There’s a common Igbo proverb I tend to recall fondly. It says, Agaracha must come back. The phrase, agaracha literally translates to, the one who moves around, the wanderer, the restless. The idea of this phrase is obvious, no matter how much ‘shakara’ a person does, eventually, they will get tired. Even the adventurers must find a place that they can return to. So, my did I think of this phrase? My sister! It’s Naija government o. You have probably heard the statement in which Naija government officials finally announced the lifting of the Twitter ban. It’s also possible you don’t know what I’m talking about because, the government banned Twitter from Nigeria but could not ban Nigerians from Twitter. LOL. What made the action rile many young people was because it was a very undemocratic move, intended to censor young Nigerians doing activism in Nigeria. It was also a way, in my opinion, to hold Twitter accountable for serving as the platform in which the EndSARS protests was spurred.
Like I said, they banned Twitter from Nigeria, but they could not ban Nigerians from Twitter. Thanks to VPNS, even government accounts were posting via Twitter during the ban. The whole thing be like feem. Lol. Anyway, now that Twitter is now officially official, you might be wondering – what does that change? It’s not like we didn’t all have VPNs. True sis, but in the spirit of the new year, we wanted to remind you a few ways that you can take advantage of Twitter to grow your personal brand, in addition to all the other ways you already enjoy Twitter.
Use the brand name you prefer as your Twitter handle
Seriously babes. All those coded CIA names are not really helping your brand. It’s almost as effective as having a website, to have your profile identity consistent across all social platforms. Keep your handle direct and easy to memorize. We know you want to use the secret pet name your mother called you when you were in her womb, but there’s no need for that. Lol.
Take advantage of the bio function
Yes, we know there’s all that character limit. But it only means you should get creative. There’s no reason you should be an Engineer on LinkedIn and be a samurai on Twitter. Give us a splash of what you do even if not in detail. Also, Jesus follower doesn’t count as a bio. Please sis. Let’s be professional. If you want to include your faith, why not say something like faith inspired Tech designer? Something along those lines.
Don’t be a ghost
We know those of you who are always lurking. You are so fascinated with the people you follow that you share all their tweets and post none of yours. It’s time to become a person with real thoughts and opinions. You can retweet ideas you agree with, but it’d be even better to give it your own unique context. Tell us why it resonates with you etc.
Don’t compromise your integrity
Nothing puts people off fast enough than seeing a handle they respect perpetuate fake news. Even if the news seems accurate but is unverifiable, don’t share it. Wait until there’s a published news source.
Know when you have become the mob
Yes, somebody did or said what they were not supposed to. Yes, everyone is angry. Yes, as an upstanding citizen of society, you must weigh in on this opinion. But please stop, ask yourself what can be gained by joining a mob of angry blind accusers. There’s a temptation for netizens to become both judge and jury in social issues, but the truth is, it’s just another of public lynching. You don’t have to agree, but you know, just think about it.