No doubt about it. Twitter is THE pop culture phenomenon of the decade.
It was inevitable that in this "do it yourself" world we live in, there have been all kinds of articles written about how and how not to Twitter. People have even developed programs to sell, no less, on the ins and outs of Twitter.
At the end of the day, however, I maintain that Twitter is whatever you make it. A whole debate has arisen over whom and whom not to follow. I say who cares? This is not rocket science. People CHOOSE to follow you. If they don't like that you're Twittering about what you fed your kids for breakfast or a new product that you're offering, then so be it. Conversely, you're not obligated to follow anyone either just because they're following you. People are spending hours on Twitter because it is so addictive. Already I am reading about people not getting enough sleep because they've been on Twitter. Spending hours on Twitter and not getting enough sleep could be dangerous for your health.
Obviously, as some of the novelty wears off, some of the self-important "rules about Twitter" will have to change, too.
Below is a response to the points made in a recent article entitled "FOLLOW FAIL: The Top 10 Reasons I Will Not Follow You in Return on Twitter." You can read the entire article at http://mashable.com/2009/01/06/twitter-follow-fail
In the interest of time and space I'm not going into details on each one here but will give my response only.
I would love to read your comments and reactions.
1. You have no user avatar - OK, I can buy this one. Who wants to follow a faceless being in the hi-tech virtual world?
2. You list no location, no website, or no bio. This is another good reason not to follow someone. Could be a tip-off for someone you really DON'T want to follow.
3. Your “website” listed is a MySpace profile. A LOT of people (including entertainers) use MySpace so I wouldn't look down on it even though it's not my preferred website of choice, either. Solution - go to the person's MySpace page and check them out before automatically deciding not to follow.
4. You’re following over 1,000 users, have 20 followers, and no updates. Yeah, part of the fun of Twitter is reading the person's updates so I could see #4 as a reason not to follow someone but who knows what "experiment" they may be performing?
5.Your profile features any variation of “Internet expert.” Not so fast here. In this previously mentioned "do it yourself world," most everyone purports to be an expert in something! There is an enlightening book about this trend entitled "The Cult of the Amateur."
6.Your updates clearly indicate that your Twitter activity is always, only, about pushing your own service/product. OK, this is where the sound of my "Tweets is going into high-pitch mode." If you are an entrepereneur and are on Twitter, then you are not just on it because you have nothing else to do. You are there to promote your product/service either directly or indirectly, period. Anyone in business who tells you they are on Twitter just to share information and make new friends is not being totally upfront. Time is limited and will become more limited on Twitter as you get more followers and Tweets to read. Who has time to dilly dally around with unlimited factoid chitchat in this case? If someone has a new product or service to promote, they can Tweet about it all day long as far as I'm concerned. It's up to me to decide to keep reading their posts or buy their product. But drop them because they are legitimately promoting their product? Not!
7.Your following and my return follow result in a poorly-constructed auto-DM reading, “Thx for the follow! How can I help you get to a 4-Hour Work Week?” Again, I am OK with this. The person who provides this kind of autoresponse is at least cutting to the chase of why they're on Twitter and why they're welcoming you as a follower. Who has time to waste developing superficial relationships?
8.Your most recent updates make references to any need to achieve “more Twitter followers.” And what's wrong with wanting 1000 followers? We are human BEINGS not soul-less Twitter robots. People could have all kinds of reasons to want 1000 followers. That doesn't make them or Twitter shallow. So what? We live in a competitive society.
9. Your Twitter stream indicates a propensity for consistent arguing. Ok, I'll concede that one. No one wants excessive and mean-spirited negativity.
10.You do not engage your Twitter followers. Well, what is meant by engaging your Twitter followers? Having been an intense Twitterer for about three months, I am now trying to whittle myself down to hitting Twitter three times a day. Depending upon my work load, this might wind down to twice a day, or once a day. OR, I may miss a day or two altogether. Does that mean my followers will drop me? Gee, I hope not, especially if I tell them I will be off of it for a couple of days due to my schedule.
In conclusion, I think we miss the boat by trying to develop hard and fast rules about something so "pop culturish" as Twitter. I am taken aback at the thought of someone having to suppress their "inner Twitterer" because of some trumped up rules. I suspect that over time, people will develop multiple Twitter accounts for multiple personas. They may have a Twitter account that is for business only, and another that is purely social.
One thing for sure, Twitter is here to stay and will continue to evolve. So-called "rules" can only be a moving target.
P.S. follow me (if you dare) at http://twitter.com/mentalmakeover.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
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2 comments:
If they didn't take the time to add an avatar or information, 9/10 they won't take the time to tweet back.
The tweeter following a million with ten followers and on update to check out this link - block.
The spammers that only tweet with links to their website and no interaction - block.
Mean spirited, one opinion tweeters get the boot. I saw a vegan and meatan battle. The meatan said he ate meat. The vegan told him to go eat his dog. Save the drama! The vegan wanted to follow me, I blocked him/her.
Well, it seems that, for the most part, you agree with the post, so it's not all that bad. I know what the writer meant by being engaged, though. There are a few people who post links, but when you write them they never respond back. I take that personally, so I'll drop someone after awhile myself.
And, as it pertains to the marketing, it's just like in the real world. We like our sales people to engage us just a little bit, schmooze, and if they don't, we don't like it. I don't cut you slack just because you're online instead of standing in front of me. If you offer me nothing, I'm gone.
And the final one; I won't be a part of an experiment for someone who doesn't seem to care. If someone is following thousands but only being followed by a few, I don't add. If they're being followed by a lot of people but aren't following almost anyone, I won't follow, unless it's a news site such as CNN or my local news, which is on Twitter.
And there you go; my take on things. lol
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