To Follow or Not to Follow
Posted by Gabe on June 11, 2009 under Social Media, Twitter, Twitter for Beginners | 
72 Comments to Read
Every once in a while when I think of it I like to solicit questions from my Twitter colleagues to see if there is any way to help the newer signups out there. I put out the call this morning and among others received this question: “What if I don’t follow back followers? Is it a contest to have the most? How can I ever read all those tweets?“ My answer is clearly that you do not have to follow back everyone that follows you. For some it is a contest, but for most it’s about connecting with people. And how do you keep track of all of them? The answer is that eventually if you follow enough people there is no way that you can. You end up with Tweetdeck or some such application that can help manage all the people that you follow.
Then there was a tweet pointing to a post about annoying DMs that come with spammy links. The writer mentioned that there should be no Twitter rules, but that he hates it when people DM these links after a follow (and so do I).
I have written a few posts on Twitter followers, but all this made me think of a new approach. Yes, there should be no Twitter rules, but I have some that I follow myself. I once came across a profile that said that this person doesn’t follow back if 1) There are few updates, 2) There is no conversation in their Twitter stream and 3) The person follows more than 600 people. Now I got past #1 and #2, but what about #3? According to her profile she wouldn’t follow me back just because I follow a lot of people. Hey, I’m a nice guy – she might be missing out on something. Then I came to the conclusion that these are her rules and she has every right to stick by them. As a matter of fact, I was very impressed with her putting them on display. I clicked the Follow button anyway, with the hopes that she would bend her own rules a little.
So, I am putting my own personal rules or reasons out there for everyone to see – feel free to pick them apart, agree or whatever. I reserve the right to deviate from them from time to time – after all, they do belong to me. ;)
Why I Didn’t Follow You Back…
1) Because you are a dude who wears no shirt in your avatar. No good reason – just don’t do it.
2) Because you have no (or very few) updates – especially if you are following a bunch of people. How can I tell whether I am interested if there’s no substance?
3) Because you didn’t fill out your profile, or said you were from the “Planet Earth”, “Cyberspace” or “Everywhere”. Where you are from and what your passions are interest me.
4) Because you do not converse with others. If I see no @ signs in your stream it means in my mind that you don’t “get” what Twitter can do for you and you just want to hear yourself talk.
5) Because you have an animated GIF as an avatar – one with blinking sunglasses or animals jumping around. Or also if you orient your picture sideways or upside down. Too much work for me to talk to you face to face. Your efforts to attract undue attention to yourself have backfired at least in my case.
6) Because all I see in your Twitter stream are retweets. Although it is very generous to retweet, I am looking for people who can also think for themselves.
7) Because most or all of your posts send out the link to your web site.
8) Because you follow WAY more people than follow you. Looks like you are spamming.
9) Because WAY more people follow you than those that you follow. Either you think you are a celebrity or you just want to hear yourself talk.
10) Because your profile pic is not updated, you have one tweet with a link, no profile…Really? Are you actually convinced that is an effective marketing method?
11) You have 10,000 followers and only 5 updates. Your tweets aren’t that good!
12) Because your color scheme makes it so difficult that I can hardly read your profile and/or Twitter stream. Light pink on white and dark gray on black just doesn’t work, people!
13) Because you take the “What are you doing?” question literally and all I see are short posts on what you do throughout the day. Get over yourself.
14) Because your avatar is of a female chest shot in a bikini and you are going to show me how to make money filling out surveys all day. Really??
15) Because you tweet only sporadically – maybe once a week or so. How can I have a conversation with you?
16) Because you protect your updates and your profile is either missing or vague.
17) Because your avatar is disturbing. You got through every other criteria – you are social, profile is filled out, you are generous – I couldn’t imagine having to look at that avatar all the time.
18) Because I read in your profile a tweet that said “Get 10,000 followers easy using blah blah blah.” Your follower count: 147. Wow!!
19) Because your profile read “This is NOT SPAM!” If it takes that much of an argument then I guess it is.
Why I Unfollowed You…
1) Because you sent me a link of how I can get 16,000 followers on Twitter in 90 days.
