Like many before me, I recently vowed to delete my Twitter account. It became a routine chore to scroll through the exponential number of subpar thoughts and spam tweets that littered my newsfeed.
I was fully prepared to poke my own eyes out if I had to endure another 140-character anecdote about a Starbucks employee misspelling the Tweeter’s name on her Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino (complete with a color edited twitpic of the coffee cup).
But like many tweeters before me, I realized I am far too weak to permanently part with my account. I conceded by removing the app from my phone. But I am highly considering reinstalling the iconic, white ‘t’ to my home screen. Why? Twitter’s newly added “mute” function. It gives users the sought after opportunity to curb the content that comes through on their news feeds.
What is Twitter's "Mute" Feature?
Twitter’s new “mute” feature gives you the control to remove irritating users from your Twitter radar without having to actually unfollow the accounts. Similarly to unfriending someone on Facebook, you can mute an annoying user by visiting the individual’s profile page. Alternatively, you can select the user’s tweet, click “more,” and choose the option that allows you to mute the offending tweeter.
“Muting” essentially means that you will not be able to see any tweets or retweets made by the account that you have restricted. Additionally, the user will still be able to favorite, retweet, or reply to your tweets, but you will not be alerted of their activity. The beauty of the “mute” feature is that the muted users will not be notified of their virtual muzzle, and you can just as easily unmute users if you begin to acquire a guilty conscience.
How You Can Use Twitter "Mute"
Twitter gives businesses the opportunity to engage with potential clients by providing useful content, as well as seeing what information they are providing. But why should you be expected to suffer through the barrage of irrelevant tweets just to maintain proper Twitter relations with your peers? The “mute” option gives you the opportunity to maintain your presence on Twitter without being inundated with the useless content that currently plagues your timeline.
Use this feature to censor the coworker that becomes a serial tweeter during the NFL Draft or the client that has the compulsive need to live tweet every statement a speaker makes at marketing conferences. The “mute” button can act as a permanent fix to the family friend that retweets her horoscope on a daily basis, but it can also be used as a temporary fix to a temporary nuisance. If they refuse to be silent, well, now you can make them.
Twitter Etiquette in the Workplace
The problem with social media is that there becomes a million and one more ways you can offend coworkers in your agency or even clients. This can be attributed to something as trivial as not endorsing them on LinkedIn or neglecting to return the follow on their Instagram accounts. In the Twittersphere, an unfollow is the ultimate slap in the face. If you were to repeatedly follow and unfollow a user based on their degree of annoyingness on your timeline, it is safe to say you would begin to burn bridges at an alarming rate. The “mute” feature allows you to gain access to useful content more easily, while maintaining proper social media etiquette in the workplace.
Word of advice: don’t mute your mother. You may miss an important reply tweet regarding a change of venue for Christmas dinner.
Check out Twitter’s most recent development and let us know what you think!