Twitter excels as a platform for news. The network of short message updates has turned into a system that can be used as a journalism platform. You only have to read the latest stories coming out of Iran to know that Twitter has come of age as a news medium.

As a news form, tweets---what you call those short status messages of not more than 140 characters---are better thought of as expanded headlines.

I've recently started tweeting for the newspaper I work for. While writing tweets, it occurred to me that the rules of headline writing that I've learned in years of working for newspapers can help improve my tweets and make these more effective.

An effective news tweet, like an effective headline, grabs the reader's attention and tells the story. Here are a few tips on writing effective tweets based on tip for crafting good news headlines:

1.) Use the active voice.
The active voice is more direct and, usually, more effective. Man bites dog is a punchier headline and tweet than Dog is bitten by man.

Only use the passive voice when the object of the action is more important. 10% salary increase approved by company managers is more effective than Company managers approve 10% salary increase because the attention-grabbing detail is placed first.

2.) Omit needless articles.
In most headlines, as with most tweets, you can get away with not using articles like a, an, and the. Omitting these articles not only makes your tweet tighter and punchier, it also helps you save on important character space.

A tweet like "Government denies request by Mir Hussein Moussavi's supporters to hold  a nationwide protest over the results of last week’s elections" can be made tighter by deleting the articles "Government denies request by Mir Hussein Moussavi's supporters to hold  nationwide protest over results of last week’s elections."

3.) Avoid "to be" verbs
You can do away with helping verbs like is and are. Deleting them makes your Twitter post tighter and helps you save on character space.

You can delete is from a tweet like "Vice Mayor Michael Rama is named acting mayor for two weeks."

4.) Use the present tense
The present tense conveys immediacy. Use the present tense even if the headline or tweet is about something that recently happened.  

Twitter, after all, is a real-time medium and that real time reporting is best conveyed by using the present tense.

A tweet like “protesters arrived in Fuente Osmeña to stage rally against moves to amend the Constitution” is better written as “protesters arrive in Fuente Osmeña…”

5.) Avoid exclamation points
Exclamation points are reserved for headlines announcing wars or the end of the world or personal tweets on breakups. For news tweets, avoid exclamation points. These make you sound shrill.

Any other tweet-writing tips? Feel free to add in the comments.