By Gina Cuclis

As June elections approach, 2010 has become the year Sonoma County political candidates discover Twitter. In 2008, local candidates barely knew what Twitter was. Petaluma City Councilwoman, then council candidate, Tiffany Renee was an exception. Read about how she uses Twitter.

If you're a candidate, are thinking about being a candidate, or support and work on campaigns, here are five tips to help you use Twitter effectively.

1) Create a Twitter account only if you plan to actively use it:



Your 20-something year-old campaign coordinator may insist you be on Twitter, but do so only if it interests you. You must be willing to stay with it and follow through. Twitter profiles appear in Google searches. A profile that lingers showing no tweets for weeks can create negative perceptions about you in the minds of voters who are active Twitter users.

2) Don't just Tweet about your campaign:

This may be listed second, but it's my #1 piece of advice. Experienced Twitter users know it's not about them, it's about the value they provide. Youwill gain followers and communicate what you care about by tweeting informationrelevant to people's lives, concerns and interests. Provide links to blogposts and newspaper articles. Share an interesting fact or anecdote you learned on thecampaign trial. Tweet to help publicize a community event. In the process, you will also provide your supporters with information to retweet on your behalf.

3) Tweet everyday, but not all day:

Tweet at least once a day, preferably more, to stay current and get noticed. However, Twitter etiquette frowns on sending dozens of tweets throughout the day on matters that aren't urgent. Unless you are a restaurant reviewer, no one cares where you ate lunch.

4) Don't tweet attacks against your opponent:

The early Twitter adopters were rising professionals who used Twitter to promote their expertise and share information. The traditional media advertising strategy of going negative doesn't fit Twitter's culture. Plus, the real time nature of Twitter means your opponent can instantly fire back. If he or she has a lot of supportive followers who retweet the response, your reputation will be the one diminished. And don't use a surrogate to do your dirty work. It will only reflect poorly on you.

5) Identify on your profile if others are tweeting for you:

Voters expect transparency. It's unethical to not identify if others are posting your tweets. Describing your profile as the "Name of the Candidate" for the "Name of the Office" campaign is O.K.

This list is to help candidates get started with Twitter. If you are a candidate or a campaign worker with a tip from your personal experience, please share.