Comments on: My Extreme Makeover: Twitter Edition http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/ Twitter Tips in 140 Characters or More Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:03:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jane Steen http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/#comment-52161 Jane Steen Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:11:38 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=2325#comment-52161 I meant, of course, 140-character tweet. May Twitter never increase the limit. I meant, of course, 140-character tweet. May Twitter never increase the limit.

]]> By: Jane Steen http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/#comment-52160 Jane Steen Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:10:19 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=2325#comment-52160 I don't worry too much about how many people follow me or drop me, perhaps because I'm not using Twitter to promote anything in particular. I follow people I come across who seem to have interesting things to say. When I get a follow I check up the account to see whether they're porno pushers or obvious spammers. I block those people because a large number of blocks will alert Twitter to the presence of these accounts. If they're legit but boring and seem to just want me to follow them back, I do nothing. Eventually they drop me. If they seem interesting and don't swear or say nasty things about other people (I'm not holier-than-thou about swearing but seeing the f-bomb three times in a 140-word tweet gets old fast) I follow them. The result seems to be a very gradual increase in the number of people I follow/who follow me, which suits me just fine. I don't check Twitter more than about once a day anyway. I don’t worry too much about how many people follow me or drop me, perhaps because I’m not using Twitter to promote anything in particular. I follow people I come across who seem to have interesting things to say.

When I get a follow I check up the account to see whether they’re porno pushers or obvious spammers. I block those people because a large number of blocks will alert Twitter to the presence of these accounts.

If they’re legit but boring and seem to just want me to follow them back, I do nothing. Eventually they drop me.

If they seem interesting and don’t swear or say nasty things about other people (I’m not holier-than-thou about swearing but seeing the f-bomb three times in a 140-word tweet gets old fast) I follow them.

The result seems to be a very gradual increase in the number of people I follow/who follow me, which suits me just fine. I don’t check Twitter more than about once a day anyway.

]]> By: Elena http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/#comment-50543 Elena Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:53:23 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=2325#comment-50543 I honestly do not care who follows me, but I am becoming very picky about whom I choose to "follow". I do not have many followers and really am only on Twitter for now to stay in touch with friends. What I made a mistake with, in the beginning though, is following most of those who followed me. Spammers and marketers! They drive me crazy. There are no Tweets from them except to push something. So, I am very selective in whom I am following now. I honestly do not care who follows me, but I am becoming very picky about whom I choose to “follow”. I do not have many followers and really am only on Twitter for now to stay in touch with friends. What I made a mistake with, in the beginning though, is following most of those who followed me. Spammers and marketers! They drive me crazy. There are no Tweets from them except to push something. So, I am very selective in whom I am following now.

]]> By: Heather Gray http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/#comment-49953 Heather Gray Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:01:19 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=2325#comment-49953 Rebecca, Thank you for writing out and clearly explaining what my twitter strategy has evolved into (through trial and error and dealing with more and more spam tweeters) Really helped to read your clear thoughts on all of it, that you use blocking too and the atmosphere of obsession with having twitter followers. OK -- I am coming out of the closet to admit that for a few weeks I signed up for a "free get followers" thing. (I clicked a link based on someone I respected on twitter) And boy did it work (my numbers jumped from 700 to into the thousands fast -- but it all felt yucky and watered down the community that was being built. And I felt like a big faker with a relative small number of tweets but a huge "fan base" - not. I had to change my twitter password to get off this merry go round -- and have been "restructuring, unfollowing, blocking" ever since. If I could do over I would never have signed up for that! Rebecca,
Thank you for writing out and clearly explaining what my twitter strategy has evolved into (through trial and error and dealing with more and more spam tweeters) Really helped to read your clear thoughts on all of it, that you use blocking too and the atmosphere of obsession with having twitter followers.
OK — I am coming out of the closet to admit that for a few weeks I signed up for a “free get followers” thing. (I clicked a link based on someone I respected on twitter) And boy did it work (my numbers jumped from 700 to into the thousands fast — but it all felt yucky and watered down the community that was being built. And I felt like a big faker with a relative small number of tweets but a huge “fan base” – not.
I had to change my twitter password to get off this merry go round — and have been “restructuring, unfollowing, blocking” ever since. If I could do over I would never have signed up for that!

