Roger Ebert’s 8 Rules For Using Twitter

Much-loved film critic Roger Ebert died on Thursday after a long battle with thyroid cancer.  Surgery in 2006 had left him unable to speak, but he continued to be a prominent user of social media, and Twitter was a particular favourite. 

Indeed, after some initial resistance, with Ebert proclaiming that he would “never become a Twit” and that Twitter represented “the end of civilisation”, he would go on to write more than 30,000 tweets before his death. 

In a 2010 entry for the Chicago Sun-Times, the newspaper where he had been writing about movies since 1967, Ebert outlined how he used Twitter.  There’s a lot to learn from and admire here (and I urge you to read the article in full), especially for newcomers to the platform. 

Roger Ebert’s 8 Rules For Using Twitter

1. “ I tweet in basic English.” 

“Twitter is now a part of my daystream.  I check in first thing every morning, and return at least once an hour until bedtime.  I’m offline, of course, during movies, and don’t even usually take my iPhone.” 

2. “ I avoid abbreviations and ChatSpell.” 

“One of the problems with written notes and computer voices is that, by their nature, their timing doesn’t work.  I used to have good timing.  Now in real life a conversation will be whizzing along and a line will pop into my head and by the time I write it down and get someone to read it, the moment and the context will have disappeared.  Often everything will grind to a halt while I remind people what I was referring to.  With a Tweet, what you are saying is all right there.  Not an interruption.  Not late.  Not badly timed.  Just itself.  I can have timing on Twitter that is impossible to me in life.” 

3. “ I go for complete sentences.” 

“I like people who tweet great links.  I follow a lot of men, but I’m convinced women make the best tweeters.  They tweet more about life, and less about facts.  All I can say is, if I follow you, that speaks for itself.” 

4. “ I try to make my links worth a click.” 

“There are millions of Tweeters, or Twits, as I prefer to think of us, and no doubt many of them are bores.  Try reading the real-time stream if you dare.  Those I follow give value for time.  I’ll get a retweet from someone, and if I like it, I’ll go to that person’s Twitter page and scan 20-30 Tweets and make a judgment call.  Some of my discoveries may only have a dozen followers, but I have a sixth sense.  What I look for are people who generate a fair percentage of Tweets while speaking in their own voices.” 

5. “ I am not above snark, no matter what I may have written in the past.” 

“Twitter for me performs the function of a running conversation.  For someone who cannot speak, it allows a way to unload my zingers and one-liners.” 

6. “ I tweet my interests, including science and politics, as well as the movies.” 

“I actually go looking for stuff to tweet.  I have good friends who suggest things.  I will tweet a link someone suggests on this blog.  I will tweet good lines from comments here (with credit).  I like to retweet.” 

7. “ I try to keep links to stuff on my own site down to around 5 or 10%.”