GUIDE TO TWITTER ETIQUETTE AND W-INDS.
Recently, there's been some really inappropriate behavior happening in the w-inds. twitter world. In light of Keita's recent tweet, we want to take the opportunity to address behaviors that we ourselves find upsetting. We cannot speak for w-inds., but just as decent human beings and fans.
Among the w-inds. world, there are lots of cultural differences. Maybe these kinds of things are okay where you live, but in general they are unacceptable.
**The "you" in this guide is directed at guilty people only. If you haven't done any of this, you shouldn't be offended.
DO NOTs:
1)
DO NOT tweet "Why are you ignoring me?" (begging for replies)
Previously, on any given day, this particular tweet could be seen many, many times. And it's rude. While it is exciting to receive a reply from a member of w-inds., you are not entitled to getting a reply from them. Again, YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO GETTING A REPLY FROM W-INDS.! Some people are lucky and receive more than one reply from them. To a point, feelings of envy are understandable, but you should never express that to w-inds. themselves. That's childish.
Everyone needs to understand that these three guys are ridiculously busy and any time they take out for "Twitter Time" is usually out of their own personal time they should be using to relax. They don't HAVE to use twitter, therefore they don't HAVE to reply to you. So please, don't create a stressful atmosphere for them here.
2)
DO NOT tweet "I hate you" (bashing and saying hurtful things)
Often times as a result of the "ignoring" mentioned above, people start to write angry tweets to w-inds. Countless times the words "I hate you" have been directed at the w-inds. members, mostly in an attempt to grab their attention. Some people would stop at nothing to get attention from them, even if it's negative. If you care about someone, how could you say such mean things to them? How would you feel if you went on twitter to relax after a hard day of work and you had thirty tweets from Keita saying "I hate you" "You're the worst" "You suck"? Try to put yourself in their shoes.
For people who don't like w-inds., of course they are entitled to their opinions, but when people who claim to be fans say hurtful things and bash them out of their own selfishness, it's sickening. Those people should be very ashamed.
3) DO NOT ATTACK PEOPLE WHO ARE ASSOCIATED WITH W-INDS.!!
There are some people with a jealous streak that like to say threatening things or harass people who associate or work with w-inds. Usually those targeted are females, and some fans get jealous of their relationship. This is psychopathic behavior and is unacceptable. Period.
4)
DO NOT tweet "You should go to bed now!!!" "Don't eat that, you'll get fat!" (Mothering tweets)
While it's understandable and even sweet that people care so much about w-inds.'s well-being, you are not their mother, wife, or girlfriend, so please don't act like you are. They are 25 and 26 years old, they've survived life on this planet successfully so far, they don't need anyone's help unless they ask for it. They are free to live life how they want to do it, for better or for worse, and they don't need anybody's approval.
5)
DO NOT tweet "Yeah...you're good, but [insert artist name] is better." or "You guys could have done ____ better."
w-inds. is the most self-aware artist there is. They are completely aware of their own shortcomings and they are working very hard every day to overcome them. These kinds of tweets do nothing but demotivate them. Think about how what you're saying would make them feel before you say it.
6) DO NOT spam w-inds.
To a degree, we're all guilty of this. We get excited and we tweet w-inds. a lot. Hashtag projects? Complete spam. This is fine, but what might be a little annoying is seeing the same exact tweet over and over and over again, even on our own timelines. They check their @ replies. They see what you're saying. If they don't wish to reply, they aren't going to do so. Don't pester them.
7) DO NOT tweet "Is it true???" (Tweets about rumors) added 2.18.2011
There comes a time in every famous person's career when he or she is the subject of rumors and/or is targeted by tabloids. When this happens to w-inds., the best course of action is to NOT SAY ANYTHING AT ALL,
especially NOT to w-inds. themselves! If they aren't talking about the rumor publicly, it means
they don't want to address it. And even if you mean well by telling them you support them in the matter, they'd actually probably prefer not to have drawn your attention to it in the first place. And honestly, it's their PRIVATE life... while we're curious, they can do whatever they want with or without anyone's permission. We don't have any right to know what they do off stage, it's completely their business. It's better to focus on the music and their performances and support them that way. Let's do our best to respect their privacy.
DOs:
1)DO tweet interesting things at them.
If you want a reply, the best way to get one is to actually give them something to which they actually CAN reply. Ask them a question, tell them your opinions about their music (politely). Show them something funny.
2) Please DO be aware that due to language barriers, your humor or jokes may not translate well.
Something you might mean to say as a joke might actually be considered to be really rude. If you're not sure if they will understand that what you're saying is a joke, put "Just kidding" after it. Make it clear.
3) Please DO be supportive.
Wish them luck before their performances, give them encouragement and energy to go on with their work.
4) Please DO treat w-inds. how you as a person would like to be treated.
Yes, they are celebrities, but at the end of the day, they're people too. Respect breeds respect, hate breeds hate. Just be considerate.
5) Please DO remember that English is NOT their native language and they use it as a service to foreign fans, so please be understanding and SUPPORTIVE of their efforts to use English without being overly critical of their mistakes.
I hope we all can be respectful to w-inds. and to each other from now on.
Thank you for reading this.
-Ash and Melissa
