By: Constant Contact

Twitter is often compared to a cocktail party, where friends gather to share information and people connect through common interests.

But if you’re new to the party, there’s a good chance you’re going to make some mistakes.

These aren’t those Twitter mistakes that you read about in the paper or see on TMZ.

These are simple and easy-to-fix mistakes that are often made by people who just don’t know any better. (For me, it took having my boss at my first social media gig telling me to watch my spelling and to lay off the exclamation points.)

For you, I asked around at Constant Contact to see if anyone had any input on mistakes that make businesses look dumb on Twitter. (Also, check out 25 Things that Make You Look Dumb on Facebook.)

Here are 25 things to be aware of on Twitter:

1. Not leaving enough space to retweet. The first lesson every Twitter newbie should learn: just because you have 140 characters, doesn’t mean you need to use them all. It’s usually a good idea to keep posts to about 120 characters to allow people who retweet with the RT format the ability to do so without having to edit your tweet for length.
2. Not shortening links in your Tweets. This is one of the most common mistakes and it doesn’t need to be. Check out link shorteners like bit.ly or ow.ly. You’ll also be able to track the number of clicks the links you’re sharing get with these tools.
3. Looooong Twitter handles. Are you noticing a pattern? If your handle is longer than the first half of your tweet, you’re losing valuable space. Keep handles as short as possible so you have enough room to actually write something.
4. Too much self promotion. A little self promotion is good for any business but if your timeline is riddled with “I’s or We’s” and your only retweets are about you, then you’re doing too much. Follow the 80/20 rule. Post 80% helpful or entertaining content and save 20% for the self-promotional stuff.
5. #HashtagAbuse. Hashtags are without a doubt the most interesting part of Twitter. But in addition to sometimes being hilarious, they are extremely helpful for organization purposes. Don’t abuse the hashtag, save it for when you need it.

Profile:  After 13 years of email marketing, this website is my personal way of giving back to a noisy, fragmented industry driven by commoditized CPM rates. If you are a part of the email marketing industry or an email marketer at heart, I invite you to participate in this project and become a contributor/author to The Email Guide Blog. Website:  http://www.theemailguide.com Twitter:   http://www.twitter.com/theemailguide LinkedIn:   http://ca.linkedin.com/in/chiefemailofficer

Other post by this Author Boost Conversion and Deliverability with 3 Email Marketing Rules by Jeff Ginsberg @Dad_FTW MailerMailer - How to Choose an Email Color Scheme HubSpot - How Opting People OUT Can Actually Improve Your Email Marketing