If you were to count the number of accounts that Twitter bans each day, there’s a good chance that you might lose count during it. Since its release in 2007, Twitter has attracted both celebrities and average Joe’s to its micro-blogging platform. While Twitter has been used in an assortment of ways by individuals, people forget that Twitter does have rules. As lax as you think Biz Stone and his team may be when it comes to security, Twitter doesn’t mind booting your account out of the Twitterverse.

No matter how much you cry and rant about how Twitter banned your account, the fact remains that to Twitter you are drop in an ocean. So what can you do? Well, one of the best ways is to know the rules themselves and what you shouldn’t do.

1. The Elvis Impersonator

If this were Hollywood, saying you were Elvis Presley probably wouldn’t surprise anyone. But this isn’t Hollywood and no matter how good you are at singing Jail House Rock, Twitter has no problem making the “fake” Elvis disappear.

Always remember that if you are going to make an account saying you are John Doe, that is who you should be. Twitter has cracked down heavily on impersonations which was brought to light earlier this year by MLB coach Tony La Russa.

2. The Drug Dealer On Twitter

If you want to get banned, the fastest way to do this is to try and use Twitter for illegal activities. While this may seem like an obvious way to get the red flag thrown up, the other day I noticed someone trying to find marijuana locally. Remember that Twitter is geared toward content that is generally suitable for all ages.

3. Becoming a Twitter “Spammer”

If you look at Twitter’s rules, one area that most accounts get banned for is what Twitter deems as ‘spam.’ Twitter goes in-depth on this topic by outlining what is classified as ‘spam’ in their opinion:

If you have followed a large amount of users in a short amount of time;

If you have followed and unfollowed people in a short time period, particularly by automated means (aggressive follower churn);

If you repeatedly follow and unfollow people, whether to build followers or to garner more attention for your profile;

If you have a small number of followers compared to the amount of people you are following;

If your updates consist mainly of links, and not personal updates;

If a large number of people are blocking you;

The number of spam complaints that have been filed against you;

If you post duplicate content over multiple accounts or multiple duplicate updates on one account;

If you post multiple unrelated updates to a topic using #;

If you post multiple unrelated updates to a trending or popular topic;

If you send large numbers of duplicate @replies;

If you send large numbers of unsolicited @replies in an attempt to spam a service or link;

If you add a large number of unrelated users to lists in an attempt to spam a service or link;

If you repeatedly post other users’ Tweets as your own;

If you have attempted to “sell” followers, particularly through tactics considered aggressive following or follower churn;

Using or promoting third-party sites that claim to get you more followers (such as follower trains, sites promising “more followers fast,” or any other site that offers to automatically add followers to your account).

While this list may be long, it is one that everyone should read. While I have yet to hear of a user getting banned for using the wrong # topic, it goes to show that Twitter has an excuse to ban you for just about anything.

4. Inactive

If you’ve been gone for 6 months and haven’t accessed your account since that time, then you should start thinking about creating a new one. Always remember that if you want to keep your account, that you should at least log in to it from time to time. One mistake that often happens is that someone will create an account with a name they like, but won’t log back in till later in the year. By that time, both your account and the name you want will be gone and possibly be taken by someone else.

5. Don’t Call Yourself @PepsiCola

Sure it would be fun to have your Twitter account be “PepsiCola,” but the second that Pepsi decides they want a Twitter account, be prepared to lose it. According to Twitter policy, “Twitter reserves the right to reclaim user names on behalf of businesses or individuals that hold legal claim or trademark on those user names.”

This policy is extremely valuable for companies as it not only allows them to claim Twitter account names that they would like to use, but it also allows them to protect their brand by claiming an official account.

Joseph is the Director of Marketing at Viralogy.com & works in social media & sports consulting. Read more about him at http://JosephAYi.com

Tags: Account Banned, Policy, Privacy, Suspension, Twitter