I spent a lot of time preaching Twitter’s benefits. I’m trying — with some limited success — to get our students online at Texas Tech. Any student, really. Join Twitter. You need to network. This is an incredibly effective place to meet interesting people.
One of the questions I am most often asked is, “how do you decide to follow?” I wanted one place to point people for my answer. This is that place. I’ve taken a lot of hints from a lot of people, but here’s my algorithm.
Golden rule
Generally, I am an equal opportunity follower. If you follow me, the default rule is that I follow back. I do not think that I am super cool and need to be rationed to the world. If you want to have a conversation, I’m usually game.
There are, however, a few rules in the algorithm.
Get rich quick
Are there only one or two updates, and are they talk about getting large amounts of money from FedEx? Block. We are not cool.
Numbers hunter
Look at the ratio of Following:Followers. If the ratio is much greater than 1.5:1, there is a problem. Usually this person is in the business of trying to build up numbers. They don’t likely add value. I look closer.
Twitter puts a limit at 2,000 unless close to that many follow you. So, if you are following 1,984, and 101 are following you, I do not follow back. Your 101 followers are just those set to auto-follow.
Link bait
If the avatar is any way related to a scantily clad woman, there is 1 update, and the lone update is a link, there is trouble. I guess they’re selling porn, but I’ve never clicked on one to find out. Block.
Pretty much any nakedness results in a block.
Gurus, evangelists, and life coaches
Any one of these words gets you more than halfway to being ignored. I don’t care if they follow me, but I have little use for them. The rest of their bio gets close scrutiny. Saying something particularly interesting elicits a follow back.
Stealth social media
If you don’t have any bio, I am unlikely to follow you back. Tell me something about yourself. Anything. Are you a real person?
Goofy names
If your Twitter name and your real name are simply something cute, then I have no choice than to assume that you have something to hide. Your name is your brand, and if you’re ashamed of it, I am worried about you.
No photo / weird photo
If you joined an hour ago and don’t have a picture, cool. But I am leery when you keep not having one. Call me paranoid, but what are you hiding?
Likewise, I’m not following your dog, so I’m curious why you chose that picture.
Academics
If the person is a student or professor of anything, I follow them back. Always looking to make academic contacts.
Lone Star Tweeps
I live in Texas. It’s good to know your neighbor. Usually even gurus from Texas get followed.
Businesses where I know no one
I’m sure Idaho is nice, but I just don’t want to know what the local TV station there is covering.
Summing it up
I’m on Twitter and the Web to make connections. When in doubt, let’s talk. But please don’t coach my life or give me investment tips.
Did I miss any rules?
I'm a cognitive scientist and communication scholar who manages a psychophysiology lab at Texas Tech. I teach courses about the cognitive processing of media messages and research methods.
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Sam: So what is your stance on those that post thousands of updates? Do they ever wear you out?
Great guidelines. Here’s two more to add to the list:
1. I look at what a person is sharing. If they’re posting what they had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and what their dog is doing only, I generally won’t follow back even if their bio is perfect. Share something interesting from the web, from Twitter, from others or just offer an opinion!
2. If I follow and the person tends to post 5-10 links in a row before anyone else can Tweet in between (Speed Tweeter, Twitterhea, Twitter Storm), then I’ll unfollow because it breaks up conversation and what other people are saying. Two Tweets in a row or so is OK, but not that much!
Barbie– With people like that I examine what they’re posting and their bio. If either of those things does not match up with my interests, then I probably won’t follow back. Because if they don’t share my interests, then they will wear me out!
-Tom O’Keefe
@tomokeefe1
Barbie — Since I use TweetDeck, I can usually handle people with scads of updates. But Tom is right, content is relevant here. If they’re all about gardening, for example, I will think twice.
Tom — Great rules. I know that I lose followers when we have an #advise chat because I end up “talking” so much moderating. It’s hazardous duty. If you talk a lot, and sometimes I do, it will drive some people away. But when there happen to be 3-4 good conversations going on at once, it’s hard to stay out of it simply for the sake of minimizing volume.
Right, I try to be lenient with hashtags when I know people are having conversations via Twitter. It’s usually only once a week for a couple hours anyway!
It’s still something to think of, volume. Whenever I follow back someone following 12 people, I feel bad because I know that give the right day, I might overwhelm their stream. Whereas with some other people, they won’t even see my Tweets speeding by.
Interesting post at a time when one of the higher-profiled users says he’s quitting Twitter because of the “noise”.
Like anything, it’s an individual’s choice whether they accept followers or not. There are basic options like Block and Unfollow if it gets *too much*. Accepting countless thousands of followers and then saying it’s too noisy is a little like playing rock music when you’re a Chopin guy…
Twitter and following/followers is exactly what you make it, no-one else.
Danny Brown’s last blog post..Food (And Drink) For Thought
I agree, Danny. Twitter pushes every theoretical model of communication to its boundary. There is a reason why broadcast model dominated for so many years. It’s efficient. You can perfect the noise in one direction only on that signal.
Many < --> Many communication is not truly feasible as a part-time vocation.
I don’t want it to seem as if I am bem0aning the noise, but it’s a struggle to keep up with more than @replies, a select group, and Direct Messages.
That said, just cursory glances at the “All Friends” timeline still leads to new and interesting conversations.
Great advice. As a Twitter newbie, this list was insightful and helpful. As a public relations student, I have found it helpful to see who my fellow PR peers are conversing with and following. Also, I think the more you can customize your Twitter account (background, picture, colors, etc.) the less generic the Twitter page will seem.
Thanks for the kind words, Madeline! It’s certainly nice to see a customized page when someone follows you.
Your Twitter page looks great … very Oregony, you might say!
Susan Boyle is proof positive just how superficial most human beings are. Odds are most employers would not hire her and if hired she would be under paid, if under paid she would never see a promotion. She would never get a job that requires high public profile. People that look like Stephen Hawking and Ms Boyle do not get much value from social media because few people wants to be associated with UGLY. Yes, there are people on Twitter and Facebook with visible physical handicaps as they are at Texas Tech.
In several studies it was shown that cute people earn more than plain people no matter the education/experience. Cute people are most likely to be assisted, helped or aided quickly than plain looking Jane or Bob and Jane or Bob might even be ignored. ABC News showed that a lady with fashion model looking looks will get hired for a front desk than a portly plain Jane even if Jane has the better office skills.
Now is not a good time to post a Middle Eastern/MUslim sounding name at Twitter such as Osama, Saddam, Muhammad or Ali the same also goes for Black sounding names as Tamika, Dashawn or Booker T.