little tidbits of information are always useful, if not entertaining. I've even tossed in a "word of the day" with a definition from time to time just for giggles. Uplifting, refreshing, sobering... as long as your Safe tweet evokes a response, you are on track.
- The Reporter - The mainstream media can't stand Twitter. It has making citizen journalists out of all of us. From the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and the US Airways plane going down in the Hudson to the Election sham in Iran and the death of Michael Jackson, more people are getting breaking news on Twitter than anywhere else. If you've got news, why not share it with your tweeples? It is important to make sure that the news is accurate. Shortly after Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett death announcements spread across the Twittersphere, some people thought it would be funny to spread rumors of other celebrity deaths. Jeff Goldblum and Harrison Ford were among the names of those claimed to have deceased. New agencies did step in to let the public know that these were nothing more than hoaxes. Of course, you can't believe everything you read or hear in the mainstream media either, but it does pay to double-check before posting news. You don't want to look like a Twass (That would be a Twitter Ass).
- The Linker - The web is packed with fun stuff. If it weren't for The Linker tweet, how would your followers be able to enjoy the latest LOLCats photo or Jon & Kate book news? Whether for entertainment, business or other purposes, The Linker tweet exists to share something of little or massive value with your followers. And while links to stories are powerful, rich media is even better. If you link to audio, photos or video, you have a better chance at getting people to check it out. Just be sure to tag your tweets with [PIC], [VIDEO] or [AUDIO] as indicated. It takes little effort and is frequently rewarded with replies.
- The Kudo - We all need strokes. "Don't you look beautiful today @marycomm." "Great job on that speech @Loral!" "@dannickerson came up with a superb idea today." Giving compliments is a fantastic way to show appreciation for someone. It's even more impactful when done on Twitter because it plays out in a public forum. Not only does the person or business receive The Kudo, but all of your followers see it as well. Now everyone knows what a great thing they did. This is especially effective for businesses as public compliments act as social proof, potentially influencing others.
- The Critic - Some live to criticize. Others do it more judiciously. Regardless, complaining is an international pastime. Being disgruntled crosses ethnic, social, economic and religious barriers. And what better place to broadcast your frustration than Twitter? Twitter provides a public forum to vent on our politicians, celebrities, businesses and each other. And while The Kudo tweet can lift a business to new heights, The Critic can be devastating and cause the target to go into damage control mode. In the past, I've implemented The Critic tweet to publicly lambast United Airlines for losing my bags. @davepeck has a great Twitter story featuring @southwestair and @jetblue. You have to hand it to businesses that are willing to develop a Twitter presence. They are really opening themselves up to public scrutiny. And let's face it. If you don't respond well to feedback or handle customer service issues properly, you could really be in for a public thrashing. I applaud companies like @comcastcares and @thehomedepot for their attentiveness to their followers.
- The Giver - When someone tweets something that you think is worthy of passing along to your followers, Twetiquette demands that you retweet it. The Giver tweet seeks to give credit where credit is due by repeating the tweet and honoring the person who originally posted the tweet. The format is simple. "RT @successsecret "For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else..." Sir Winston Churchill." The original tweet can fall into any category, but the retweet is an act of kindness that spreads good will. We should all aspire to provide tweets that are valuable enough for others to want to retweet them. Be a giver and retweet generously.
- The Advocate - On your journey through the Twittersphere you will undoubtedly find people who you want to share with others. Whether they provide great tweets or add some other value, The Advocate tweet is your opportunity to suggest that other members follow them. Don't keep good Twitter members to yourself. Tell others so they can meet and interact with them as well.
- The Benefactor - People love free stuff. They also enjoy winning things. The Benefactor tweet is used for contests or giveaways. Designed to be retweeted, the goal is have your tweet go viral so that more people are aware of your contest. I recently tweeted that I would randomly give away a copy of Twitter Power to a member who retweeted my contest. Tweetaways.com has an easy-to-use system that brings accountability to the awarding of a prize. The Benefactor tweet is known to receive many retweets and can help increase your follower count quickly and legitimately.
- The Marketer - You'll notice that I saved this type of tweet for last. There's good reason for that. While Twitter can most definitely be used to build relationships, enhance your brand and grow your bottom line, it is best not to treat it as a straight-forward marketing tool. Zig Ziglar once said, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." In order to earn people's trust, you must seek to connect with others and bring value to the conversation. Only then will they trust you enough to receive your marketing messages. The Marketer tweet can be subtle or blatant, but its primary goal is to acquire a new customer. The tweet could be for a free download, an information product, a physical product, a membership or subscription, or just about any other kind of business proposal. There's nothing wrong with using Twitter in this way, but realize that it won't be effective if all you do is sell, sell, sell. You MUST participate in Twitter using many, if not all, of the styles of tweets in order to connect with your base.
