I Twell Off The Wagon…
Ok…so that’s a corny play on words combining Twitter with fell. But, it’s really what I did!
Twitter was a huge part of my online life in 2008 and mid-to-late 2009. But something changed as I gained followers. (and I realize that I don’t have a huge number of followers BUT I have more followers than most Twitter users do) I noticed that people stopped “listening”. Let me explain…
When I first started using Twitter and had only 200 or so followers, it was easy to engage in conversation. (Isn’t that the point of Twitter?) I was able to keep up with their tweets and they with mine. My click-through ratios were high and RT’s (Re-Tweets) were through the roof! I didn’t feel compelled to spend hours a day tweeting–and I even went a few days without updating my status. Life was good.
However, as my numbers of followers grew (and and I utilized the “courtesy follow-back” policy adopted by many), so did the noise. Even with awesome management clients like Tweetdeck and SocialOomph, I find that Twitter has become exhausting–almost like a job! (Oh, the horror!) And before you send me ranting emails about how amazing Twitter is for business (I still agree when used to truly engage and connect) and how it’s obvious that I don’t “get” Twitter (why? because I don’t spend all day every day tweeting hundreds of times a day) let me save you the trouble. It’s not just me who feels this way.
Seth Godin wrote a thought provoking post about this very subject, based upon the experience of Anil Dash being on Twitter’s “Suggested” List of people to follow. Yes, Twitter has a “list” of about 400 users who are suggested randomly to those who sign up for new Twitter accounts–and considering the growth rate of Twitter, this is a big deal. Before you turn green with envy, consider this…
On the surface, having THOUSANDS of Twitter followers seems great. But how do you mange it? How do you engage an audience of that size? Is it really your audience in that instance? What IF they are only there because someone told them to follow you (or they didn’t know any better because they have no idea what they are doing on Twitter). What good are those followers if said followers are not of like mind–more importantly, NOT your target market you wish to engage?
So, for me. I’m getting back in touch with the PASSION I ounce held for Twitter by re-focusing on the art of conversation. I’m revising my follow-back policy so that I can maintain my relationships (new and old) forged on Twitter. How am I going to do this? I’m going to focus on the public lists function on Twitter and group those I’m truly following (in the sense described above) into a more manageable and useful size. Will this in turn reduce the numbers following me on Twitter currently? Probably…and I’m ok with that. Why? Because those who un-follow me simply because choose to un-follow them probably weren’t really looking to “follow” me in the sense I desired in the first place. I’d rather have a small number of real followers (the ones who actually WANT to be here and who desire to CONNECT) than legions of noise makers.
How are you handling the shift on Twitter? Feel free to comment below…
I was just thinking this during my morning run, wishing I had more followers and wondering how to find time to better engage with the people I follow, and then realizing I would rather have 200 followers who are truly interested in my subject matter than 2,000 who are just following anyone they come across. I felt the same way when I culled the list of people I follow, deleting those who didn’t provide any real value to my day. I felt like I wasn’t “playing the Twitter game” by doing so, but I’m not really in Twitter for a game anyway.
Good thoughts, Edie!
Thanks Heather! You know, it is a bit scary to think about un-following over 1,000 people (it could be worse–10,000) but I agree that for me, that isn’t what my goal was to begin with. I’m my own “super-star”!
I think for business minded people you hit the nail on the head, however for those just socially trolling for a something to check out while standing in line somewhere, Twitter is a great tool to casually stalk celebrities! Haha It’s also fun to see what your friends are up to without having to interact. Voyerism in a digital age!
Well laid out Edie. Those are exactly the thoughts of many tweoples. I always believed that numbers don’t really matter on Twitter (on the contrary, I have seen people just obsessed in increasing the numbers by following many so in turn, they follow them back).
It is very important to have an organic growth in followers who are interested to communicate and share similar kind of information and keep up with other updates (mostly local and businesses of interest). So, when someone I don’t know follows me first I read their profile and their tweets to understand if I relate to them before following them back.
On the good side, I did meet (should I say twmeet?) and got to know many tweoples who eventually turned into friends or business clients. It is indeed a great vehicle to share quick information and to reach out to people around the globe if pursued in the right (organic way). It also gives me great opportunity to read many articles when I am on the go or waiting at some place, on my blackberry through uber twitter.
Just my thoughts.
Regards,
Siva
@itvibes
I agree Edie. Actually, I started following you because you are someone I personally know! But I use Twitter to follow politics. That is my particular focus, and it is great for this. I check in and find links and information that I would not find otherwise.
I follow and have followers numbering under 200. I just don’t get it when someone follows thousands. How can you keep up with it and what is the use if you can’t? Small and simple and in the area of my particular concern—that is the way for me. Ciao!
Michelle
You hit the nail on the head. I found it too time consuming so I bailed (probably not the smartest thing to do). I think your method is the answer I’ve been looking for.
Thanks, Vance! I appreciate that because for a “biker dude” you really know your marketing shtuff.
I appreciate the follow, Michelle…and like you, I too follow those whom I’ve met in person. In fact, following them on Twitter has given me a glimpse into their lives that I might not otherwise have had. Thanks for the comment love!
Siva, we SO need to start “Tweet-Ups” in the Woodlands! You know, I met Teresda DeFord (@woodlandslawyer is a totally cool lawyer tweep!) via Twitter because she recognized Terri McCulloch (a ROCKIN’ Director of Sales & Marketing) while we were at a Chamber event last year. SMALL world!
I too agree with your “organic” following. Often, in business, we opt for automation because it seems as though it will save us time–our most precious commodity. This is one instance in which automation has bit some of us in the you-know-what!
Hey Liz! Great feedback from a non-business Twitter user’s perspective! Chris Brogan talked about this in his response to Seth’s blog post. It’s about what you VALUE in Twitter (or in business/life) that makes a difference in how you use it.
BTW, congrats on your move. Thanks for keeping me updated.
Thank you for this incredible insight and how to maintain those twitter realtionships. i am only on Twitter for a couple of months now, but my following grew so fast, i didn’t know how to keep track of it all. i sometime do some cleaning up of my lists (like removing followers who i can tell really aren’t all that interested, etc.). but i didn’t know about putting people into groups like that. i will do it because there are some people I really do want to keep track of and some people who I want staying interested in me. Thanks again!
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