The social networking website has been at the centre of several football controversies in recent years but has particularly come to the fore in the past seven days.

Joey Barton was told by Newcastle earlier this week that he can leave on a free transfer after the outspoken midfielder made several outbursts on Twitter.

Barton's tweets have grabbed national headlines and some club managers clubs have banned their players from using the site in a bid to stop such issues arising.

However, Taylor does not believe a club-wide ban is the way forward and has called for the relevant bodies to try to embrace the site.

"Every person has got the right to speak in public so long as it is their own point of view and it does not reflect badly on their employers, the game or other personalities in the game," he told Press Association Sport.

"If it is defamatory then it can then be used against that person in a legal manner for compensation and so this is an issue that we really need to get out heads round and try to get a criteria that is comfortable for everyone.

"It is not necessarily good enough to say it is 'no, we don't have it at all'.

"I think in the short term a number of clubs have done that rather than risk perhaps one of their young players or even a senior player - or an aggrieved player - coming out with stuff that is not conducive to team spirit or good relationships at the club."

Taylor, who played as a winger in the 1960s and 1970 for the likes of Bolton, Birmingham and Blackburn, admits there are pitfalls of using Twitter but believes it can be an important medium for players and fans.

"It is not an easy thing but used in the right way it can help with relationships between players and supporters," he added.

"Used in the wrong way it can also cause problems at the clubs, to team-mates and other professionals in the game.

"As with most things, it is about everything on its merit and it is a question of proportionality."

Taylor was speaking after reports emanated that Newcastle are issuing legal letters to players, stating they will potentially be in breach of their contracts if they use social networking sites such as Twitter.

While some have questioned the move, media and defamation specialist Andrew Terry of international law firm Eversheds believes Newcastle have made a sensible move.

"This policy recognises the reality that disclosures in social media can cause just as much reputational damage as a front page headline," he said.

"The added risk is that Twitter statements are very often sent in the heat of the moment and regretted shortly afterwards.

"So this is a sensible precaution but the real difficulty will be making sure that everyone has the same understanding of what is covered by 'club affairs' and what isn't."