Tweet, Tweet: A Crash Course in Twitter for Nonprofits

1. Plain or "Web 1.0" posts
Pro: Clearly communicates that your post is intended for all followers. Inviting.
Con: Followers could perceive you as self-centered if the majority of your posts are all one-way (Web 1.0).

"Web 2.0 is basically a two-way path. It's where people are contributing content, giving each other feedback and having discussions online, back and forth, rather than just a big Web site and e-mail that's pushing out one way," Haydon said.

"So, a plain Web 1.0 post is where you just literally make a statement on Twitter. This is basically a one-way communication. It's a good way for people to come in and connect with your nonprofit," Haydon said. "But, ultimately, the content that you're leading people to has to be valuable."

2. Retweet or "good karma" posts
Pro: Creates good karma by forwarding valuable tweets (Twitter posts) to other Twitter users. There is the potential for articles to go viral and be seen by thousands of people.

"Let's say that I'm following Rebecca. Rebecca says, 'Hey, it's so hot right now, I'm sweating. I need some ice cream.' And then she has a link to the best ice cream in the world. What I do is I say, 'Wow, I bet a lot of people following me would be interested in that because they may also be hot as well.' Or at least they like ice cream. So, what I do is I literally just put an RT at the beginning of her tweet," Haydon said.

Putting RT (signifying "retweet") at the beginning is meant to encourage your followers to continue the good karma and retweet the post to their followers. Good, valuable content gets retweeted the most, Haydon added.

Con: "Can create a karmic drain if you do this a lot," he said. "Asking someone to repost something to their followers is asking them a big favor."