If you’re on Twitter, odds are that you have experienced someone “live tweeting” from a conference or event.  This real-time “play-by-play” can be very useful, especially when you don’t have the time or budget to physically attend keynotes, meetups and panel discussions that are local or somewhere around the world.

I follow a variety of people on Twitter and many of them practice the live tweet.  This is incredibly resourceful and I commend those for taking the time to share the compelling nuggets they deem appropriate.

As a frequent participant of at least a half-dozen events each month, there are times when I may tweet some thought-provoking statements, market statistics or interesting points of view discussed at the podium.  Hopefully, my followers appreciate the effort.

But what happens when the person doing the live tweeting goes toxic?  I have witnessed a few instances when live tweeters have become virtual hecklers, and while their opinion might be valid, it all comes down to the delivery.

This brings me to my point.  When live tweeting, use the ethic of reciprocity also known as the Golden Rule.

Editorializing your live tweets and providing an opinion is perfectly fine.  Challenging a person’s position and offering your own perspective is always welcome, however tact and diplomacy are equally important in conveying credibility.

So the next time you find yourself live tweeting, remember to follow the credo: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Your online reputation depends on it.

Check out the following articles on live tweeting:

• New Tricks: How to Live-Tweet an Event by Daniel B. Honigman and Robert Quigley
• The Double Life of a Live Tweet by Jason Baer
• Photo Credit: AP
  

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