Twitter is a fantastic way to learn, stay informed, and keep up with friends. But as the popularity of Twitter grows, so too does the base of people who follow you on the site. It’s no longer limited to people that you’ve met in real life and major news outlets, and as a result people will undoubtedly become more selective about who they follow. This is where some general guidelines to using Twitter come into play. Below are some dos and don’ts on using Twitter to help ensure that you get the most from your tweeting experience.

Don’t: Omit an avatar

This is a social-networking site, so be social and share a bit of yourself. When considering your avatar, omit annoying animated GIFs or loud and flashy images. Upload your photo or a picture that is representative of you to your profile. People appreciate the ability to put a face to your tweets.

Do: Fill out your bio and include a link

Why should people be interested in following you? This is where can let the entire world know. Put a link to one of your Web properties. If you don’t have a blog to link to, link to your LinkedIn or Facebook profile or something that is important or meaningful to you. The key is to make sure that you’ve personalized your Twitter page with some information that gives people on Twitter a reason to follow you.

Don’t: Be a self-promoter

Only promoting your own links and comments without adding anything else back to the community is a big no-no on Twitter. It’s is a two-way communication tool, not a platform to send out one-way broadcasts—this only works if you’re the New York Times, and, trust me, you aren’t. We all promote our own posts on Twitter, but if that’s all you do, no one is going to want to listen to you—you are pure noise.

Do: Share and give back to the community

Did you find an interesting article, funny video, or unique Web site? Share it with your followers. Chances are, if they follow you, you’ve got some similar interests, and they will appreciate the offering of new information and experiences. This is a great way to make yourself interesting and ultimately make yourself follow-worthy.

Don’t: Get tweet happy

Twitter is indeed a communications platform, but most people don’t enjoy having their entire Twitter feed filled by your constant ramblings. This is a pretty subjective one, but if you put out more than about 15 tweets (excluding replies) a day, they’ve got to be insightful and a mixture of a give, take, and sharing of information.

Do: Retweet

Retweet and reply to people in your Twitter stream. The brilliance of Twitter is the two-way nature of the platform. Engage in conversations and retweet messages that you think are great to spread. Hold back on having a full fledged conversation over Twitter though. That is what IM is for.

Don’t: Auto-DM (spam) new followers

This is pure spam—especially if you are promoting your product or service. This is the first point of contact with someone who has deemed you worth following; don’t make them rethink following you by spamming them. Most people will almost always immediately cease to follow someone who does this.

Do: Get to know new followers

Sending new followers a custom message that shows that you’ve spent at least two minutes getting to know who they are (read their blog, take a look at their Web site, et cetera) is a great way to show that you are interested in them. This also goes for someone you want to follow and have follow you back in return.

Test these dos and don’ts by jumping in and becoming an active member of the Twitter community!

Jenn Lowther is the director of social media marketing at Vancouver-based 6S Marketing. Check Jenn out on Twitter at twitter.com/jennmae.