Cookerly PR recently blogged about social media etiquette (http://tinyurl.com/7hmfn8m), specifically addressing the issue of whether a retweet should be thanked in a tweet? Or is it frustrating for others to clog a cluttered stream of comments with a thank you?

In PR land, it’s an intrinsic part of our job to maintain good relations and epitomise a positive brand image, whether that be in the digital sphere, editorially or face-to-face.  Of course, the immediacy required within digital communications increases the pressures we encounter. It can be an ongoing challenge to consider the most appropriate way to react to digital activity. It’s essential to consider what we want to say, how we wish to phrase it, and indeed, on occasions, whether we should say it at all!

Today, it can be all too easy to harm a brand’s reputation with just the click of a button, spurred by a quick reaction.

As communications professionals, we must adhere to an unspoken code of courteousness.

Whilst the social media realm opens up new and untapped territory regarding etiquette, and one that we must approach with an air of caution, in reality it is simple. Just as we would thank someone for doing something we appreciate in daily life, we should also do so in the digital world (and we don’t require Debrett’s to tell us that!). The only difference is that we should consider how we communicate so as not to infringe on others (which is where direct messaging comes in use)!

In summary, as long apply the common sense rule we utilise every day – think before you react – we can all twitter happily ever after.