Retweet Protocols

Retweets can be informative, funny or sometimes just plain dull.

The protocols on retweeting are unspoken, but most experienced Twitter users have realized what they are. Being able to easily pass on other people's tweets through retweeting is one of the social media website's greatest attributes. But there is a right way and wrong way of retweeting. The right way brings benefits, while the wrong way can bring a sudden dip in followers.

Selective Retweets

Be selective about what you retweet. If you are followed by mostly writers, you will lose those followers if you mostly retweet and tweet about sports. If you give the impression in your profile that your main interest is writing, your followers will expect your retweets to be mostly about writing. Don't retweet a lot of commercial material, especially if it has no relevance to what you have stated as your main interests. Prove you're human, too, by engaging with other followers and making comments about the issues of the day.

Don't Offend

Looking at your followers retweets and tweets will give you a good idea of their interests and tastes. Their retweets also should provide strong clues as to what may offend them. If they don't retweet profanity, are deeply religious and like animal welfare issues, retweeting something that goes against these beliefs could offend them enough to unfollow you.

Be Generous

When people retweets your tweets, it is common courtesy to retweet at least one of theirs. A lot of people have busy schedules, so if someone retweets their tweets heavily, the same amount of retweets can't always be reciprocated. Most Twitter users understand this. There also will be occasions when someone doesn't use Twitter as frequently and won't be aware of who retweeted their material a few days ago. When you can't use Twitter as frequently, retweet generously when you do visit the site.

Vary Content of Retweets

Don't just retweet YouTube video links or tweets from celebrities that aren't particularly interesting. Vary the content. Hot topics often include famous quotes, jokes, birthdays and anniversaries of historical events. Some poets retweet each other's short poems, especially haikus. Varying what you retweet will also gain you a more diverse group of followers, though some may follow you only for a short time.

References

• Ruhani Rabin: Secrets of How to ReTweet Effectively Better; Ruhani Rabin