The Twitter Book

Don't spam anyone

Here's an important point to remember: Twitter is an opt-in medium, which means that if you're obnoxious or even a little bit spammy, people will unfollow you or they'll choose not to follow you in the first place. (They can also block you and suggest that you get kicked off Twitter, which we talk about on the next page.) On Twitter, spam is self-defeating.

As we discuss on the last page, auto-DMs are a form of spam. A few other forms of twittering are also spam, and you should avoid all of them.

This ought to go without saying, but if you're DMing people with the goal of selling something, you're committing spam. Don't kid yourself into thinking that a discount or a freebie is a legit message, either. Rule of thumb: if you're tempted to DM a bunch of people you don't know, you're very likely about to become a spammer.

Ditto @messages. If you're sending @messages to people who don't know you, and your notes aren't in response to something they've said or done, or a question or a comment related to their expertise, you'll probably be perceived as a spammer.

Finally, as in email, if your iffy messages contain links, other people are more likely to believe they're spam.