2) Because you used profanity in your tweet. (I have a 10-year-old who is always looking over my shoulder.)
3) Because you stopped using Twitter. If you haven’t tweeted in a month that tells me you gave up.
4) Because you stepped over the line. You retweeted my tweet and I thanked you – then you asked me to retweet something of yours. That wasn’t cool.
5) Because you keep posting about how great you are and how we should see your web site.
6) Because you didn’t respond to my @replies. I see that you are still tweeting but after several attempts to connect with you I have received no response. No hard feelings – guess you are just not that in to me.
7) Because your posts are too much of a religious nature. I have nothing against religion but I personally don’t feel Twitter is the place to convert people. Let’s make a deal. You don’t try and convert me to your religion and I won’t try to convert you to mine.
8) Because you clogged my Twitter stream with too many posts in a row – either repeating yourself or sending out multiple links. I tolerate that to a point but be careful with it.
9) Because I saw the tweet “RT @garymcaffrey blah blah blah” in your Twitter stream about a pyramid scheme to get more followers. It benefits him more than anyone and you just damaged your own reputation by using it.
10) Because you keep begging for RTs, votes and/or followers. Believe me – it is great that you passed 100 followers but you are one of the very few who cares. The followers will come naturally. The RT’s will too as long as your tweets are interesting.
11) Because you asked me to join your mafia or be your spymaster. These are two games going around Twitter. If you are using Twitter to play games then you really don’t get what it can do for you.
12) Because you sent me an auto-dm with a spammy link and asked me to retweet it. WHAT?!?
13) Ok let me get this straight. I followed you, then you auto-DM’ed me back with: “I just gave you peace and happiness” plus a spammy link. If that wasn’t enough you added “You should send me a gift back.” Here’s my gift: UNFOLLOW.
14) So Donald Trump is going to make us all millionaires and you want to be the 500th person to tell me about it. You’re fired.
15) You sent me an @reply about how great a tweep I am. Now I normally would thank you for this, except I noticed you aren’t even following me. My reputation must be really awesome. I see in your twitter stream that there are thousands of other great tweeps like me. Do you really spend your day typing that stuff in??
16) You sent a #followfriday to me and others which was nice. What’s that I see? A spammy link in the middle? We are not stupid, spammers!
Why I Blocked You…
1) Because we have no relationship and you @replied to me with a link to your spam. Seriously??
2) Because your avatar and/or posts are pornographic or link to porn. Or if you have the word “Horny” in your Twitter ID.
3) Because your avatar is a pretty girl, your ID is cryptic, you are following a bunch of people and you have only one tweet that links to your spam.
4) Because you @replied to me asking me to do something that benefits you when we have no relationship.
5) Because you sent more than one direct message to me asking me to do the same thing. If I didn’t act on your request the first time, leave it alone. I get so many requests and can only do so much.
6) Because you followed and unfollowed me several times in the past 24 hours to try and get my attention – it worked – I blocked you.
7) Because I just discovered that you wrote a blog post a week later that was titled the same as mine and paraphrased my thoughts without any credit. (Happened to me regarding this post.)
8) Because you actually had the nerve to copy the text of someone else’s reply to me and and resend it with your spammy link attached to the end of it. Wow! I can’t wait to buy your junk!! Are you kidding me?
9) Because you @replied to me (and others) with the words “Free affiliate software…”
UPDATE: 06/14/10.: I have noticed that services like TwitIn and Huitter have now said that by providing a way to mass unfollow and/or follow they are violating Twitter’s new Terms of Service. I have noticed that, thanks to this effort, I have been getting fewer (if any) porn bots following me lately. (Thanks Twitter!) However the spammers will never give up — their new way to get at you is to reply to your inbox with their spam. I see this a lot which instantly triggers a “block and report for spam” from me. So please be very careful how you address people for the first time. A request to follow or retweet, without any history, could get you blocked.
Why I Followed You…
1) Because your profile is filled out with actual places, names and passions.
2) Because you have a good amount of updates that vary in substance.
