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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Twitter Etiquette - What to do when someone "Favorites" your post

As asked by a friend:

Q: I need your input... when someone "favorites" one of your tweets, what is or is there a response "protocol"?


A: I think when Twitter first launched the "favorite" feature, they intended it to serve as a bookmark for its users. When you favorite a tweet, you are able to access it again at a later date by clicking on "favorites" on your Twitter homepage, you are able to see those tweets that you favorited.

However, over time, people started using the "favorite" feature as a way to show that they liked a post. Lately, I've noticed that most people are using the "favorite" feature to show their appreciation, approval, or simply their acknowledgement of a post.

What do I do in response? It depends on the situation.

1. Nothing.
2. Look at their recent tweets, and return the favor by favoriting one of their tweets.
3. Retweet one of their tweets.

Options 2 and 3 help to create greater engagement between you and the other Twitter user, plus it helps to increase their visibility on Twitter.

I rarely rely to say "thanks" for someone favoriting a Tweet, because that is not really necessary. It would be like sending a thank you not for receiving a thank you note.

Now, I'd like my Twitter peeps to weigh in: how do you respond (if at all) when someone favorites one of your tweets? 

Tweet your response using the hashtag #FavoriteEtiquette and I'll RT you and give you a "favorite."

https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23FavoriteEtiquette&src=typd