I’ve tried to follow a few guidelines when posting Tweets to my @Tequila_K Twitter account. After reading this blog entry about a “Personal Twitter Policy”, I decided it would be helpful to post my own. It will help potential “followers” decide whether @Tequila_K is something they’d like to follow, and it will help me answer the question, “Should I really Tweet that?”

So, here are my policies. These are in more-or-less descending order of post frequency, though I reserve the right to bend or break any or all of these rules! Like the Pirate Code, they be more like “guidelines”.

* Flog the blog
I’ll post a Tweet when I update the tequilakaraoke.com blog. The blog is primarily about my journeys to various Karaoke venues and events in the Dallas area. I also discuss DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and related dance games in some detail. And I’ll occasionally throw out some thoughts about the latest happenings with the Dixie Chicks, a band I’ve followed since long before they became famous — the group’s fascinating history is the subject of my fansite, The All-Inclusive Dixie Chicks Page at dixie-chicks.com.

* Retweet Dallas-Fort Worth Karaoke tweets
I’m also RT’ing tweets from DFW Karaoke DJs and venues, which I think will make my Tweet stream a helpful resource for folks looking for local Karaoke. The most common Tweets that include “Karaoke” and “Dallas” tend to be “Where can I find Karaoke in Dallas tonite?” I can help! Though, obviously, if I’m not at the computer, I won’t get the word out — I’m not a robot!

* Post mostly Karaoke-related information
I want my Twitter account to be of interest to anyone who is involved in Karaoke, as a singer, DJ, or Karaoke venue owner. So when I come across something of general interest, I’ll pass it along.

* Other related posts
I’ll also post information I come across about the DDR/ITG/PIU dance games, and an occasional Dixie Chicks snippet.

* Tweets from venues
I’ll likely post a Tweet or two from wherever I’m singing (or dancing), but I’m not going to Tweet every song. Anyone who wants to know that level of detail can wait until I write the blog entry — which will include much more information than I’d be able to fit in 120 characters (more on Tweet length below)

* Misc fun stuff
I’ll post or RT the occasional bit of random whimsy. But I’ll make sure that most of my posts are related to the primary topics described above. Note, though, that I *won’t* post or RT political posts in the normal Tweet stream. If you simply include @Tequila_K in your follow list, things should stay light and fun.

* @-Replies
Personal replies aren’t subject to the above limitations. In particular, @-replies may include political content. I have very strong political views — though this blog is not the place to discuss them. You can probably get an idea of where I stand on things by looking at the @Tequila_K timeline. But I do *not* @-reply to express displeasure with someone’s opinion — I only reply when I agree. Nobody should ever get something from me that they wouldn’t want.

* Deletions
I don’t expect to have to delete tweets very often. It’s somewhat rude, and also pointless — there are enough programs and bots out there reading through Twitter, that anything posted could possibly live forever. Just like with email, you *never* post anything you wouldn’t want sent to your mom or posted on the company bulletin board. That said, I reserve the right to delete a post if I look back at it the next day and decide that it’s embarrassing or stupid! Also, if I make a mistake while texting, such as a partial post or double-post, I’ll go back to the timeline and clean it up. But I’ll try not to do that too often.

* Tweet Length
I pay close attention to the “characters remaining” above that text box. I try to limit myself to 120 characters — not the full 140, because Twitter needs to include my name to avoid overflowing SMS limits. Also, staying well below the limit lets people forward my messages more easily, though that doesn’t seem to have happened much yet! Maybe someday, when I’m famous. (Note that I may go over 120 when texting from a venue — I’ll try to keep it short, though.)

Policy effective as of 05/29/2010, subject to change without notice at my slightest whim! — RobertB