There are many great resources to guide you in getting started on your Twitter career (Chris Brogan’s Twitter Etiquette Guide is a particularly good starter). Many of these guides help you by drawing the connection between real-life etiquette (e.g. cocktail party behaviour; introduce yourself, listen before speaking, etc.) and your Twitter life. But I’m actually experiencing the reverse-there a few key things that Twitter has taught me about relationships and how to cultivate them that I didn’t know before. In other words, Twitter has taught me lessons about life. I’m going to use examples from my very own Twitter account to demonstrate what I’ve learned since Twitter came to town:
- Make others feel good about their successes: I love hearing that someone’s enjoyed a blog post I’ve written or a link I’ve shared. And because I know that, I’m always delighted to be supportive of others. On Twitter you do it by ReTweeting (RTing), replying to a post or DMing someone to say “good job.” In real life you do it by thanking people, complimenting them in front of others, or taking a quiet moment to tell them you’ve noticed something they’ve done well.
- Be Generous: On occasion I throw a question up on Twitter like “What’s the story with the new Canada post mailboxes?” I’ve also used Twitter to put out a call for help like when I was searching for Grannies for the Fiesta Farms website. People extend their generosity by answering the call. And I in turn do the same. This is the key to community building. And, it’s just good karma. So now when someone randomly asks me if I can help them tear-down at an event I’ve enjoyed being at, I lend a hand.
- Be Open: Meeting new people is fun. Following friends of friends of friends can lead to…new friends. You never know what you might discover by following someone new. I follow Gui Alinat (@chefgui) on Twitter. Gui is a French born chef who lives in Tampa, Florida. Don’t ask me how I started following him. I couldn’t tell you. I do know that the other night we were Tweeting about what we were eating when the rest of the world was watching the Superbowl and eating Chilli. I was eating Moules Frite and he was having leftover Veal Cheeks (who has veal cheeks hanging around in their fridge?) and we were fast friends. I apply this to other events I go to. Someone may not look like your type, but I’ve met many great people by striking up a conversation and seeing where it goes.
- Be bold: At an fundraising event the other night, I was annoyed that people were speaking over the charitable representative who was there to talk about the devastation in Haiti. I started typing a Tweet that was milder than I really felt about the situation. Than I thought screw it, I’m going to say it the way I want to. I wrote “When at a fundraiser you should be quiet when someone from the charity gets up to speak.” Others agreed, and it was re-tweeted several times. Of course there are times, in the real world, when it makes sense to soft-pedal issues. But more often than not, people like you best when you take a clear stance on an issue.
Twitter has enriched my life. It has. It has introduced me to new people and a much more social way of being in the world. Unlike Facebook, where it’s all about chatting with ‘friends,’ building relationships with virtual strangers is tremendously educational and humbling. I’m learning that there’s still alot more to learn–both online and off.
What has social media like Twitter, Facebook, etc. taught you about life?
