Steve Ladurantaye
Globe and Mail media reporter Steve Ladurantaye says he’s been on Twitter “for a few years now, and have made lots of mistakes.”
I’ve been boring, I’ve been funny, I’ve been not funny when I thought I was being funny, I’ve been argumentative, I’ve shared too much information, I’ve killed Gordon Lightfoot.
(Incorrect news of the Canadian singer’s death spread quickly on Twitter in 2010; in an email to Poynter Ladurantaye says he retweeted another person’s report about it.)
Ladurantaye has compiled a very good list of 26 personal rules for using Twitter, with the caveat that “I often forget to follow many of them.” Nos. 1 and 26 are the same: “You are one tweet away from being fired.”
Others could be corollaries of that rule: “Libel is libel,” “Don’t argue with people.” And one may be interesting to anyone on a competitive beat: “Tell people what you’re working on, because the benefits often outweigh any competitive disadvantage.”
One rule I wish everyone who receives press releases would follow: “Only tweet details of your job if they are relevant or insightful. Complaining about process is boring.”
Preach, brother.
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