Twitter is an excellent tool to connect with people directly and in real time. Saying thank you is very much part of Twitter etiquette. Not only does it show that there is a human person behind the Twitter feed but also it can be a nice way to start a conversation and get to know people better.

There are various ways of showing appreciation on Twitter. I have listed five below, but there are many more.

1. Saying “thank you” for a retweet / RT or a @mention

If someone retweets your tweets or @mention you to their followers, you can show your gratitude by sending them a thank you tweet.

A retweet is usually preceded by “RT” and “@[username],” to give credit to the original poster. A mention is when you talk about someone else by using @[username] in your tweet.

2. Adding someone to a Twitter list

A list on Twitter is a way to organise the people you are following or you are interested in. You could create a public list of people you think other Twitter users may want to follow directly. For example, one of my lists is @IsabelleBano/business-info-smes. It’s a group of service providers and business owners who share resources for small businesses.

3. Retweet someone else’s tweets

If you want to return the favour to someone on Twitter, why not retweet their tweets? This works well, especially when the content is valuable to your followers. They may choose to follow the person or company you are recommending. This referral may bring more followers to the person you want to thank.

4. Follow Friday #ff, #FF

On Twitter, Friday is the opportunity to make a nice gesture and thank helpful people or someone you particularly like. Best practice would be to recommend one person per tweet, along with the reason for your mention.

5. Follow someone back

If someone has added you to their list for example, and you are interested in their Twitter stream, following them back is also a good way to show some appreciation.