3) Because your avatar is of yourself and you are smiling.
4) Because I see that you retweet, converse and also have thoughts of your own.
5) Because your tweets are (at least most times) interesting and informative.
6) Because I see we have a chance of connecting.
7) Because you promote others’ causes that interest you whether they be professional or non-profit.
8) Because you engage with other people.
9) Because you have a relatively even follower/following ratio.
10) Because you are not hard-selling everyone. You are promoting something but being social first is encouraging people to see what you do after they connect with you.
11) Because you left a thoughtful comment on one of my blog posts – because of that I looked you up and discovered you. I may have missed you when you followed me.
12) Because I studied your profile and your Twitter stream. You are a parent, an educator, a philanthropist or someone I think that might really enjoy our web site.
13) Because I can see through your tweets that you are trying to help other people – to lift them up – this is what Twitter is all about!
14) Because I feel that I can learn something from you. Whether it be cultural or otherwise, Twitter can be used as a personal enrichment tool.
15) Because you don’t pretend to be someone you are not.
16) Because you engaged with me in a friendly (non-spammy) way. Again, I might have missed you when you followed me.
17) Because you are a genuine person who supports others.
What many people don’t realize is that when you send a link to someone you’ve never contacted before, that is spam. That same link, if sent after you have connected with someone, becomes interesting and might open up new doors. Take the time to connect with people – you will be amazed at the results.
Ok – what did I miss? I’m sure quite a bit. If this is like my other Twitter posts I will be updating it from time to time as I learn more. Happy tweeting!
Just discovered this similar post by Lee Devlin. Might also be of help.
Kyra said,
Under Why I Blocked You – reason #2 – I tweeted about that one this morning. I follow people because I find them interesting or informative, but when someone DM’s me link-spam, I zap ‘em. I spend enough time on Twitter connecting with real people. I don’t need to be inundated by people that just want numbers; the users that follow 4,000 people, have 3,000 followers and 3 updates…
Great Post! :)
Twitter: @milogirlyGabe said,
Yes I think I might have gotten “inspiration” from your tweet this morning. It just so happened that I have also had quite a few “HornyHotties” follow me lately. I know I am popular with the ladies, but… ;)
John Haydon said,
Gabe,
Nice set of rules!
Under “Why I Followed You…”, maybe add “Because you share the belief that kids have infinite power to change the world”?
Twitter: @johnhaydonLisa said,
This is a very good post! I especially like rules #6. That is one of the main reasons to use Twitter; to meet and connect people with similar interests.
Twitter: @lisaatufunwaGabe said,
Thanks for the comment Lisa – I will be looking for your tweets!
Betsy said,
This is a great post! I was just talking to someone yesterday about how so many orgs on Twitter expect everyone to listen to their message but don’t follow anyone. I will pass this along. Have a great day! :)
Twitter: @DaytonChildrensGabe said,
Betsy – great point! I believe that this is the biggest mistake a company can make. This morning I found a local company that just joined Twitter – they were following noone. This tells me that they believe their output is important and nothing else matters. Needless to say I did not follow them.
Chukwuma Onyeije said,
Excellent post. Well worth repeating and re-tweeting. I definitely think there is a learning curve to Twitter. Some people don’t “get it” until they’ve been around for a while. (Took me six months to really understand the power of Twitter). Twitter is all about making connections and having conversations. Those who see it as one way P.R. will inevitably come around or give up. Just won’t work that way. Thanks for the post!
Twitter: @chukwumaonyeijeGabe said,
I must say it took me a while too – I discarded the first time I tried it. Very thoughtful comment. Thanks!
Chris Heidel said,
Gabe-GREAT list. I learned a couple of things. Thank you. Two things that annoy me and make me unfollow: 1. When people tweet out 50 tweets in a row. Really? Come on! I need things in small doses. 2. When people tweet out 20 #followfriday messages. I want to know who you REALLY like or who truly inspired you this week, not everyone you follow.
Twitter: @librafitnessausGabe said,
Hi Chris,
I agree with both of your reasons too – as a matter of fact will tweet about them! Notice I added your #1 to my unfollow list.