]]> By: Rob http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/#comment-49566 Rob Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:39:37 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=2325#comment-49566 Maddie got it spot on. Just because people find you interesting doesn't mean the feeling will be mutual, or vice-versa. I follow some people that I know IRL, and internet aquaintances whose day-to-day activities interest me. Also a few "celebrities" (people like Adam Savage and Felicia Day) whose lives, work and upcoming creative output I want to be informed of as it happens. Anyone who wants to follow me is more than welcome to, if you like what I do, but bear in mind that while I'll check your profile, I'm not necessarily going to be interested in your activities. Personally, I like Brent Ozar's common sense views on Twitter: http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2009/04/top-10-reasons-im-not-following-you-on-twitter/ http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2009/04/top-10-reasons-i-am-following-you-on-twitter/ This article seems unnecessarily elitist and closed off in what's possibly the biggest public forum in the world. Maddie got it spot on. Just because people find you interesting doesn’t mean the feeling will be mutual, or vice-versa. I follow some people that I know IRL, and internet aquaintances whose day-to-day activities interest me. Also a few “celebrities” (people like Adam Savage and Felicia Day) whose lives, work and upcoming creative output I want to be informed of as it happens. Anyone who wants to follow me is more than welcome to, if you like what I do, but bear in mind that while I’ll check your profile, I’m not necessarily going to be interested in your activities.

Personally, I like Brent Ozar’s common sense views on Twitter:
http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2009/04/top-10-reasons-im-not-following-you-on-twitter/
http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2009/04/top-10-reasons-i-am-following-you-on-twitter/

This article seems unnecessarily elitist and closed off in what’s possibly the biggest public forum in the world.

]]> By: Jankovitch http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/#comment-49545 Jankovitch Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:21:01 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=2325#comment-49545 Thanks Rebecca, I did read some very good recommendations here. I do some "Background Checks" when somebody starts following me. There are several ways to get some reference on followers: First their profile. What are they tweeting about in the last days or week? Is their website, mentioned on their profile, plausible? If not I don't follow them. After a user starts following me, I send them a genuine "thank you for following me" message. The way a user respons to that says something to me. To enhance the contact with other users I am starting to respond to people, helping them with a problem or asking them for help. Their reactions again are indicative. Besides web-based applications I use to "scan" users, this method works as a pretty good filter for me. I am realistic, and can not see every tweet of every user in my list. I do know that, when in need of an answer I can perform a twitter-search or ask somebody specific. The shared knowledge is there. I think that is the beauty of it. Today I was checking the percentage of users who don't follow me back. It is about 30%. Is this good or bad? I don't know! What do other users think? One more thing, (mis) users don't get kicked off Twitter by itself. When users start spamming me I will block them and I do send a @spam message. Sometimes unfollowing a user does not bother me. Neither do they I assume. Jankovitch Thanks Rebecca, I did read some very good recommendations here.

I do some “Background Checks” when somebody starts following me.
There are several ways to get some reference on followers: First their profile.
What are they tweeting about in the last days or week? Is their website, mentioned on their profile, plausible? If not I don’t follow them.

After a user starts following me, I send them a genuine “thank you for following me” message. The way a user respons to that says something to me.
To enhance the contact with other users I am starting to respond to people, helping them with a problem or asking them for help. Their reactions again are indicative.

Besides web-based applications I use to “scan” users, this method works as a pretty good filter for me.

I am realistic, and can not see every tweet of every user in my list. I do know that, when in need of an answer I can perform a twitter-search or ask somebody specific. The shared knowledge is there. I think that is the beauty of it.

Today I was checking the percentage of users who don’t follow me back. It is about 30%.
Is this good or bad? I don’t know! What do other users think?

One more thing, (mis) users don’t get kicked off Twitter by itself. When users start spamming me I will block them and I do send a @spam message. Sometimes unfollowing a user does not bother me. Neither do they I assume.
Jankovitch

]]> By: Don Makoviney http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/#comment-49426 Don Makoviney Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:44:52 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=2325#comment-49426 Nancy and others, I still maintain that you are manufacturing a problem that doesn't exist. I have NEVER BLOCKED ANYONE and I don't have a follower list clogged with spam and porn followers. It's a problem that doesn't exist, but you're making it sound like a big scary thing that happens if you don't intensely examine each follower of your Twitter account. Like I and others have said, those followers usually get kicked off Twitter pretty quickly. I totally agree with unfollowing people that you aren't having conversations with, and not following people just because they followed you. But the notion that blocking FOLLOWERS is required to keep the spam and porn at bay? Not needed. Don Makoviney Nancy and others,

I still maintain that you are manufacturing a problem that doesn’t exist. I have NEVER BLOCKED ANYONE and I don’t have a follower list clogged with spam and porn followers. It’s a problem that doesn’t exist, but you’re making it sound like a big scary thing that happens if you don’t intensely examine each follower of your Twitter account. Like I and others have said, those followers usually get kicked off Twitter pretty quickly.

