Lots of people say that Twitter is all about “the conversation.” Well, I think people and organizations can use it in a variety of ways not limited to listening and chatting. However, many people love to be part of conversations, and if that’s what is working for you then keep doing it. Some people, though, converse A LOT. Their entire stream is full of @. @@@. You know the type:

@robert Thanks!

@jill OMG so funny, yes!!!

@bobby RT @jill You gotta see http://funnyordie.com

Imagine 40 of these in a row. What does that tell you about someone? What impression does @ spew give a potential employer? Someone from the media looking you up? Your parents?

@@@

There’s nothing inherently “wrong” with @ spew, but keep in mind that your Twitter homepage is a landing page – it’s where people land when they look you up on Twitter for the first time, and subsequently. And a landing page full of @ is ugly. Remember, even if you’re fanatically @ing 40 people, there might be 400 or 4000 that aren’t involved in the conversation. They’re your “audience” too, in a way. Does your audience want to read @@@?

So remember, sometimes you can be part of the conversation by using @, and sometimes you can lead the conversation by providing new information to your audience. I recommend judicious use of @.

Posted via email from Mark’s Cheeky Posterous