Brianna said,
As a new Twitter gal (Twitterer?? Tweeter?), this was fantastic to read. Thanks for your insight!
Twitter: @writingrunnerGabe said,
More than welcome Brianna. Twitter has been very good to me after I took the time to uncover its potential. I am very eager to share that with others.
Adele said,
Hi Just Gabe!
Twitter: @aledouI like the rules and comments you listed about who to follow and why! I am recent to twitter and you are teh first person who has stated why you follow others.
As I scanned your list I was able to check off those that were applicable to my interests and why I am taking my time; not interested in quantity but in quality. Thanks again!
Gabe said,
You are most welcome Adele. Feel free to check my other Twitter posts or simply @reply to me with a question about Twitter whenever you feel the need.
David said,
Hey there Gabe, hope you are having a nice weekend.
I like your rules and pretty much follow the same kind of plan. The great thing with doing this is that everytime I check my stream, I know there is going to be something interesting from people I want to listen to.
An additional criteria I have to not follow someone is the ones who are very well dressed in their avatar – the opposite of the “no shirt” people. For some reason, these are almost always the multilevel or affiliate marketing people that are going to start spamming me.
Of course some do get through the cracks, but they can be unfollowed or blocked =)
Twitter: @_djhGabe said,
Hey David,
Never thought of that one – I will from now on be on the lookout!!
Amy Shropshire said,
I’m so glad that people are so interested in talking about this because I see so many people claiming to be “Social Media Experts” because they have thousands of followers and I have to wonder if they are actually doing anything to contribute to the “social” aspect of the movement!
I don’t have any hard and fast rules but there are some things that I consider and they seem to align with what most people are saying.
1-I don’t auto follow. I check my new followers every day and read what they are saying. I read their blog if they have one. If I like what I see, I follow!
2-If someone doesn’t have a good combination of @ replies and RTs then I know that this is going to be all about them and I tend not to follow. However, if I’m still interested in what they’re saying, I might follow. Just depends how interested I am!
3-I give new people the benefit of the doubt. I remember when I first joined Twitter! I had no clue! I’m sure I did things that were spammy (in fact a nice fellow Tweep pointed it out!) and unsociable. Now if after a few weeks they turn out trying to sell me magic weight loss solutions, I can always unfollow.
Glad to see that there are people who want Twitter to be a meeting place and not just sell their latest scheme!!
Twitter: @amshropshireGabe said,
I appreciate the comment, Amy.
I honesty feel the people who “get” Twitter really see what it can do if they use it correctly. And I don’t believe we are in a minority. I have made so many connections in six short months and look forward to all the new ones to come. And how fun is it to actually connect with other people all around the globe?
Your point about people not being in the know is very well taken. I also do try and give those folks the benefit of the doubt – sometimes unfollowing instead of blocking if I feel they just didn’t know any better.
Tammie Jones said,
What a great post! I never would have thought to take the battle that occurs in my head each time I get followed and put it on my blog, but it’s a great exercise!
For me, my follow rule is that most of your tweets (say the last 2-3 pages) have to be interesting to me. I don’t want you clogging up my Twitter stream if I haven’t learned or laughed from you. My unfollow rule is that you are trying to sell me something. That applies to for-profits (increase your # of followers) as well as nonprofits (it’s all about me, so donate now). I actually don’t block anyone; I don’t see how it hurts me to let them follow, and I kinda hope that they may run across something in my Twitter stream that will make them think more about social justice. That’s just me, though, and I certainly could be missing something.
Twitter: @tammiejonesGabe said,
Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Tammie. Many people from what I understand are very hesitant to block. I block the obvious spammers because (as I understand it) if enough people block them their account gets revoked and I would really like to see this behavior discouraged on Twitter. I also block people who are in my face repeatedly with something I did not ask for – blocking prevents them from doing it again. I try to simply unfollow people that are spamming but as far as I can tell are new and just don’t know any better.
