Twitter – Am I Playing By The Rules?
I got the email below earlier today (I have her permission to post it). I thought it was interesting and thought others might be thinking the same thing…so see her email and my comments below…
Hi Jennifer,
I enjoyed your social media blog. But–why do you expect people to follow you on twitter when you don’t follow back? I got the impression that you really don’t get twitter.
And my reply was…
Joy~
Jeanette
Jeanette,
I know when people choose to follow someone they hope that person will follow them back. Some even say it is good etiquette to follow in return.
That is just not my thinking (and I now a lot of other marketers that feel the same as me).
I only want to follow people that I either a) know or b) know their industry/website/core area of expertise and I want to hear what they have to say.
If I followed everyone that followed me, I’d be so inundated with tweets I wouldn’t be able to read them all and it would defeat the purpose for me. I use Twitter to share SEO & marketing news, tips and links with people and then I also believe in the “transparency” concept of letting people see you and get to know you so I can establish trust and hopefully relationships.
If someone chooses to communicate with me on Twitter I am more likely to then add them and follow them. But just knowing they follow me doesn’t mean to me that I should follow them. I definitely don’t mean to be rude to my followers. I would actually advise this approach to anyone on Twitter. If we all get overwhelmed and can’t really read everyone we are following it defeats the purpose.
So, there is my long winded rant.
Others may be wondering the same thing “ do you mind if I post your email and my response on my Blog?” Send me a link and I’ll link to you when I post it.
Jenn
So what do you guys think? I’d love to hear from you!
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Hi Jenn,
With respect, I add my comments inside your words.
You said:
I only want to follow people that I either a) know or b) know their industry/website/core area of expertise and I want to hear what they have to say.
I say:
I learn so much by following new people. Besides learning about new technologies, I keep up with the flow of real estate, watch Internet marketing trends, and make new friends. Because of my twitter connections, I went to Haiti with Frank Mckinney and 56 other concerned folks, met fellow twitterer @GiaBFreer for breadkfast in Florida, went to Frank Kern’s San Diego event and partied with @christinahills and @kevinnations, met new and old friends in Las Vegas earlier this month, and plan to go to Woman’s Business Empowerment Summit Aug 1. Also, I get to spend time with @ericfarewell. I have been gifted all kinds of programs and products by answering questions on twitter. None or this would have happened if I only followed people I knew. In fact, few of my friends even know what twitter is. I now have 400 new friends who I bet would help me if I needed something.
You said:
If I followed everyone that followed me, I’d be so inundated with tweets I wouldn’t be able to read them all and it would defeat the purpose for me.
I say:
I don’t read every post. I read all that are directed to me and follow a page or two of tweets when I take a coffee break. You can follow a selected topic using http://search.twitter.com. If you followed the 100 people following you, it wouldn’t take much time to read.
You said:
I use Twitter to share SEO & marketing news, tips and links with people and then I also believe in the “transparency†concept of letting people see you and get to know you so I can establish trust and hopefully relationships.
I say:
In reading your posts, they almost seem self-serving instead of following the spirit of twitter. You don’t connect to your followers by responding to their posts. You don’t join the conversation. You try to lead.
Twitter does ask the question: “What are you doing?” However, most users translate the question to: “What are you thinking?” The joy of twitter is responding to each other and expanding your universe by exploring new thoughts.
You said:
If someone chooses to communicate with me on Twitter I am more likely to then add them and follow them. But just knowing they follow me doesn’t mean to me that I should follow them. I definitely don’t mean to be rude to my followers. I would actually advise this approach to anyone on Twitter. If we all get overwhelmed and can’t really read everyone we are following it defeats the purpose.
I say:
No one expects you to read everything they post. But, we expect you to show respect by honoring what we share. You can ignore most of our posts and jump in once in awhile to let us know you care about us as people and not just think of us as prospects.
Joy~
Jeanette
http://twitter.com/jeanettejoy
First and foremost I want to say I appreciate your sharing your thoughts with me. I’m always interested in others’ points of view and I love opportunities to learn new things.
And now my response to your comments….
You said:
I learn so much by following new people. Besides learning about new technologies, I keep up with the flow of real estate, watch Internet marketing trends, and make new friends. Because of my twitter connections, I went to Haiti with Frank Mckinney and 56 other concerned folks, met fellow twitterer @GiaBFreer for breadkfast in Florida, went to Frank Kern’s San Diego event and partied with @christinahills and @kevinnations, met new and old friends in Las Vegas earlier this month, and plan to go to Woman’s Business Empowerment Summit Aug 1. Also, I get to spend time with @ericfarewell. I have been gifted all kinds of programs and products by answering questions on twitter. None or this would have happened if I only followed people I knew. In fact, few of my friends even know what twitter is. I now have 400 new friends who I bet would help me if I needed something.
