Tales of a PR Enthusiast

Follow Heather as she takes on the PR world headfirst and read about her PR fab adventures along the way.


He’s makin’ a list (a Twitter list that is). Checkin’ it twice. He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice. Santa Clause is coming to Twitter.

Although Santa Clause lives in the North Pole, it’s not like he’s been living under a rock for the last year. Even Santa has a Twitter account. Santa has discovered the power of Twitter and how the micro-blogging site makes it much easier to follow whether you’ve been naughty or nice. In fact, Santa has even made a naughty and nice Twitter check-list. Read along and see if you’ve been a bad or good Twitterer this year.

Naughty:

1. Starting a Twitter feud – Twitter should not be used for fighting, at least not in a malicious way. A little Twitter disagreement here and there can be expected sometimes, it’s human nature. But, starting hateful and mean feuds on Twitter will definitely put you on Santa’s naughty list. At the top of Santa’s Twitter naughty list is @PerezHilton because of this very act. The notorious celebrity blogger instigates a Twitter feud with almost every single tweet he posts. One of the most infamous Twitter feuds of the year was between Hilton and Pete and Ashlee Wentz after Hilton began bashing the couple on Twitter. Although it was quite entertaining to watch, there were mean and rude comments exchanged between all sides. The Twitter war became so out-of-control that other celebs, like Joel Madden and John Mayer, started getting in on the action and firing back against Hilton. Santa watched in horror as the live stream of Twitter hatred scrolled down his computer screen and from then on, Hilton was placed on the Twitter naughty list forever.

2. Spamming/Creating fake Twitter accounts – If you’re on Twitter then I’m sure at some point you have been followed by those lovely Britney Spears spammers, people that consistently send you promotional direct messages or people that follow and unfollow you over and over again. I don’t understand why people feel the need to spam people on Twitter. I mean, what do they get out of it? A good laugh? The satisfaction that they are extremely annoying someone? If you have taken part in the act of spamming on Twitter this year, you are guaranteed to be on Santa's naughty list.

3. Twitter cliques – This might be a tricky one for Santa. Twitter cliques aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but in some cases they can be. Santa can put you on his naughty list if you’ve been involved with or a part of a Twitter clique that excludes others and just isn’t very nice. Sometimes you will find groups of people on Twitter that think they are above everyone else, they are snobby, they do not include others, they only tweet with certain people and they gossip and start drama. I rejoiced when I graduated high school, so please don’t make me feel like I’m back there again. Twitter is a place to make friends, meet new people and build relationships. Being exclusive on Twitter is defeating the whole purpose.

4. Stuck up tweeps – Santa does not appreciate snobbishness, especially on Twitter. People on Twitter that never follow back, reply or DM seem downright stuck up. Like I said before, the whole purpose of Twitter is to engage and interact. If you are using Twitter for selfish reasons to promote or scam people only, you can bet you are going to be at the top of Santa’s bad Twitter list.

5. Stealing tweets – Not giving people tweet credit when retweeting their posts is a major no, no. It is basically stealing credit for something you didn’t create. Remember when you were in second grade and would cheat off of the really nerdy, smart kid sitting next to you? Well, stealing tweets is the same thing. If you are guilty of this naughty act, don’t be surprised if Santa unfollows you or DM’s you a big image of coal.

Nice:

1. Tweet for a cause – Using Twitter to better the world and raise awareness is a great way to take advantage of the micro-blogging site. Plus, it makes Santa very proud. Through Twitter you can ultimately reach millions of people to educate them and bring awareness about worldly issues. Whether you retweeted a post about fighting breast cancer or you became involved in a @TwitCause, these are the ways you can help the world through Twitter.

2. Sharing advice/Helping your tweeps – Santa would agree when I say you have been a very good Tweeter if you are always willing to help your tweeps and give good advice. My favorite people to follow are the ones that give me great advice. Whether it’s advice about work, job hunting, blog feedback or a personal matter, the tweeps that offer their advice and look for ways to help definitely make Santa’s nice list.

3. Passing along deals, discounts, event invites, etc. – Since I’m a poor post-graduate looking to move to one of the most expensive cities in the world, I really enjoy when my tweeps send me anything that includes a discount or something that is free through Twitter. For example, there are certain networking events around Columbus I like to attend but the cover charges can be pretty expensive. So, some of my Columbus tweeps will send me an event code to get free access to the event. Other examples include people sharing their Google Wave invites or passing along restaurant discounts through Twitter. Its actions like these that can brighten someone’s day…and Santa’s.

4. Taking Twitter newcomers under your wings – Thousands of new people join the Twitterverse on a daily basis and most of them have absolutely no clue what it is or how to utilize it. When experienced twitterers are welcoming and bring new tweeps on board, it is a good way to show the Twitter newcomers what a nice community Twitter is. A lot of times when my friends first start a Twitter account, I will sit down with them and give them a Twitter 101 session. I explain that they first need a goal and objective in mind for the utilization, they need a strategy and then a plan of implementation. I take them step-by-step as to what the different functions can be used for and I help them get started on their Twitter journey.

5. Helping tweeps with their job hunt – I couldn’t agree more with Santa when he put this Twitter action on his nice list. We all know that the job market is real crappy right now and as a ’09 grad trying to make it in New York City, the tweeps who have gone above and beyond to help me find a job should be on Santa’s nice list indefinitely. I didn’t even ask Santa for anything this Christmas because my Twitter friends already gave me what I wanted…a chance and an opportunity to reach my NYC dream by helping me find job leads, giving me great advice and believing in me.