But there is a certain unspoken code of conduct on Twitter, which new users (whether big companies that are looking for new customers or just individual people who want to connect with their friends) don’t know anything about, so they end up making exactly the same mistakes. This happens over and over again on new accounts, and it can really hurt your reputation if you’re just starting out and are already getting into trouble.

Here are the 5 most common mistakes of new Twitter users, which you should remember and avoid:

1.       Not using an avatar, a good, descriptive bio and a custom profile background.

This is the number one “Why do they do it?” mistake made mostly by individuals (companies at least bother to use a logo). It is very easy and fast to upload a picture (which you use on other sites or just a photo of yourself; if you don’t like it, you can change it later) and write up a short, but descriptive bio. You know what is most commonly associated with missing avatars? Spammer accounts. Just take some time and do it so you won’t regret it later. As for the profile background, it is actually optional, but it will really make you look more professional or organized if you use a custom one.

 2.       Trying to get popular people to reply to you.

It’s OK if you write a good, informative or interesting message to a few persons you want to friend (or are already following and want them to follow you back), but when you start poking everyone popular just to get them to notice you and possibly reply, you’re kind of crossing the line. The same goes for tweeting controversial or offensive stuff like “I think he was fined for DUI yesterday” just to get someone popular to reply (which would make those that follow him notice you, though I doubt they’ll ever want to be friends with you).

 3.       Not sharing interesting stuff.

Twitter is not just for personal or business use. You can’t talk only about yourself, your products or other people and expect to have a lot of followers. And you should not provide only value (as weird as that sounds); interesting, funny and quite useless stories and news must also be shared. This will make you seem more personal to other people, and will raise your status from “Useful, but boring, cool…” to “Wow, Useful and fun!”, which is, of course, a good thing.

 4.       Not engaging in conversations.

Don’t stick to just one-way or two-way messages. Engage in a group discussion around an event or something that interests you. This will help you get noticed and be more popular. But please, don’t just do it for the sake of doing it (like tweeting “Cool, thanks” or “OK, good bye”, they’re not helpful and are just confusing sometimes).

 5.       Not seeing Twitter as a primary communication tool.

Twitter is not a novelty anymore. Hundreds of millions of people are using it, with thousands new users joining daily. Just like Youtube is the number one tool for video sharing and LinkedIn is the most popular business/personal profile service, so is Twitter the main way to engage and communicate with friends, partners, consumers or businesses.

Remember the above points and don’t repeat them on your new profile like thousands of other people still do, and you will raise a rank above, guaranteed.