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If I were a bard of Shakespeare’s stature, I’d most probably have written a sonnet for good old Twitter or X by now.

It’s my go to platform to reach out to the social media teams of various services I use to get help when I experience a service glitch. Help is provided quickly.

Online eCommerce majors as well as those in banking and telecommunication services are aware of the power of this social media platform to trouble shoot for their customers.

It doesn’t surprise me that even Delhi Police uses it to let us know of traffic issues or alerts.

In recent times, during the second wave of COVID-19 in India, Twitter played a major role in getting medical assistance and help for those who needed it.

Until one knows of firsthand experiences, one would have dismissed the Reuters article Twitter becomes platform of hope amid the despair of India’s COVID crisis as another quick read.

But when one knows the names of people who have reached out on this platform for help, it becomes personal.

For me personally, it was upsetting to read that the son of the late sitarist, among India’s best known, Debu Chaudhuri, a Padma Vibhushan, Padma Shri and a family friend had to reach out on Twitter with an SOS message about his critical condition for an oxygen cylinder and then for an ICU bed but his condition worsened.

The story ended badly because the maestro succumbed to COVID-19. Less than a week later, his son Prateek, himself a musician who had yet to achieve his full potential succumbed to a cardiac arrest while recovering from COVID-19.

This story is personal, and I grieve. Yet there are other stories that are much happier with people getting timely help. Somebody saw the tweet and tapped into their network and arrange help.

During the pandemic, Twitter was no longer just a social media platform to hang out and write tweets or follow celebrities. It took on a wider communication role even if only in a few characters.

How I discovered the power of Twitter, now X

Believe it or not, I didn’t fully realize the power of Twitter until I entered the Best Coaching Blogs Competition in 2012.

I realized soon enough that simply getting friends and clients to vote was not going to be enough. I had to declare my existence to the world with the request to vote for me.

It was a challenge as my blog was barely a year old and I was a newbie compared to the other competitors.

My please vote and please RT requests did wonders.

The votes started coming in.  My vote requests were re-tweeted. Followers’ tweeted messages to me to keep the faith, things would work out for me!

I made it into the semi-finals and from there to the finals where my co-finalists crowned my blog Numero Uno and sent congratulatory tweets.

I felt connected.

A regular tweeter, I have discovered a whole new world out there.

So many wonderful twitter friends who write great content and share great news. I even get a chance to read opinions from other tweeters on issues of social and political importance. I love the Twitter experience.

How does one ensure a great personal Twitter experience?

The first and most important point to remember is that Twitter is public. Your tweets will be visible across the internet.

Locking your profile or pre-approving the follower limits your interactions.  Instead, I suggest that you abstain from tweeting confidential or very private matters.

Some things should not be aired in the public arena; whether it is your tweet or a response to a tweet you can easily send a direct message.

In the same vein, resist tweeting banal or superfluous tweets.

Do a self-check by asking, if I were a follower, would I like to read the tweet?

Also don’t spam your followers by tweeting too often. They might decide to un-follow you to avoid the ‘noise’ that you are creating in order to read more interesting tweets.

Always tweet a thank you if someone has re-tweeted you or mentioned you on Follow Friday. It is a simple but great way to acknowledge the other person and nurture the twitter relationship.

Sharing is caring.

If you see a great tweet or one that has a link to an article or item that you think your followers would find interesting, re-tweet it.

If you read a great story on the internet, share it with a tweet. It also helps to build your image as someone who knows good content when they read it.

If you want people to engage with you, put a nice, clear picture of yourself. People like to know who they are interacting with. If you intend to use Twitter for your business, use a professional picture and not a cutesy one.

Make full use of the bio section – write something interesting that captures your essence within the allotted characters. Think of it as a mini-elevator speech that would interest people to follow you and engage with you.

When publishing your tweets, be yourself.

Think of what you would say if you were meeting someone in person. One great tweet that gets my attention each time is from a fellow tweep who asks “Good morning, who’s awake?’” If I am online or see her tweet, I certainly wish her a great day – even though I am 10 hours ahead of her on the globe.

Want to get new followers or engage more? Participate in a Follow Friday by using #FF or #FollowFriday and mention some of the folks you follow. It is a great way to show appreciation and prove you are not a machine. I believe the word is ‘bot’.

If you start a conversation on Twitter with someone, make sure that you respond to them in a timely manner. One of the best responses I got was a thank you from a lady I endorsed on Follow Friday with an acknowledgement the following week and an apology for the late reply – she had a cold. No guessing who tweeted back a get well soon message!

In my early days of Twitter use, I noticed that there were those who followed me and then un-followed me once I followed back or un-followed me if I did not follow back immediately.

Twitter is not a popularity contest but a powerful social media tool and needs to be acknowledged as such without abuse.

My tip – be authentic, follow those you wish to and don’t get upset if they do not follow you back.

As you continue to use Twitter, you would see new people following you.

Some social media experts say you should do an automatic follow and then remove later on. Unless you have oodles of time on your hand, it is simpler to check out the profiles and tweets of those who follow you and take your own decision whether to follow back.

There is no written rule that you have to follow everyone who follows you. It all depends upon the type of experience you want to have on Twitter. One way would be to follow @karmically!

This post was originally written in February 2013 and has been updated for relevance.