I totally agree with unfollowing people that you aren’t having conversations with, and not following people just because they followed you.

But the notion that blocking FOLLOWERS is required to keep the spam and porn at bay? Not needed.

Don Makoviney

]]> By: Brent Harrison http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/#comment-49425 Brent Harrison Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:29:26 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=2325#comment-49425 Rebecca, Thanks for the blog post - it was refreshing indeed. As a marketer I started to obsess about why I wasn't growing more followers or why people were unfollowing me. As a human being, I care less about the numbers and more about the genuine interaction with people I know (or would like to get to know) around mutual interests. One other dimension I've observed is that Twitter works well if you are singularly focused on one area - SEO, Sports, Wine, History. But in my case, where I have multiple interests, I find I lose my followers who are interested in say online marketing when I tweet something I find humorous about pop culture. Perhaps multiple personas on Twitter is the answer although seems onerous. I'll follow your recommendations - starting to unfollow those who don't follow me (hard to have a "one-way" conversation) and continuing to be judicious in following those who follow me. Cheers, Brent Rebecca,

Thanks for the blog post – it was refreshing indeed. As a marketer I started to obsess about why I wasn’t growing more followers or why people were unfollowing me. As a human being, I care less about the numbers and more about the genuine interaction with people I know (or would like to get to know) around mutual interests.

One other dimension I’ve observed is that Twitter works well if you are singularly focused on one area – SEO, Sports, Wine, History. But in my case, where I have multiple interests, I find I lose my followers who are interested in say online marketing when I tweet something I find humorous about pop culture. Perhaps multiple personas on Twitter is the answer although seems onerous.

I’ll follow your recommendations – starting to unfollow those who don’t follow me (hard to have a “one-way” conversation) and continuing to be judicious in following those who follow me.

Cheers,
Brent

]]> By: David Zook http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/#comment-49367 David Zook Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:25:33 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=2325#comment-49367 I agree with Maddie. Twitter for me is a letting people know that my blog exist and connecting with others who share the same interest as me. My blog went live a couple of weeks ago and my number one referrer has been Twitter. I spend about 30-60 minutes four or five days a week using TweetDeck to interact with as many people as can to find out about them, particularly if they blog, and to let them know about me in a non-pushy way. I agree with Maddie. Twitter for me is a letting people know that my blog exist and connecting with others who share the same interest as me. My blog went live a couple of weeks ago and my number one referrer has been Twitter. I spend about 30-60 minutes four or five days a week using TweetDeck to interact with as many people as can to find out about them, particularly if they blog, and to let them know about me in a non-pushy way.

]]> By: Nancy Creighton http://www.twitip.com/my-extreme-makeover-twitter-edition/#comment-49355 Nancy Creighton Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:55:47 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=2325#comment-49355 thinking more about this blocking business.... I do block, because my reputation as a professional is important to me. I don't know how others find people to follow, but I have several techniques including checking out the follower/following lists of the people who interest me. I don't want someone to come to my followers list and see a bunch of spammers or porners on the first few pages, because I don't want them to think I endorse those folks or follow them. Yeah, yeah, just because someone follows me doesn't mean I endorse them, but why bother to give those folks a platform for marketing themselves using me? It only takes a second to block them. thinking more about this blocking business…. I do block, because my reputation as a professional is important to me. I don’t know how others find people to follow, but I have several techniques including checking out the follower/following lists of the people who interest me. I don’t want someone to come to my followers list and see a bunch of spammers or porners on the first few pages, because I don’t want them to think I endorse those folks or follow them. Yeah, yeah, just because someone follows me doesn’t mean I endorse them, but why bother to give those folks a platform for marketing themselves using me? It only takes a second to block them.

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