le fabuleux destin de jane man

The No.1 Cardinal Sin of Twitter

The number one cardinal sin of Twitter a brand can commit (according to me) is the improper use of the @mention in the beginning of a tweet.

I cannot begin to tell you how much it drives me crazy when a brand “replies” to me—or a brand I manage—on Twitter when the [clear] intention was to broadcast the tweet to all of their followers, with me/my brand included as a mention or in hopes I/we would retweet.

In cases with the latter intention where brands hope my brand will retweet the message, most of the time it’s warranted because the tweet is by a brand related to my brands. Fine, I don’t care if you do it; I’m actually more than happy to spread your message for you… BUT, please-oh-please-oh-please, for my sanity and that of everyone else who I may rant at in frustration (and those rants occur far too often), do not place my/my brand’s Twitter @username at the front of your tweet.

I know, it could be tough and time-consuming to re-write your tweet when the drafted tweet already makes so much sense and sounds perfect when you read it aloud. But, c’mon. If you are a community/social media manager, you should know the simple fact that a @username in the front of your tweet acts as a @reply. Only your followers who also follow me/my brand will read your tweet in their timeline.

This doesn’t only apply to brands. It also applies to regular users/non-brand owners…but when a brand commits this sin, and when it’s a multi-million dollar brand that I know can afford a decent community manager, it’s especially unacceptable.

It’s a simple concept.

Tweet right. Do it right. Don’t make me feel bad for you.