Archive for February, 2009
Is that Tweet Kosher? Let Me Consult My Twitter Stylebook
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 | Social Media | No Comments
As a PR professional, a multitude of style guidelines stream through my brain every time I put my fingertips to keyboard. I hear the voices of disdain from Strunk and White when I start jumping from tense to tense. I think of our beloved AP Stylebook when I see a serial comma before the last item in a list. Knowing the exorbitant number of style guidelines has become an occupational hazard that has capsized the professional levee and paraded into my personal life (i.e. It is not uncommon for me to edit menus when I go out to dinner; I just can’t help it).And now that I have fully embraced Twitter, I have yet another stylebook to incorporate into my repertoire of professional guidelines. Say hello to “140 Characters, A Style Guide for the Short Form.” According to a recent New York Times article, this new tweet-savvy stylebook centers around eight core practices to infuse in your Twittersphere including the importance of simplicity, honesty and humor.
It is my understanding that this stylebook isn’t a set of rigorous guidelines, rather a cultural and social commentary on how to mold your tweets to win followers and influence fellow members of Twitter Nation. Call it social psychology for the social networking world.
I am going to reserve final judgment until I read the book, but I think the book might just be ‘tweet smarts’ for the people who are socially impaired. I am sure you learned it is wrong to talk on the phone while going to the bathroom. Well, the same goes for tweeting about your bodily functions. You just shouldn’t do it.
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sarahellis
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