Sharon Elin said,
This makes total sense and spells out good reasons for using twitter. Thank you for articulating solid reasons for following or not following on twitter (and any other social network!). I will share your post with my colleagues who use social networking and with any new converts.
Twitter: @sharon_elinrebeccahappy said,
This is a great list.I have been on twitter for several months now and have not done anything so formal.IF people are new, sometimes I suggest to them that they may want to tweet first before handing me their virtual business card.
Twitter: @http://www.twitter.comrebeccahappyWhat bothers me a lot is the persistence of some of the pron tweeters.I block them without consideration now.Aside from that I have not blocked anyone.Some unfollows yes for sure.
Í am always curious why people decide to follow me in the first place. Maybe you can write a blog on what makes you actively seek someone out.
Sandy Wilder said,
Very nicely stated, my friend. Do yo mind if I RT it? How goes the fund raising for the IPods? And, oh, the “horny hotties” have been after me lately, too. What a pain…..
Twitter: @sandywilderGabe said,
Sharon: Thanks for the kind words and for sharing with others. :)
Rebecca: I would love to think that everyone that follows me thinks I am incredibly intelligent, funny and great looking. ;) I know this is not the case. Some are spammers and others are simply looking to beef up their follow numbers. But I do know that some of my followers listen because they feel they can gain something from my tweets. Your followers are no different. You are the first to request a blog topic so look for it (hopefully sometime soon).
Sandy: Please retweet away!! Thanks for asking about @MMsMusicForLife ‘s “Music for Life” program. We are still collecting donations. Can check out http://tr.im/nMz9
Jon Aston said,
Gabe,
That’s a great set of rules! The best I’ve seen. I plan to adapt and adopt them.
Thanks!
Twitter: @JonAstonGabe said,
Thanks for saying that Jon. These methods have helped me get to meet lots of wonderful Twitter colleagues such as yourself. :)
Annie McMahon said,
You summarized in a single post what I was trying to make sense of in my first few months with Twitter. Your post was very informative, and has also helped me figure out what kind of Tweets I should post to increase the number of quality followers I have. Thank you! My rules so far? No porn, no foul language, no posting 20 times a day about the weather.
Twitter: @dutchhillgirlGabe said,
Hi Annie,
I’m glad to be of help. Turns out I wasn’t following you but I am now thanks to Rule #11 and also because I liked your profile. :)
Darcee Sellers said,
Great Post! I too am popular with the “horny hotties” lucky us LOL. See you on Twitter! :)
Twitter: @yoursavvyvaJennifer said,
Very well said. This blog made me nod my head many times. Especially the children reading over my shoulder part. They are right under me too many times. Thanks for the good blog post.
Twitter: @Vitality4all6Thorne said,
Hmmm. I like your comprehensive list of reasons, although I don’t have mine completely figured out yet. I do unfollow tweeps who spam a lot, and I tend to get worn out quickly on product links disguised as info links. I also get a lil irritated by folks who follow me just to get me to follow them back and then they unfollow. I haven’t really mastered the art of twitter conversation- I am on and off at odd times so it’s sometimes difficult to answer something tweeted 12 hours before that has no reference to the subject… hehe. I do have a pretty large following, I suppose (600 or so), but I follow about the same. I have a reasonably wide range of interest, and so far at least, I find that different tweeps are on at different times so I do enjoy the variety of topics. I also like to RT on a variety of topics just as I write on an eclectic set of subjects… I usually report the porn bots with @spam before I block them. Helps shut them down a little quicker. Well, I’ve quite rambled on, haven’t I? A good post that has made me take a look at myself; I like that! Thanks and peace.
Twitter: @ThornesworldGabe said,
Hi Thorne (not Terese?)
From the comment it seemed that you did go through them as you wrote about it. I guess that’s a good thing if my post got you thinking a bit. :)
Rebecca said,
I subscribed to you on Twitter, because I teach 6/7 yr olds. I LOVED the fact that you see kids as heros. Thank you!
Thank you for publishing a set of rules. It is good to know that others are selective in who they follow, why they follow, and who they allow to follow. I appreciate that one of your reasons was simply you have a son. That is one of my main reasons, “If my sons/husband were to check my twitter would I be ok with what they saw?”
