By Tee Morris
Online Career Tips Staff
Twitter, as with many social networking outlets, can easily fall prey to what I call the TCS, or Therapist Couch Syndrome. Granted, Twitter was built for sharing and when you see the question “What are you doing?” staring back at you, it is easy to go on and open up. Sometimes, though you can open up too much; and soon you are delivering a barrage of tweets, five or six – maybe even seven in a row – that piece together exactly what you are thinking in that moment.
TCS can not only alienate your online network of contacts, both personal and professional. TCS can also reflect poorly on you.
Over-sharing is really nothing new in social networking, but it is far too easy of a trap in becoming “that guy” or “that girl” on Twitter who think that 140 characters is merely a guideline not a limitation, and that your message is so important that even if it takes you ten separate tweets to tell it (by golly!) you will! There are a few things to keep in mind when you are online, sharing your thoughts that moment. First, can you sum up what you’re thinking or feeling at that moment in one tweet? If yes, then go on. If it will take two tweets, take a moment and ask if it really is that important to share. Three or more tweets? Either edit it, or opt out in updating that status. Once you’ve narrowed down that tweet to one (preferably), ask yourself “Should I be sharing this?” It would be great to say that people really do think before they tweet, but sadly some people are more about making a snappy, witty update or sharing with the world before thinking who’s watching their Twitter feeds. Even if your feed is locked down with Privacy settings, you are still sharing with an open network, and run a risk of having a tweet meant for your network only to go public. Stop and ask yourself if your status is okay to share with friends and complete strangers.
[Update Your Status With Work Appropriate Chatter]
Twitter has become a way that we communicate with people, both one-on-one and around the world. It’s a fantastic outlet, so long as you approach it responsibly and reasonably.
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