The Twitter Book

Trim messages that are too long

If your message bulges above 140 characters, here are a few common tricks you can use to tighten them up (we discuss URL shorteners later in this chapter):

1. Use a plus sign (+) instead of "and"

2. Leave out periods and other punctuation, especially at the end of a sentence

3. Use common and not-so-common abbreviations where the meaning is clear

4. Omit "I" and perhaps the verb "to be"

5. Use numerals instead of writing out the numbers

6. Lotta times, you can cut the first few words of a sentence

twitter tip

If you need help shrinking your prose down to 140 characters, try 140it (http://140it.com), which uses common cutting conventions to whittle down potential posts.