How to behave on Twitter if you are in the public eye.

Yet everybody just feels like they can relate,

I guess words are a mothafucka they can be great
Or they can degrade, or even worse they can teach hate
It's like these kids hang on every single statement we make

-Eminem, Sing for the Moment

You are a well-known figure to some. Perhaps not a household name per se, but many, many people know your name. Some can place your name to your face, just about. Some place it to another part of your anatomy. Others don't have a clue who you are.

You're a porn star.

It doesn't matter what you do for a living per se, but what's relevant is that you are well-known. You're in the public eye. And, like us everyday folk, you have your self-image to be conscious of. You've just got a bigger PR issue. If you slip up, there's a bigger chance that some idiot out there will rip into you.

Are you listening, Ava Addams? I am that idiot.

If you tweet about being at the gym, there's a good chance that someone will comment on your tweet. Lots of men go to the gym. Lots of men follow you. Men like to show off their knowledge. I know I do. That's why I dropped you a line. When you then responded with “look dude I don't need your advice ok”, you were asking for a reprisal. I could have been a total arsehole. But no. I have twitiquette.

I explained I was only trying to help. (Okay. I wanted to talk to a “famous” person. I'm like that.) You responded again.

“I'm sorry but do you even know me or did I ask, no!”

Well, Ava. It depends on how you define “know.”

I explained that you had publicised what you were doing on Twitter. You had to expect a response. As shallow as it sounds, don't we all update social networking profiles for attention? Humans are very sociable creatures. We like to interact. There's no shame in it, most of the time.

Twitter, as opposed to Facebook, is for people who use the internet with a sense of purpose. Tweeters spread information. We tweet links to web articles, to videos, to photographs. Usually, we want to inform and enlighten their followers. It's worth holding that in mind before you tweet- especially before you go mental at someone in HTML form.

On the flip side, a very short but polite twitter convo can really make someone's day. I've seen retweets by celebs much more famous than those I've heard from. Sometimes someone has tweeted to a celeb, got a response, then tweeted again to say, Holy shit! I've just got a tweet from @InsertFamousPersonHere! The celeb has then doubled their fan's pleasure by retweeting that update too. Twitter brings celebs closer to their fans. This might demystify the celebs somewhat. It might please the punters more. It might be that celebs find it a waste of time. I wouldn't know. But surely the way you behave online should reflect how you would behave in the “real” world. Talking to people through this medium doesn't cost anything.

Neither do manners.