I still see a lot of people (and companies) misusing Twitter, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to address a few issues and make comments on how I use Twitter. Twitter can be a very useful tool for your business, if used properly. Here’s a few thoughts:…
Auto-follow vs Manually Following
This tends to be a bit of a heated debate when it gets brought up. I actually feel like I get too many followers to manually follow each of them (a problem you want to have, I guess), so I do use an auto-follow application. However, I get an email for every new follower and I take the time to check out each and every one of them, going through the emails at least once a week. I block people who I feel are spammers, send messages to interesting people, and try to learn more about those who have connected with me.
I Choose Who I Will Follow
Even with using an auto-follow system, I still make decisions about who I will or will not follow. These are based on taking a look at someone’s Twitter profile page – based on who they are and what they’re saying. I don’t make any apologizes if I block you, but I’d be happy to hear why you think I should follow you.
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Any get rich quick schemes, or other spammers are very quickly blocked. I don’t want to hear what you have to say and I don’t want to show up in your follower or following lists.
Suggestive Profile Pictures
You may actually be very professional, but if your profile picture is suggestive than that makes me think twice about following you. Sure, it’s ok to have fun, but save the swimsuit pictures for your friends and family.
Following Everyone Back
I like to follow everyone back who follows me (except those I deem are spammers). I’ve met some really great people through Twitter this way and I find that it makes it easier to have conversations (which is what you’re supposed to be doing). Yes, this can get to be a large number of people, but I’ve found that TweetDeck helps me filter through the tweets for the good stuff.
Self-Centered Tweets
There are a lot of people (and companies) who only tweet about their own stuff. When I look at someone’s twitter account and all they have are ads and links to their own stuff, I often block them. Why would I want to hear any of that stuff? Where’s the value for me? People are more likely to listen and follow you on Twitter if you provide them with valuable information and if you have conversations. Be personable. Give more than you receive. Most of what you do should be about others. Then it’s ok to put in a few things about yourself. And people will be more likely to listen.
Tweets & ReTweets
I try to give useful information in my tweets by linking to interesting stories around the web. I’ll also retweet interesting stories and tweets from the people I follow. Mix in a few things from the blog and some comments and you have a well-balanced twitter feed.
Comments? How do you use Twitter? What are your suggestions for dos and don’ts?
(photo by SashaW @ Flickr CC)
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