How to check who can send you Twitter DMs

A couple of years ago Twitter announced it was introducing a function that enabled accounts to receive Direct Messages from people that weren't following them. It was met with general apathy and seemed to be dropped. It's now back in action.

The initial worries I've seen expressed are that it would open the floodgates to being spammed by all and sundry. It's worth noting that you have have to opt in to the new service.

If you're concerned and want to check, then just go into your settings and select "security and privacy". At the bottom of the page there will be an option like this:

If you don't want to receive DMs from people you don't follow, just make sure the box is unchecked.

A few people have questioned why anyone would want to get DMs from complete strangers. If you run a busy customer service feed then I can see that it would be advantageous to be able to get DMs from people without having to ask them to follow you. Other than that, the uptake seems to be limited.

What do you think? Will you be opting in?

Twitter simple essentials

If you want to be a success on Twitter then there a number of quick and easy things you can do to ease your way into the community. Here are a few essentials to get you started:

Don't be an egg!
Make time to upload a picture for your avatar. If you're shy about using a picture of yourself at first, then use a logo or a picture of your premises or a flower, a dolphin, a cat... you get the idea. I personally wouldn't use a picture of a child - ever - on Twitter, but that's your call. (Remember, I advised against it though!)

There is a perception, common to inveterate Tweeters, that 'eggs' are accounts that aren't to be taken seriously.


A coherent biography
If your tongue is firmly in your cheek when calling yourself a ninja or a guru then you might get away with it. On the whole, an honest description of what you do will go down much better. Don't forget to add your web address too.


No Auto-DMs
I've blogged in more detail on this subject here. To save repetition, the summary is: Don't automatically send a direct message to everyone that follows you.


Talk to people as well as broadcasting
If your timeline is full of self-promotional tweets then people are less likely to interact with you. If they see you talk to other people, they're more likely to talk to you.


Check your feed
Not looking at your Twitter feed because, for example, it automatically echoes your Facebook feed is a waste of Twitter. You may well be spewing out content, but your engagement levels are non-existent. People that love Twitter communicate on Twitter as their first choice. They don't want to have to log-in to Facebook to talk to you about something they read on your Twitter feed.


Update regularly
If you don't say anything for weeks at a time, people will be used to you not answering and not joining in the conversation. Also, what does it say about your business? It implies that you can't be bothered to finish what you started. "Reserving your name" on Twitter if you have no intention of using it can impact negatively on your company image.


Enjoy yourself
Twitter can be interesting and fun. if your timeline doesn't interest you then it's time to unfollow a few people and find somebody else to talk to!

Avoiding the DM spam

With the current rash of compromised accounts it seems timely to remind people what sort of things to look for to avoid being phished. (not hacked - see previous post!)

Account harvesters rely on social engineering to get you to give them your ID and password. By making it seem that a contact is sending you the message it gives you a false sense of security. You're far more likely to sign in to a site your 'friend' has recommended.

When you get a random tweet in your public timeline with just a link on it, from someone you don't know, then it's easy to spot. When you receive a tweet or Direct message from someone you know it's less easy to spot. Here's a few things to think about:

• Is it 'out of character'?
• Would they normally use the public timeline and not Direct Message?
• Is the spelling OK?
• Have you seen any 'chatter' on Twitter about DM spam?

Sites such as Mashable often lead with stories of the latest phishing outbreaks (such as "is this you"). Take a look before you click.

If you've clicked on a link and are asked to 'sign in to twitter to see this page' (or similar) think carefully before you do. Check the web address: is it really an official twitter site? Chances are it's a disguised web address to try and fool you into parting with your log on details.

Sometimes, smartphones do take you to the twitter.com site rather than open the page in the app you're using - this is a rare occurrence and, in general, you're safer not logging in.

If you're in any doubt, tweet the person back and confirm whether or not it's really from them.


So, the worst happens and your account starts spewing spam, now what?

Change your password.

It's also a really good idea to go into the settings page on your Twitter account and revoke access as well.