Once again thank you for being a champion of children. They are our future!
Twitter: @mrsbeccaGabe said,
Hi Rebecca,
Just to clarify I have a daughter, not a son. She is 10 and is @MMsMusicForLife on Twitter. She also happens to be the cofounder of KidsAreHeroes.com.
Debbi Katz said,
Excellent summary regarding to follow or not… I’m sure many of us have adopted similar practices by trial & error, but it really helps to have such a thorough and well explained documentation of your “rules”.
This will become a great reference. Also, I have enjoyed reading everyone’s comments… and admire your thoughtful appreciation in your replies.
- Debbi
Twitter: @DebbiKatzGabe said,
Hi Debbi,
That’s one of the things I like about Twitter – most everyone is so gracious. Thanks for the comment and the kind words.
csread said,
Hey Gabe,
I love your list! And while I agree in the “no rules” part, I saw a blog post the other day that chided Twitter a bit for not being more user friendly. So much of this is not explained and brand new users are left to muddle through until they figure it out. A post like yours would make a nice introductory tutorial on netiquette for new Twitter users and I truly don’t understand why Ev & Biz aren’t tweaking the friendliness factor so it’s easier for newbies.
-Catherine
Twitter: @csread61Gabe said,
Thanks Catherine,
Feel free to nominate my blog to Ev and Biz as one everyone must read when they sign on to Twitter! :) In the mean time I will try and help people whenever I can.
Raul said,
Good grief, Gabe. You just gave me a good solid reason to unfollow you. Thanks for this!
Twitter: @hummingbird604Gabe said,
Hey Raul,
You are welcome…I think :). Another thing I have learned about Twitter is that “not everyone is into you” (meaning me of course). Best not to take these situations personally and move on to the people you connect with. Another great thing is that you have the utlimate control over which tweets you subscribe (and unsubscribe) to.
Of course I couldn’t help but to click on your profile to learn more about you. The only “rule” of mine that you seemed to go against was the follower ratio. My guess is you took offense to rule #9 of Why I didn’t follow you back. As I said these rules are mine and I reserve the right to bend them every once in a while. A lot of people with that kind of ratio are more severe than yours, and don’t engage like you do. You are very conversational and it appears that you engage with a lot of different people. Kudos. Plus you are from Canada which is a country I hold dear to my heart.
I even read your post on why you don’t follow everyone back. ( http://tr.im/p9D6 ) This also shows that you are diligent in maintaining relationships.
So what did we learn here? 1) Not everyone is into you. 2) The beauty of Twitter is that you have total control. 3) These “rules” of mine are more like general guidelines which I don’t necessarily apply in each and every case. But they are mine and I still stick by them.
Raul said,
Hi Gabe,
I did indeed take offense to # 9 (which as you said, it’s a general rule) – I don’t think of myself as an internet celebrity (and on the odd occasion I do, I realize that I’m only famous on the interwebz :)). I’ve used my relative internet popularity to create social change (as you may have seen in my Social Media Portfolio page, I co-organized the first-ever Mental Health Camp, an unconference to explore how we can use social media to erase stigma and help people with mental illness heal). More info at http://www.mentalhealthcamp.org
I really appreciated your response to me, and I think it shows that you care. We are still friends :)
Twitter: @hummingbird604Gabe said,
Hey Raul,
Thanks for writing back. You are taking on a very honorable cause – if you were younger we would feature you on our Kids Are Heroes web site!
This also brings out another positive regarding social media. Even in disagreement people can still be civil and cordial and remain friendly with each other.
Mickey Gomez said,
Gabe, what a great post!
As I’ve struggled to get more local nonprofits involved on Twitter, invariably we start talking about navigating some of the pitfalls. I’ve been asked on more than one occasion to write down a list of guidelines for them, so that they feel more comfortable trying Twitter. I typically refer them to some of John Haydon’s excellent Twitter resources (normally the guide) and now I’m going to start referring them here, too.
