We've seen people make mistakes on Twitter. We've seen people publicly shamed. We've seen folks lose their jobs because of saying the wrong thing in a very public way.
Twitter is volatile place. Lena Dunham just quit Twitter because of the abusive things people say on it.
It can be particularly volatile for politicians. But it is always a great way for politicians to connect with the electorate. So what's a politician to do? Twitter will tell you.
An NPR article recently reveals that Twitter "has a very special handbook just for people running for elected office. And it's 136 pages long."
The manual has been "wildly popular," according to Bridget Coyne, a manager on Twitter's Government and Elections Partnership Team, which the manual together.
So what does it recommend exactly?
On page 9, it reads:
"The best way to earn a voter's support is no different today than it was a century ago: a simple handshake and a look in the eye. But it is hard to scale such retail politicking to the entire voting public ... Twitter helps fill the void, enabling a virtual "handshake" and conversation at a scale not possible even a generation ago. Through these small, easy interactions, elected officials and their constituents regain some of the meaningful contact lost over the years, and can do it from anywhere."
On page Page 87, it reads:
"Expect The Unexpected."
Who should use it? Bridget Coyne says, "People reading content, finding great content to retweet or reply to. Understanding the platform. The congressperson, the chief of staff, even the intern should all understand how Twitter works. ... And knowing how it works you can create the best content strategies around that."
If you'd like to see the manual yourself: click here.