On Twitter etiquette (or lack thereof)
I witnessed a recent discussion in Twitter about a local politician. A few people were complaining that though he posts tweets regularly and replies to messages, he doesn’t take the time to follow anyone. Absolutely zero. This politician is not alone. Some use Twitter to promote their businesses and nothing else. The question then is, is it a requirement for users to follow others?
Strictly speaking, of course, the answer is no. We can follow whoever we want, or nobody at all. In my opinion, though, this misses the point of social media: proactive interaction. It’s all about putting yourself out there and making new connections. Also, following others is quite beneficial in that it helps you keep an ear on the ground, which is beneficial in generating ideas for your products and services.
Another issue is the reverse, i.e. gaining followers. There are many whose main concern is purely to acquire more followers, which they regard as a measure of success in Twitter world. I definitely think it’s a difficult task to do this in legitimate ways and is an art in itself. However, we shouldn’t forget that the quality of followers you have is as important, if not more so, as their quantity. Imagine persuading industry leaders to follow you and engaging you in conversations. Besides getting their insights to your questions, @replies and retweets are great advertisements for your account among their followers.
Each of us has tried different ways to attract users on Twitter. Which was your most successful tactic? Which one didn’t work as well as you hoped?
Share your thoughts!!!