(Caveat: this is mostly geared towards personal users of Twitter. Not business users.)

(Caveat x 2: Yes, a previous post of mine was similar to this topic. And I didn’t hear from you, so I’m asking again. My blog, my rules. Right?)

I want to understand your Twitter rules. I want to know what you consider proper Twetiquette, or if you think Twetiquette is for jerks. I want to know what your criteria are for initial following, and eventual unfollowing (or not).

Oh, and I want to know why you think you’re interesting enough to follow. Or, for that matter, if you don’t care if you’re interesting enough to follow, because that’s not the purpose of your use of Twitter.

Do you pay attention to your following/followers count? Does your heart sink when a follower drops off, or soar when someone begins following you? (Yes, I want to know if Twitter makes your heart soar.)

Here’s mine:

I use Twitter because I enjoy it. I’ve met some very smart, very cool people via Twitter that I’m almost positive I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I’ve gotten involved in the social media enthusiast community in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area, almost all due to networking with other like-minded folks on Twitter. (Last week, I heard a best-selling author speak, got a free book and coffee mug, spent two hours surrounded by local geeks and was introduced to a funky clothing/dogwear product line… and it all started with Twitter.)

I think Twetiquette is a joke… for the most part. The bottomest of all bottom lines is that I follow who I want to follow, and vice versa. If someone is not using Twitter the way you want them to use Twitter – *gasp* – you can unfollow them. Better yet, block them so they fall of your Twittersphere for good.

Admittedly, I watch my following/follower count. I won’t unfollow someone interesting if my follower count drops too low for my nonexistent standards (which I’m not sure I even have), but I am careful about who I choose to follow back. Frankly, I don’t follow anyone who is entirely unoriginal. And likewise, I try to make sure I stay relevant and occasionally innovative, so I don’t bore the few people who made the social investment in following me.

Except when I feel like writing blog posts about things everyone has been talking about on hundreds of blogs for more than a year. Then I throw innovation and originality to the dogs for my own selfish desire to really understand what the people in my Twitterverse really think of all Twetiquette business.

After only a month and a half of working for SHH, I’m inspired by the efforts of the people both within this organization and volunteers, donors and other constituents. Each person I’ve encountered dedicates extensive time and energy to support our mission to end hunger through community partnerships.

Whether we’re personally affected or not, thousands of our neighbors in the community will struggle to find food this week. And the saddest, yet most motivating fact is that hunger is a solvable problem. SHH’s volunteers, corporate and individual donors make a tremendous impact – but we have a long way to go.

Consider donating today to Second Harvest Heartland or other local food bank, food shelf or other charity. Times are tough for all of us, but even tougher for some.

Things you can do this week:

Come to City Pages’ Iron Fork tomorrow night – Proceeds benefit Second Harvest Heartland, or join us for the Taste of the NFL on Monday – meet your favorite Vikings players and help support our mission.

My instant reaction was that of frustration with another seemingly redundant social network. While the Social Media Breakfast is breakfast, and is a big group, that isn’t to say that the same group of people can’t come together for happy hours (like the Solera meetup) and other smaller events.

Personally, I’d be happier with an umbrella network. Once place to go to check upcoming social media events, whether they be breakfasts, smaller meetings that spin off from breakfasts, or completely separate happy hours – but with the same people. I don’t at all disagree with the fact that happy hours can accomplish something different than the big SMB meetups. I just don’t think there need to be another network to organize these events.

There seem to be different opinions on the issue. What’s yours?

After attempting to logically refute the points of an angry, out-of-touch slew of commenters, I realized it wasn’t worth the effort. And when I was told I’m “what’s wrong with America” and death was wished up on me and my children (who don’t exist yet), I decided to abandon my mission completely. (I’m not sure what they thought they were accomplishing choosing angry attacks over logical rebuttals.)

Here’s the thing. At no point did I argue the law. I understand some drivers are distracted by a single raindrop or snowflake, and when those people are texting behind the wheel, I’m afraid too. What the law doesn’t take into account, though, is those of us who are no more distracted by texting than we are by skipping tracks on our iPods, or avoiding elderly drivers going 40 mph in a 70 mph speed limit zone (who, by the way, have not yet been banned by the government). I realize there’s no way to differentiate in texting-while-driving abilities, and a decision needs to be made to allow or ban it completely, but I’m not sure I agree this was the right choice.

Although it may anger the Minnesotans “intimidated by a rising culture of electronically connected multitaskers,” (Greg @ Metblogs) the law isn’t going to inspire change in my behavior. But don’t worry, anti-texter-dexters of Minnesota, if by some slim chance this law is ever enforced well enough for me to be caught, I will give the officer my sweetest Minnesota nice smile and tell them you told me so.