The one thing you absolutely must do before sending a tweet
Once upon a time, when I was a Twitter newbie, I felt the need to tweet everything.
And I do mean everything.
I tweeted about my thoughts on TV shows, my struggles in school, my thoughts on people I randomly met.For a while, this worked: My network grew exponentially, I got job leads, and I enjoyed using Twitter more.
I’m not alone. I know many people who learned to love Twitter mostly from using it more frequently.
But as social media usage continues to grow, noise starts to overwhelm the signal. As a result, the quality of your tweets becomes more important.
Before you click that “send” (or “tweet” or “post”) button, think about your intention. Is it to educate? Is it to entertain? Is it to #humblebrag? Are you trying to inspire? Or are you begging for pity from people?
Being honest about the intention behind your posts will help you use social networks more thoughtfully. It will also help you avoid regretting tweeting things you actually don’t mean.
In the same way that you should think before you speak, you should also think before you tweet.
