Twitter doesn’t have any medically recognized side effects and it comes without a warning from the Surgeon General. That doesn’t mean that it’s completely free of dangers, however.
Here are few potential Twitter pitfalls about which you should be keenly aware.
First, remember that just about everyone in the world can read your Tweets. The people who follow you, obviously, will get them live. People who don’t follow you can find them via your Twitter URL. People who don’t even know Twitter from Twister might find them via a search engine.
You should act accordingly. Unless you’re using the direct message feature (where you’re interacting exclusively with another party), consider every Tweet you make part of the public record.
If you have axes to grind, embarrassing tales to tell, or any other “maybe I don’t want the whole world to know this” information, don’t Tweet it.
Second, understand that the power of Twitter does cut both ways. If you use it effectively and with integrity, it’s a great way to build your reputation and credibility.
If you use in appropriately or behave in a way that’s wholly inconsistent with the expectations of other users, it can backfire on you.
Twitter can paint a great portrait for you. It can also put a lot of egg on your face. The outcomes are within your control and you should consider the potential benefits and damages of your use of the system.
Third, it’s easy to be sucked into Twitter. You can spend all day exchanging notes and observations with others. You can create a massive network of very interesting people who have a great deal to offer and that can be almost addictive.
You want to use Twitter enough to make it part of your overall online strategy, but you don’t want to become so obsessed with it that it begins to steal time away from other key pursuits.
It may seem silly to warn grown adults not to get too wrapped up in a social networking tool, but people do find themselves failing to meet other obligations because they just couldn’t pry their eyes away from Twitter.
Moderation matters. Use Twitter enough to accomplish your goals, but don’t glue yourself to it for long chunks of the day. Using Twitter the right way means not over-using it.
When you look at the “risks” associated with Twitter and compare them to the potential benefits, it isn’t a very close competition. Twitter is an incredibly powerful way to accomplish numerous goals.
All it takes is a little care to avoid the potential pitfalls associated with it.
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