Seems like I’ve had Twitter on the brain this week. My post on Monday got more hits that I ever would have imagined. Several friends and clients have been asking me questions about Twitter. Finally, I have been getting more followers and, in reading their Twitter feeds, got some food for thought.

One topic that has come up a lot is: what do you Twitter about? Or put another way: how much do you reveal? For folks who use Twitter as a marketing tool, this is an especially relevant question, however for anyone who has a Twitter account, this is an important thing to consider. Unless you protect your updates, then anyone and everyone can see what you post. And if you hide your tweets, why bother with Twitter?

As a business woman who uses a single Twitter account to express both personal and professional thoughts, here are a few observations gleaned from the Twitter stream:

• If you wouldn’t want a prospect, vendor, colleague, employer, or investor to know it, don’t post it.
• Sharing intensely personal details like body functions are too much information.
• Tweeting constantly suggests that you have nothing else to do.
• Attempting to incite emotions in others reveals something about your character. You might want to think about what you’re revealing before you post.
• Posts that create curiosity can be good and attract nice attention.
• Blatant self promotion gets old. Fast.
• Frequent mean spirited posts make you look like a hater.

As a side note, I’ve found that because people seem to think that very self-disclosing tweet are okay, I’ve learned things about them that I didn’t know, even though I thought I knew these folks well. And quite frankly, people sometimes reveal aspects of their personalities that I’d rather not see. Given that people are using Twitter as a marketing tool, I’m fairly certain that they’re polarizing their audience–not necessarily a bad result.  However, it’s also made me think twice.

I’ll end here by saying that when I tweeted a prayer request yesterday, the responses were amazing. I found I had many caring friends. That is the hidden power of social media–we can find our tribe and they can find us. For that reason, I’ll keep on tweeting–with authenticity, kindness, and caution.

Tara Rodden Robinson
@TaraRodden