I say:
That is really great! It’s true, I probably miss out on things like what you describe. I guess we all just decide how to participate as best we can – given our schedule, time, personal opinions, etc. I will admit that I don’t think I will ever follow every interesting person that I could – but you have opened my eyes.
You said:
I don’t read every post. I read all that are directed to me and follow a page or two of tweets when I take a coffee break. You can follow a selected topic using http://search.twitter.com. If you followed the 100 people following you, it wouldn’t take much time to read.
I say:
I have so little time and I find I get caught up in people’s messages and go to websites and spend more than just a few seconds glancing. It’s true I can follow more than I am, and I likely will over time – but keeping up is still a concern for me. If I follow someone I want to read everything they tweet. Maybe I just need to get over that, or maybe this is what works for me. We all have to use Twitter in the way that we feel best serves ourselves – and our followers. However I believe that people follow me because they care about what I may share and not because they expect to be followed in return so I don’t believe I am doing them a disservice by not following them.
You said:
In reading your posts, they almost seem self-serving instead of following the spirit of twitter. You don’t connect to your followers by responding to their posts. You don’t join the conversation. You try to lead.
I say:
I am sorry you feel that way, but I respect your opinion. We are all out there learning and doing the best we can. I guess I disagree with your statement – I feel like I share good information and tips and links to great content and then I include personal updates. I don’t feel my messages are any different than the messages I see from the people I follow. I would never intentionally want to go against the spirit of Twitter and I don’t think I am. As I said, I’m always open to learning and those aren’t just empty words – so you can be sure when I tweet going forward I’ll be more conscious. Maybe I’ll end up changing my style and messages, or maybe I won’t – but at least I’ll be consciously doing what I’m doing.
You said:
Twitter does ask the question: “What are you doing?†However, most users translate the question to: “What are you thinking?†The joy of twitter is responding to each other and expanding your universe by exploring new thoughts.
I say:
Every person has their own opinion and interpretations and styles and I respectfully point out that this is your take on it. Mine is a little different. Yes, I think it really opens the doors for communication and yes I need to do more of that. I also believe there are people out there that don’t want to communicate and be as involved as you are – there are people that just want facts, tips, links to posts etc.
You said:
No one expects you to read everything they post. But, we expect you to show respect by honoring what we share. You can ignore most of our posts and jump in once in awhile to let us know you care about us as people and not just think of us as prospects.
I said:
Anyone that knows me and knows my style knows that I care about people. When people email me – I give free advice, ask questions, get to know people. I just don’t do as much of that on Twitter. I don’t believe I have ever disrespected or not honored people and what Twitter means to them. I may not choose to participate the same way others do – but that doesn’t mean that I don’t honor and respect them as people. I don’t see my followers as prospects – I would in fact be willing to bet that most people following me would never become a client. I just like to share info and get the content that I work hard on producing out there for people to read and benefit from.
I do not follow everyone who follows me (some are spammers) but I follow nearly 300 people. I find that if I am extremely busy, Twitter falls by the wayside; however, most days I check in anywhere from a few times to many times and scan a few recent Tweets.
When I started using Twitter I was not sure what to expect, other than a giant timesuck. It turned out not to be that way at all. One of the best things to come out of Twitter has been creating new relationships with people I did not know before. Many of them have become face-to-face relationships, as described by Jeannette.
Jenn, people use Twitter many different ways, and your way is certainly not wrong. However, I would encourage you to try being more of a part of the Twitter community. It is easy to un-follow anyone who posts too frequently or about things in which you have no interest. And you never know–you may meet some great new people.
I appreciate the feedback. Thanks guys! I wonder if I’m super slow or something (LOL) I find the thought of following so many people overwhelming. I need to get more in the mindset of skimming, I guess.
It was never that I didn’t want to participate and interact with people – it was more that I tried to manage who I was following more.
As I said, I really do appreciate all the feedback. I still don’t think I’ll follow as many as some people do, but I will get more proactive on there.
No one can say I don’t learn my lessons when they are taught to me.
Jenn,
I used to live in Huntington Beach and I understand how life in OC can be overwhelming. My children are grown or in college. My husband died. I can spend all day playing on twitter or doing whatever I want.
I hope you will find new friends on twitter and wish the best for you in the fast lane.
Keep sending the great newsletters. Maybe we can meet in person for lunch someday. I give seminars in Irvine and my family is in Newport.
Enjoy the beach!
Jeanette
Jeanette,
I just sent you an email. Lunch sounds great. I’d love to try to listen long enough to hear about your seminars (poking fun at myself a little there).
Jenn