5 ways to use Twitter the right way

The 140 characters on Twitter, with their reach and impact, can give an employee’s image a push or shred it. Irrespective of whether you separate your official account from your personal one, your employer has his or her eyes on your handle. Devina Sengupta explores ways to use Twitter.

Get the Employer’s Approval

“You can tweet information about your industry or company if you have the official sanction to do so, and tag your colleagues. Ensure you do not divulge sensitive information,” says K Sudarshan, managing partner, India and regional VP — Asia for search firm EMA Partners. On Twitter, if you are identifying yourself as the employee of a particular company, then it is best to add a disclaimer to your bio saying views are yours.

Mind your Language and Topics

If one’s personal and official account on Twitter are the same then keeping watch over the Ps and Qs is advisable. “It is important to watch your language and the kind of things you tweet. Being opinionated is fine, but using abusive language is not. Make sure you don’t use swear words,” says Sudarshan. On Twitter, it is best to avoid controversial or sensitive topics which are usually taken up by anonymous handles, he adds.

Control the Urge to Spam

Tweeting and retweeting messages and posts to colleagues round the clock will have one booked for spamming. “Spamming occurs when there is misalignment of a link between thoughts and what followers may want to know,” says Aditya Narayan Mishra, president, staffing, Randstad India. Employees should refrain from constant updates and opinions on all topics, many of which may be unnecessary information for co-workers, adds Mishra

Respond to Tweets and Give Credit

While re-tweeting posts that talk about an industry or work done by a firm, polite social networking skills call for giving credit to the author. If there are direct messages from a colleague or contemporary then one must respond to them and acknowledge their contribution. “When quoting an industry expert or thought leader, giving credit is a must. They have other followers and one cannot pass off popular quotes as their own,” says Mishra.

Be Conscious of the Impact You Have

Companies across sectors have teams monitoring candidate profiles on various social networking sites. The images put up on Twitter, the reports shared, the quality of conversations, the kind of followers and groups one is associated with, form the first impression. Also, re-tweeting positive comments posted about a company product and service reflects loyalty, which both your current and future employer will appreciate.