Thanks for an engaging, thoughtful and helpful post. :)
Twitter: @mickeygomezGabe said,
Thanks Mickey! I too have been trying to get non-profits to use it. That is why I wrote “Is Twitter a Time Suck?” more recently. You might be interested in reading that one as well.
kristi said,
Fabulous. Simply fabulous.
Twitter: @zuzugirlI am so impressed that you took the time to get this all down. Every word is true!
Mark Lipton said,
The best set of Twitter guidelines/suggestions I’ve seen to-date. Thanks!
Twitter: @markliptonGabe said,
Kristi and Mark,
Very kind of you to take the effort to write such nice things. Thank you!!
reportertanya said,
New Twitter users — and old ones — should definitely read this post. Thanks for spelling out your rules.
Twitter: @reportertanyaGabe said,
Thank you, Tanya!
Vixen said,
Well written and thought out. I think agree with most of your points and I do have “rules” in my head when deciding who to follow back and such.
Mostly, I wanted to comment though because that first why I don’t follow you about the no shirt thing? Totally cracked me up. I do the same thing, but it was subconciously, LOL.
Twitter: @ladybugsgramaCaro Webster said,
A great post. resonated strongly with me. Especially your point about Twitter being about relationship building and connection. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the twitter stream! x
Twitter: @salisburydownsGabe said,
Hi Vixen,
Great minds think alike. ;)
Caro,
So nice of you to say and it is my pleasure!
Bill Montana said,
Gabe,
I discovered this post while reviewing the stream for @KidsAreHeroes, trying to decide to follow back or not. I will.
I am a high school teacher who looks for useful ways to use technology in education. This year, I will be helping other teachers begin to use Web 2.0 and other 21st century learning/teaching tools with their students. I would like to use your posting when teaching them about Twitter. I think it will help them to better understand Twitter.
Thank you,
Twitter: @bmontanaBill
Gabe said,
That’s very kind of you, Bill. I enjoy helping the “newbies” get acclimated. Twitter can be an extremely powerful tool or it can be a huge waste of time and even detrimental to one’s reputation, depending on how it is used. Please share the other Twitter posts I have written as well by clicking on the “Twitter for Beginners” category to the right of the post.
Cheers,
-Gabe
InfiniteKFC said,
Wow, this was very informative and I’ll be sure to post this on twitter. I think my tweeps could learn alot from this blog. Be amazing…and thanks for ur insight!!!
Twitter: @InfiniteKFCphilhart said,
That’s a nice detailing of your thoughts and feelings. Thanks for sharing it.
Twitter: @philhartShelly Terrell said,
Gabe,
Thanks for sharing your strong opinions! I agree with a majority of the reasons you unfollow or don’t follow people. I have seen several people lately who do not have a decent profile, pic, or continuously have no content. Sometimes I wonder if they are spammers so I just don’t follow them. I have no rules about the number of followers. I have befriended newby teachers with 5 followers and great updates and those with 5000 and great updates. As long the person has content they make my Tweetdeck stream, if they continuously have thought-provoking content then I add the person to one of my groups!
Sorry, but I have broken one of your rules. Sometimes I do tie up the Twitter streams and have tried to be conscious of that. However, I guess you are quite forgiving because you are still following me! :-)
Twitter: @shellterrellGabe said,
Hi Shelly,
Tweetdeck is great for keeping an eye on certain people – I do the same thing.
I actually had one person complain to me once about clogging their stream. Most people would have unfollowed. I was so appreciative of him telling me – we actually stopped the practice that was bugging him because it made sense. It’s nice when people give you the benefit of the doubt.
rip said,
I like your post – most of your rules are very plausible indeed, and I’ve probably used them subconsciously myself. But it’s very helpful to have such a comprehensive set of rules laid down. This is something to recommend to twitter beginners (and also advanced twitterers). Thanks.
Twitter: @vilsripGabe said,
Thanks for the kind words, Rip. :)
Joan Vinall-Cox said,
Just looking at your numbers, I was on the fence about following you (too much – intimidating) but I did my usual check the tweets, and your tone led me to click through to here. I love your list – you’ve articulated my tacit approach. Thanks.
