I’m on Twitter a bit and at first I had a real hard time keeping track of everything. I followed pretty much everyone who followed me. I hated it and found it a waste of time.
After reading Tim’s personal rules on Twitter I started to review why I used Twitter the way I did and changed my system. Ferriss made a comment that stuck with me, he said:
Use a tool for what its best suited to do. Don’t make a Swiss army knife out of every social media tool..
How I Keep my Twitter Network Manageable
- I keep separate accounts for my sites. I find it easier to group by my sites as each as a different community.
- I use the search feature to check if someone sent a comment to me. I really want to be able to communicate, so even if I’m late and it’s a day off, I’ll send a message to that person. It’s my way of appreciating that they took the time to read my tweet.
- I don’t reply to all tweets. I’m not contradicting my earlier guideline, but if I can’t add anything useful (or funny), I’ll pass.
- I’m more selective when follow someone. I don’t auto add someone just because they are following me. I try to keep it small and manageable.
- Every so often, I clean out who I follow and add some people I want to keep tabs on. It’s like spring cleaning, but done more often. It’s an opportunity to reevaluate why I follow their tweets.
Why I Stop Following Some People
On one of my Twitter accounts, I stopped following over 100 people after I realized it was a waste of everyone’s time. Basically it boils down to a few things:
- Way too Many Updates: I noticed that some people constantly update with no real communication happening.
- Too Much Self/Site Promotion: I actually don’t mind if you automatically Twitter if you have a new post. I just don’t enjoy reading someone who constantly posts about themselves, their products, and their sites.
- Haven’t updated their site or tweets in a long while. I realize life can keep you busy, so some people stop. If they start again, I can always add them later.
When I stop following someone I’m not trying to be rude, but I want to enjoy and be productive on Twitter. It’s my way of showing respect for your time and attention.
Photo Credit: striatic
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