All of us on Twitter know the routine. Someone in our PLN introduces someone and they ask us to say hello. We take a few seconds knowing that someday we will want them to return the favor. We might even go to their profile to see if it is someone that we want to follow. We make a snap decision to follow or not follow very quickly. So what factors determine why we follow some newbies and not others? More than likely we make this decision based on their look and feel of their profile and recent tweets.

The biggest mistake we make when getting someone started on Twitter is we don’t help them complete each step of setting up their profile. For some reason we introduce a new person and ask our PLN to welcome them before they have completed their profile.

Yesterday Glenn Hilton tweeted that 60% of new Twitter users quit within the first month. His tweet was very timely because I had just been asked to welcome several people to Twitter. I said hello to all of them, but did not follow a single one. In fact, I rarely follow people who are new on Twitter? Am I a Twitter snob? Of course not! Why would I follow someone that has not told me anything about themselves? Under most circumstances I will not follow people who violate the following unwritten rules:

1) You must have an image on your profile. The ideal image is one that is a clear shot of your face and you should be the only person in the picture.

2) You have 160 characters to make a first impression. Take full advantage of it and make a good one! Use keywords to identify your passions and interests. Take this opportunity to let people know what you teach, what grade levels you work, and other things that might help you build your PLN.

3) Keep your account public. By setting your tweets to private it gives the impression that you are not trusting. This might sound harsh, but if you are one of those people who is scared some weirdo freak might follow you then you are probably not ready for the power of Twitter.

Those of us who love Twitter sometimes get ahead of ourselves and do not remember that it is not about how many people are following us, but it is about who we follow. We need to keep this in mind when introducing someone to Twitter. If we do not help them with this critical step then they will quit! Make sure you share resources for where to find people on Twitter. Liz Davis started a spreadsheet with names of educators on Twitter. Gina Hartman started Twitter4Teachers, a wiki to help educators connect as well. Both are incredibly valuable and should be used by even seasoned Twitter veterans. Follow Friday tweets are also a way to find educators to follow.

After the person you are mentoring has made some meaningful updates and contributions then introduce them! Throwing them to the Twitterverse before they have had a chance to build their network will hurt them much more than it will help them. Not to mention the fact it will overwhelm them! It is also important to remind newbies that they do have important things to contribute. The people I have introduced to Twitter get hung up on the the thought that they have nothing to share. Patience and encouragement are key when using Twitter.

Also, remember to talk to them about Twitter etiquette. When do you send a DM as opposed to an “@”? What is an RT and when do you do it? This is second nature to veterans, but to Nebiews it is very confusing.

I think following these simple rules will help keep more teachers enough to stick with Twitter.