I think the exclamation point is the worst punctuation mark. I use it rarely, if ever. I cannot find a natural way to use it in informative writing.

According to the recommendations, an exclamation mark can end a sentence that expresses enthusiasm or strong feeling (I’m so happy!). The history of the exclamation mark supports such use; the mark itself is believed to have developed from the Latin word io, ’hurray’. Copyists wrote this at the end of  joyful  sentences. Through the centuries the word transformed into a symbol, with the former letter I above and the O becoming a small circle. In a way, the exclamation mark was a kind of medieval smiley.

You may also use the exclamation mark after an interjection (Ouch!), in salutations (Dear Customers!) and in wishes (Happy Easter!). Even in these cases, I prefer a period because the exclamation point seems a bit too strong, almost like capital letters – and the mere idea of that combination is SIMPLY TOO MUCH!

So I think that one recommendation about the exclamation point is enough: don’t use it.

Place names carry all kind of information. The Netherlands has a number of city names ending with -dam: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Vollendam, Zaandam, Veendam, and so on. This name ending reflects the damming of water from such rivers as the Amstel and the Rotte and tells us about the local geography. In the Netherlands, and also in Germany, many place names end with -ingen: Groningen, Vlaardinger, Vlissingen, Wageningen. Originally, -ingen referred to residents of a place. Place names also may relate to local products, as with the Dutch cheese towns of Gouda, Edam, and Maasdam. The former maritime reach of the Netherlands has left place names far from the windmills and dykes. In what was Nieuw-Amsterdam, now New York, you can find Harlem (Haarlem), the Bronx (after Dutch settler Jonas Bronck), Coney Island (Konijneneiland ’rabbit island’), Wall Street (Walstraat) and Staten Island (Staaten Eylandt ’state’s land’).

An explanation for this week’s word? I’m writing from from the university city of Groningen.

In an interview, I was asked who I suggest people follow on Twitter. Favorite lists are difficult; we chose who we follow based on our personal interests and on the way we use Twitter. Recommendations are a matter of taste, and we create twitter lists according to our preferences.

But how should we chose the people to follow?

By the number of followers? So many things affect that number. For celebrities and other well-known people, many who follow them are not active users of Twitter, so the large following may be based less on what the big name says than on the big name having said it.

#FF (Friday Follow) recommendations? This hashtag has virtually disappeared. Some people persist, but often #FF is a reward extended to a Twitter friend and even a request to have the favor returned. If a recommendation doesn’t include a reason for following, you can ignore it.

Discussions? Dialogue is a good sign. You can’t go by the number of tweets, however; different people speak at different rates. Then, too, some people seem to engage in sham discussions to maintain and increase their visibility.

My interviewer wanted names, and so I suggested some good non-celebrities. Sadly, my list had to leave out many people I’ve actively followed for years, people whose ideas I sincerely appreciate. If you’d like the complete set of recommendations, check the list of people I follow on Twitter.

How can organizations make the best use of social media? The first thought for many of them, whether corporations or public-sector groups, is to do broadcast-style marketing. However, experience has shown that advertising mostly irritates the social media audience. I asked several active Twitter users what kind of content they look for from corporate accounts. Some of the most frequent answers were:

• useful, engaging content
• genuine interaction
• customer service
• insights into the company’s work
• product or service updates
• fresh ideas about their field.

Along with diversified content, people wanted a relaxed, conversational stream, not ads or mini press releases. Those serve mainly to drive away potential followers. Accounts that people found to be the most interesting tended to be managed by individual employees who convey information about the organization in a personal way. According to my respondents, the public sector seems to use social media better than the private sector does.