Seems like I’ve been having more and more discussions and questions posed lately about Twitter etiquette (or as my friend @mrc0 put it: Twitterquette).

Unless you “direct message” a single user, your tweets will be public and searchable by anyone in the world. The process takes some thought as to how you should approach it.

The idea of etiquette within social media seems to have evolved over time, as I’m sure it will continue to do, but here are some timely suggestions. Feel free to comment, add suggestions, and pose more questions. You may not agree with some of these, so please provide an alternate perspective.

1.    Think before you tweet, rather than regret and delete.

Every time I send a tweet, I think of it like this: If I said this in public, and knew it might be on camera, would I regret it knowing that those I respect most could see it? Go ahead and be bold, but understand this: even if you delete the tweet on Twitter, it’s still searchable on Google.

2.    Cause trouble? Apologize.

If you look back at a tweet and realize it wasn’t the most respectful thing you could have said, apologize.

3.    Be polite and respectful

If someone retweets your info or says nice things about you, be sure to thank them with a tweet.

4.    Be honest and transparent

If you’re disingenuous, you will be called out. Don’t try to hide information - be forthright and show integrity.

5.    Religion and Politics Aside?

Again, it’s just like being in public. Do you discuss religion and politics with people you just met? Or do you hold back in fear of offending someone? Act the same way on Twitter as you would in public.

6.    Don’t be creepy.

Creepiness is in the eye of the beholder, as always. Think of how you'd like to be approached. Tweeting into a discussion being held by others who follow you in return will likely be considered okay on Twitter. However, doing the same to those who don’t follow you may come across as intrusive. It’s like that neighbor who’s always in their yard, waiting for you to come out of your house so they can dominate your time.

7.    Be discrete.

If you’re tweeting on behalf of a company you work for, and you have a personal account, remember whom you represent when you tweet. Applying your personal views to the corporate account will likely backfire.

8.    Share content – don’t be selfish.

Social media is considered a community, so share ideas, tweet other people’s articles you like and give them kudos. Spread the word!

9.    Play nice.

I’ve had various feedback on this discussion. Some people agree with @gabriela_cast when she says “if you don’t have anything nice to say, bite your tweet!” Others will contend that if you need to “have words” with someone, do so with a DM, or direct message. This will keep the discussion between the two of you rather than in public.

Twitter is self-policed by its users. If you’re simply being mean, users will likely unfollow you and shut you out of their space to make their point. But if you’re threatening to others, Twitterites will come to the aid of a victim, just like people do in the real world. This can range from public humiliation to contacting the "real" police.

Sidenote: check out tweeteffect.com – it can tell you when you lost followers and how your tweets impacted your community.

10.    When to follow or unfollow?

You’re going to get a lot of “fake” twitter users who follow you. Don’t feel like you have to follow them back. Check out their profile, and follow them if you like what they have to say. In return, don’t be offended if someone doesn’t follow you back.  They may eventually do so.

If you’re following someone and you find their chatter to be offensive, boring, or just clogging up your Twitter feed, feel free to unfollow them. We’re all on Twitter to find something fruitful, which leads me to the next point:

11.     Quality vs Quantity

Tweeting every 10 minutes discussing which room you just finished cleaning will likely annoy your followers. Ask yourself: does this tweet add value or at least a laugh?

12.    Ask questions, don’t just tweet your own horn.

Social media users are many times looking for input and valuable information on a topic. Be part of the discussion.