Follow Me Back
“Follower Reciprocity” has always been a confusing topic, particularly for new users to Twitter.
“What’s the proper etiquette? If someone follows me do I have to follow them back? Is not following them back rude?”
There are really two trains of thought here, so you have a choice (Yay!); and what it really boils down to is how you as an individual choose to use Twitter. There is no “right” answer. There is only what is right for you as a person.
“If you follow me, I will follow you back.”
- Perhaps 90% of Twitter accounts I see obviously do this based on their Followers-to-Following Ratio
- Considered by many to be a courtesy, but IMHO is very superficial
- Is superficial because you and I both know that you cannot be gainfully employed and read the Tweets of more than 1000 people per day; and if you’re not making the time to know me and read what I Tweet about, what’s the point of Twitter Reciprocity? To satisfy Ego?
- This is an example of asking for something from me before you give me anything of value – a reason to follow you
- “Follower count is the new penis envy.” – @PeterShankman
- Follower count is important primarily to brands who view Twitter as a broadcast channel
- IMHO 90% of people who use Twitter are “Doing it Wrong”
“If you follow me on Twitter, I *might* follow you back; but if I don’t, it’s never personal at all, so never be insulted. It’s about how I manage the Fire Hose and how I use Twitter.”
- The 10% of people who are using Twitter correctly are using it to engage other people. You may disagree vehemently with me, and I’m perfectly happy with that. Do so in the comments below, as I actively participate and engage with my readers.
- The 10% of people who are using Twitter correctly are not worried about pissing other people off. They are fully aware that they can’t possibly engage with more than 100 or 200 people; and they understand the Law of Attentionomics, which says that 1. My Attention is Currency; 2. My Time is Finite.
- Therefore, whether I use Twitter to consume media or whether I use Twitter to engage with other individuals in a meaningful way, the amount of Attention each person that I follow receives diminishes with each new person that I follow, ultimately to the point where each person I follow is receiving a fraction of a fraction of my attention.
- I’ll go into more detail on this in my upcoming book, “digital minimalism: thriving in the age of distraction“. I would encourage any of you interested to actually participate in the book if interested; and/or sign up to receive an email when it becomes available.
How I personally use Twitter
- I tweet digital minimalism stuff here: @minimalism. Everything else I tweet about here: @AdamBoettiger.
- I do NOT follow every person who follows me back, for reasons listed above
- I don’t worry at all about how many followers I have, but rather I focus on the quality of what I’m putting out and how I am engaging with others through Twitter
Resources
I believe everyone who is new to Twitter should read this post, along with the following books: “UnMarketing” by Scott Stratten; “Trust Agents” by Julien Smith & Chris Brogan; “Groundswell” by Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff; “Customer Service” by Peter Shankman. All are available on Kindle or print via Amazon.com.
About Adam Boettiger