- The Spammer - Not be confused with a marketing message, The Spammer tweet is the tweet we love to hate. There are those who join Twitter and use it as a means doing nothing more than autofollowing as many people as possible in order to blast a spam tweet. Like email spammers, they figure if they throw enough of their crap against the wall something is bound to stick. Essentially, they take the social out of social media. They are the not engaged in any conversation. Because of this, their message falls on deaf ears and they are likely to be unfollowed and blocked by many members. Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more of this on Twitter, much of it coming from the get-rich-quick and the porn purveyors. I hope Twitter continues to develop tools to eliminate nuisances such as these. For now we can be glad that Twitter is a permission-based system and any account can be blocked.
So there you have it. That's my list of Fourteen Types of Tweets.
Would you like to add to the list? Feel free to leave your comments below.
You can follow me on Twitter at @joelcomm. If you enjoy this article, please retweet it and share it with your followers!
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June 26, 2009 03:41 AM
Thanks Joel. You always seem to come up with the
right information at the right time.....John
June 26, 2009 08:44 AM
Thanks Joel, I never knew Twitter had so much structure!
June 26, 2009 08:48 AM
Thanks joel, I think it's the time you be on of Twitter CEO's :)
June 26, 2009 09:00 AM
I really like this post because it clears up some issues and misunderstandings about what Joel Comm advocates. I read some shady stuff saying that Joel supports using autospamming software for marketing. Low impact marketing. Because I've read Twitter Power, I know not to believe that and ignore it. But others who may not have the book or know Joel's track record may get sucked into that mess. This 14-point list post clears this up completely.
June 26, 2009 01:05 PM
Thanks for the comprehensive list. I'd like to add one more: creative use of Twitter for story telling, visual art, and things like that. See storytelling @nickwarren & visual art @Guy_Vincent
June 27, 2009 12:20 AM
Very well organized list Joel, thank you for sharing your intellect about Twitter with all your tweeple. It is a beautiful thing to watch a new venture like Twitter take root and grow. What a great social media site it has become, the future looks bright for them AND gurus like you who know it inside and out. Keep up the great work you are doing.
June 27, 2009 01:34 AM
Great list Joel. I must say that I am starting to get concerned about all the information I have read recently about using Twitter "successfully". Very few of these posts take any time to discuss what "success" actually is in this context. The majority seem to assume that a large number of followers is the best measure. I think there is room for a discussion about whether this is enough. Many people use twitter for simply keeping a small group of followers informed - for them success may be more about follower satisfaction. Others use it for marketing in which case, sales resulting from tweets is probably a reasonable measure. I think every user needs to determine what success means to them before trying to measure it (if they want to measure it at all). The number of followers is often simplistic and/or misleading. What are your thoughts on this?
June 27, 2009 05:42 AM
Thanks Joel, I've been doing the what's the point, don't want to post the wrong thing... to the point of developing twitterphobia. Could not get a good grasp just by reading others tweets as they are so random. Thanks for the twitter 101. Lori
June 28, 2009 12:14 PM
I appreciated your knowledge about twitter. I am a beginner at tweets. I am a heart leader, this makes me tick. I want to share my heart ticks with others. This will make a pleasurable experience for the community and I.
June 28, 2009 02:21 PM
great list, very intuitive of you with some of those types. I'd say I'm a little mixture of most of those, hopefully not the spammy and boring types though.
I have noticed that there are also a group who are obsessive retweeters, as well as tweeters who tweet mostly about twitter, LOL.
Then there's the event covering tweeter who does there best to keep non-attendees up to date with what's happening at events they are currently witnessing. Gained alot from these types.
And lastly, though I do use hashtags a little, I find the hashtag obsessed a little overbearing at times.
Follow me @nomadone
June 28, 2009 02:45 PM
thx for sharing your knowledge/observations of various types of tweets. will pass it on--great read! cipytweet
June 29, 2009 12:44 PM
Excellent and really thoughtful post. I've officially "un-followed" the little voice in my head that tells me I should be nice and follow those that have followed me. I really don't think it came from my head, but my heart instead. I've also started un following people who only post about getting a quazillion more followers in 3 days.
June 29, 2009 01:36 PM
This is a great post. I would like to include a link and information on your book in the monthly e-newsletter for www.auditnet.org. Worthwhile information on a newsworthy topic. Thanks!