Twitter: @joanvinallcoxGabe said,
Hi Joan,
When I first saw your comment I took it that you felt I was personally intimidating. WOW I’ve never been called that in my life. (I’m just a pussycat. :) I THINK now what you meant was the actual number of people that I follow is intimidating to you. Very curious as to why.
There are a few people that I know (@AlexKaris for one) that have many more followers than I and they are still very approachable. I want to always remain that way as well. Followers (I actually prefer to call them “colleagues”) are not an ego trip for me. When I started out my goal was to make as many people aware of Kids Are Heroes as I can and this is the best way I know how.
Regardless of all of that, I am glad you “clicked through” and ended up following me despite your hesitation. :)
-Gabe
Joan Vinall-Cox said,
Hi Gabe,
Your numbers initially intimidated me, especially your number of Tweets. However your friendly tone and great post won me over =>
Joan
Twitter: @joanvinallcoxGabe said,
Thanks for clearing that up Joan. Very nice of you to say. :)
Aparna Vashisht said,
I really like your post. I think some of the points you make are really good. Twitter or any other social media helps build relationships. Being who you are is so important!
Twitter: @parentellaEdward Moore said,
Hello Gabe,
Thank You for such a great Post. I have to agree with you 100% and I pretty much follow most of the same rules. I too, choose to bend those rules from time to time (but VERY sparingly).
I have been building my list naturally for over a year and until recently I wouldn’t use the “Block” button. But lately I have been using it everyday.
I especially hate those that follow me, to get me to follow them and then as soon as I do, they unfollow me. Give me a break, do they think I would want to listen to them if they don’t want to listen to me? LOL
Anyway, this is 100% right on and I will be ReTweeting it as soon as I get this comment finished.
To your health,
Twitter: @EdwardMooreEdward Moore
Gabe said,
Thanks for the kind words, Ed. I am with you on the daily blocking now too – spam is driven by greed which is unfortunately still part of our makeup as human beings. Lucky for us they are easy to spot and can be blocked quickly.
I am wondering if those validation services help (i.e. TrueTwit) My initial reaction is that people don’t want to take the time to validate themselves so I would get fewer new followers but now I’m thinking it might make life easier. -Gabe
Edward Moore said,
LOL, funny you should mention that. I just got one of those today and I immediately “blocked” them. The reason was THEY followed me, so that I would follow them, which I did, but then they sent that auto message telling me “I HAD TO CLICK this link” to verify that I am human.
I mean come on. They followed me, not the other way around. It was pretty much a spammy account anyway, so I did “block” them with no hesitation.
Edward
Twitter: @EdwardMooreGabe said,
You just gave me a great reason not to use that method – warming up my blocking finger again. ;)
Justin Iiams said,
Gabe,
#followfriday is a pet peeve of mine. I actually try to stay away from twitter on fridays. I don’t want to see a list. I also don’t need friday to suggest someone to follow. My conversations with someone will show that the other person is of value.
My BIGGEST pet peeve: if someone puts a bit.ly or link shortener but doesn’t give a description! GAH!!!! Great read too.
I agree about the verify thing too. I tried it for about a week. yup, BAD decision.
another item. I don’t pay attention to my ratio of following/followers. never have, never will. I follow those who interest me, i also follow those who appear interesting. if they don’t follow back, meh, no biggie. but I also refuse to “follow back” just for the sake of following back. I want my stream to be RICH with PEOPLE, not a bunch of junk.
Twitter: @justiniiams or smbutterfliesGabe said,
Thanks Justin,
Thanks for the comment. Re the #followfriday I wrote a separate post just about that a while ago. (http://www.justgabe.com/2009/08/05/whats-happening-to-followfriday/) In fact, if you go to justgabe.com/twit you’ll see all the posts I have written about Twitter. I have been penning fewer recently, maybe because I’ve gotten most of it off my chest. Anyway, I just followed you so I hope we can connect at some point. -Gabe
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