Twitter usage guidelines

Well I have been away on the road for the last couple of weeks at the annual internal Microsoft Sales conference in Atlanta and then in Seattle for TechReady - an internal tech conference.  So I have been too busy to post, but had a great time catching up with many contacts from around the globe and learning about lots of things that I cannot tell you about!

However, while clearing out my backlog of emails and unread posts I came across this from UK Digital Engagement blog - Template Twitter strategy for Government Departments which weighs in at 20 pages.  Some of the uses of the document are:

• To get buy-in, explain Twitter's importance to non-believers and the uninitiated, and face down accusations of bandwagon-jumping
• To set clear objectives and metrics to make sure there's a return on the investment of staff time (and if there isn’t, we’ll stop doing it)
• To make sure the channel is used consistently and carefully, to protect corporate reputation from silly mistakes or inappropriate use
• To plan varied and interesting content, and enthuse those who will provide it into actively wanting to do so.
• As a briefing tool for new starters in the team who will be involved in the management of the channel

I have had a quick skim read, but it looks like there are many sensible suggestions for organisations that are entering into or thinking of entering into the twittering world.