Robbie Kaplan
Author of How to Say It When You Don't Know What to Say
June 29, 2009 06:07 PM
Thanks for this post. I am fairly new to Twitter and often find myself at a loss of what to say. I am much more familiar with Facebook and still figuring out how Twitter works. These are some great suggestions for ideas!
July 1, 2009 09:53 AM
Joel-
I consider myself an expert at Twitter however there is ALWAYS room to grow and you constantly enable your followers to do so. Thanks.
I own HelpaHusky.com. We are looking to gain funds for care and awareness of pups that are thrown away by their owners and to assist with care and medical bills. I want to use Twitter as a soapbox but also to get donations for this amazing site/organization. Any suggestions?
Much love brother....
P.S. Please spread the word.
July 5, 2009 02:39 PM
Well said, Joel! Like only you can do! I will be sharing with many, not just RTing on twitter! It's Perfect!
July 5, 2009 06:28 PM
Very thorough analysis.
The only other Tweet kind I've used is (perhaps) The Event. When I've been at a conference or other event that has information that might be useful to others (Tweeting speakers, Tweeting about what the singer is wearing, or that she fell down).
Live blogging, as it were.
Thanks for the info.
--Michelle
July 7, 2009 06:00 AM
This article is AWESOME! Found it through a tweet, and I'm going to go now and RT it. What does that make me? LOL BTW, click my name to follow me on Twitter.
July 10, 2009 12:41 AM
Great article, Joel. It not only tells you about different ways to Tweet, it helps you to think of different ways you can Tweet and therefore different ways to use Twitter.
I also like the way that you've been encouraging folk to of course stay within Twitter's guidelines and good etiquette, etc. but to be creative with the use of Twitter.
@Nickolove
July 14, 2009 10:32 AM
This was really cool. I learned a few things, and checked out some links from the article.
July 18, 2009 04:38 AM
You forgot one more type of tweet.
The celebrity shout out. People sending messages to celebrities hoping that they'll reply.
It sometimes looks like a Kudo, but not always.
July 19, 2009 12:55 PM
Joel,
Looks like you covered all the bases to me.
By the way, I'm one of your Secret Classroom students. I purchased the video kit. Needless to say, there is a very srong possibility that I will be getting your new book on Twitter. :-)
July 21, 2009 05:15 AM
I want to be more of the Twitter number 10. :) It's always best to give than to receive. :)
July 21, 2009 02:09 PM
haha i've never seen it broken down quite like this.
July 21, 2009 09:19 PM
I was trying to explain Tweeting and Twitter to my computer illiterate, and happily dancing towards complete amnesia, mother... It sounded so lame when I said, "well, you basically say what you have to say with few words and lotsa links - sorta like a conversation with uncle bob" "hah," she replied "but whats it for?" Communication! Yours is great, thanks for the list.
li
July 25, 2009 04:18 AM
haha this is a very entertaining article! i never thought tweets could be categorized
July 31, 2009 06:58 AM
Hey Joel
I just bought your Ifart app, and wonder if you have a twitter app for iphone as well that I can buy off ya?
Thanks
Loz
August 2, 2009 06:40 PM
I'm still pretty new to twitter. Had the account for a couple of months, but was still trying to find the balance of what to write. I think a balance of a few of the types is key. But not easy for me to do yet. I'm getting there though!
August 2, 2009 10:05 PM
My favorite is the spam that says "Get 5,000 followers..." and then you look and see they only have 2 followers.
Dan
August 13, 2009 08:56 PM
As I looked through the list, I realise that in order to utilise Twitter as a marketing tool, we'd have to play a little of every one of these roles (well, maybe except that of the spammer) in order to build a community of people who will buy into the product you are trying to sell. Certainly takes time to play each of those roles.
August 17, 2009 04:20 AM
This one is the blog which I like most,I would like to thanks that master brain who make all this for the readers like me.keep up the good works.
September 8, 2009 12:47 AM
Love the list! I'd like to add one more type of tweeter: The Comedian. In particular, there are some very funny animals on twitter, as well as others. Sometimes, a tweet is just supposed to make us laugh.
Thanks for sharing your expertise!
September 12, 2009 08:57 PM
Great information. You hit the nail on the head with this post. I see myself in all of these tweet types. Hope that I do not spam people too much, though.
November 19, 2009 04:34 AM
Made great reading! Twitter personality types. I loved it.
Now, if you'll just follow me on Twitter, I can guarantee that you will have 5,000,000 followers by the end of this week and will be making 5 billion a day using my 'system'.
Don't we just love Twitter!