Retweeting is one of the highest compliments you can pay someone on Twitter. Everyone likes to be validated — retweeting is a way you can say, “I like you and I think you’re smart / funny / worthy of my time.”

However, whether your account is for business, pleasure or both, when you’re retweeting, you should be using one of the traditional (or classic) retweeting methods for optimum effectiveness (i.e., RT @username or /via @username). Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you have to refrain from using the in-Twitter button to be a “good tweeter.” In fact, I do it sometimes, too (for example, when editing the tweet would ruin it, but you don’t really want to use a service like Twitlonger).

The next time you’re tempted to hit that funny little recycle-looking symbol at the bottom of a tweet, consider these cons of in-Twitter retweeting.

1. You can’t comment or add value to the original tweet.
   Kind of takes the “social” out of the media, don’t you think?


2. Strange avatars appear in your followers’ timelines.
   We pay more attention to people we recognize, so it stands to reason that if we’re not following the person you retweet, we’ll be more likely to ignore it. Besides, some people find it annoying.

   Also, a recent study shows 79 percent of people on the web typically scan through looking for keywords. This probably applies to usernames and avatars on Twitter, too. I’m looking for your name and avatar, not someone else you follow that I don’t.

3. A lot of people don’t look through their main timeline.
   Many people use organizational tools to make sure they don’t miss important tweets from their favorite people. We have lists (on Twitter) and smart folders and special column views (in our Twitter apps). If you use the in-Twitter retweet, we may not see it because the person you retweeted isn’t in one of the lists, folders or columns we check most frequently.

   In short, you’re robbing us of the opportunity to see something you really liked and the person you retweeted of the opportunity to get to know us when we follow them because we agreed with you.

4. It makes your retweets less track-able.
   A lot of people track who retweets them (and who retweets the people who retweeted them). It’s possible to look at Twitter to see who retweeted you, but you can easily lose track of who retweeted them.

   Also, since some people manage social media with third-party services / apps like Hootsuite or Socialite, they may have to take the extra step of logging onto Twitter just to see it (because some apps don’t support viewing it), which is kind of a pain for those who use those same programs to manage LinkedIn and Facebook (among others), too. Make it easy for them by just using traditional retweets.

5. It reduces your potential for exposure.
   It may sound selfish, but if you use a traditional retweet, your name usually stays in the tweet later when someone else retweets it (unless it gets so long people have to make cuts). This way, when someone else agrees with you and retweets it themselves, more people are exposed to your name and you may just get some new followers. 


6. Being (traditionally) retweeted is better than being #FollowFriday-ed.
   This is somewhat related to point five. Seeing that someone I like or respect has retweeted another user is actually how I find most of the people I follow. It’s much more powerful than having your name listed in a series of someone’s eight #FollowFriday recommendations. Keeping in mind that I’m more likely to pay attention to the faces / names I know, when you use a traditional retweet, it’s like you’re introducing your friends to one another. 


7. In-Twitter retweets aren’t indexed.
   In-Twitter retweets aren’t searchable (meaning it will never appear in a Google search with your name on it) and prevent you from being listed as someone who has similar interests if someone’s looking for people to follow. 


8. It reduces your value as someone to follow.
   Remember how we talked about strange avatars in people’s timelines? Well, there’s more to it than just the strange avatars. The more often people see your name / avatar associated with a tweet they like, the more it ups your perceived value as a tweeter. Why give that advantage to someone they may not have even bothered to follow? 

Traditional retweeting only takes a few seconds longer, but its benefits outweigh it’s additional time commitment. If you’re really concerned about it, try using a Twitter service or app that makes it simple. You’ll be doing yourself, the people you follow, and the people who follow you a huge favor.

I’m sure there are other reasons to use traditional retweeting. What’s on your list? What apps / services do you use to make traditional retweeting easier?