Direct Messages (DMs) are a mechanism to connect with followers (and those you follow) directly.

They can also be a huge time sink or potentially an avenue for harassment.

My general rule for DMs is that I only use them for work that needs to be done in a private or a direct one to one manner.

A huge benefit of Twitter is that I can craft a tweet, and half a million people can see it. Were I to try and reach half a million people via DMs and it took me two minutes to read and respond to each one, it would take me about 695 days to respond to them. And that is without sleeping, eating, doing work, or anything else.

You can craft your own rules for using DMs but remember that Twitter is a powerful lever to broadcast your message. DMs are just another one to one communication platform.

Having said that, I've been able to book podcast appearances, conference talks, consulting, and work engagements.

Finally, if you repeatedly get the same questions via DMs, consider using that as content for tweets. (Add it to your swipe file.)

Your homework today: