(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.

At its most basic, Twitter is a microblogging tool. For me, and for most others it seems, the best part about it is the comradery and discussions that happen between you and the people with whom you form relationships. There aren’t a lot of people in my life, besides those I’ve met through Twitter and associated networking events (SMB, Minnebar, etc.), who really understand social media (as much as anyone can) – or even just Twitter as medium. (And I love social media, so I need these people!) If I only used Twitter as a microblogging service and not a tool to network with my fellow geeks, I wouldn’t love it nearly as much, if at all.

I remember sitting in Peter Fleck and Rick Mahn’s Twitter discussion session at Minnebar earlier this year, and the concept of “rules” came up in conversation. A few people actually got relatively emotional about the idea of etiquette, do’s and don’ts for Twitter usage. The general perception seemed to be that the beauty in social media lies in its newness and our freedom to use it however we choose. If we only follow one person for every 10 followers, per the rules, then who would we be missing out on? And if we only use Twitter to tell people what we’re doing, how can we be sure we won’t bore other people, or even ourselves?

In the same way, how does it benefit you to impose your personal rules on others? If someone isn’t using Twitter the way you use it (or want the people you’re following to use it), then you have complete freedom to pay no attention to that individual or anything they’re saying.

I love the networking aspect, but that doesn’t mean everyone else does. I follow most of my followers (within reason), but that doesn’t mean everyone else does either.

As far as I’m concerned, there’s no need to take personal offense or responsibility for the way other people are using these new tools. I’m no expert though, so other opinions and discussion are welcomed.

I am curious to hear some different perspectives.