When to tweet or not to tweet

It’s true – Martha Karua was tweeting during the speeches at Uhuru Park. Good on her I say for embracing social media but does anything like social media etiquette exist? There is a prevalent view that rules of courtesy, decorum, and business etiquette do not apply in social media. I attended a - surprise surprise - Social Media panel discussion last week and one of the panelists was head down constantly on his BlackBerry tweeting away. He only stopped when he was the one talking. At one point he even pointed his phone at one of his bemused colleagues who was speaking to get some footage. I’m in the business of how you are seen, heard and behave and as a rule tweeting during meetings or discussions especially with an audience is just plain inappropriate and flagrantly rude. The rule of thumb should be you owe the people or person who is talking the respect to give them your undivided attention. If you want to tweet, do it later or step outside. Facebook, and Twitter, and Linked-In all have their own set of rules and protocols and are developing as time goes on. What other twitter faux pas get your goat?