How To Lose Friends And Offend People On Twitter
Speaking to Teeg the other day about different types of Twitter users, it struck me that that what bugs me with some other users of the service bugs me on other networks as well.
To put it bluntly, what bugs me is one sided conversations.
Twitter is one very handy, and powerful, communications tool that has been adapted for use with cell phones and different online applications.
Communications are more effective though when carried out as a dialogue, or a two way conversation, not a constant monologue.
Though I have been on Twitter for quite a while, I have been short on time, and so haven’t spent as much time there as I would have liked.
I reacquainted myself with the service over the weekend, and was amazed at the sheer number of people sending one way announcements, usually to do with their own blog or website.
I’m resigned to the fact that I am going to see endless reports of what someone had for lunch, or what’s going on in the park and so on.
The people that do this don’t seem to be involved in dialogue with anyone in particular, rather, they just make endless announcements about their activities.
Others do the same, but their monologue centers on a stream of latest blog posts, and nothing else.
While I don’t mind a latest blog post announcement, there is no way that I will go and check out a site for someone who just uses Twitter to promote their own interests, without regard to others!
Since it became apparent that social book marking sites such as Twitter are a great aid to building traffic, more and more marketers are turning there to gain an advantage.
I’m more likely to visit a site if the person posting the link and I know each other – which would be rather impossible if it is a one sided relationship.
The principal is the same on Stumbleupon as well.
Take a few minutes every now and again to visit my site or converse with me, and I am likely to make regular visits to your site, and help get your message out.
Do nothing but send out shouts on Digg, or requests to Stumble, and unfortunately, you will probably be ignored.
Hi Allan,
You’ve just hit on one of my top pet peeves on most sites, I think Twitter just makes it more obvious.
On StumbleUpon, I’m cautious about who I add, simply because I can’t have more than 200 friends on my list. On twitter, the number is unlimited, which I love, but it also means that as twitter becomes more popular, it could become a breeding ground for spam.
I should mention that to me, one way conversations also mean the other direction too. I still haven’t figured out why some people seem to always be requesting for people to add them on twitter, when they’re not adding anyone back. A news site or something is one thing (I thoroughly recommend following @breakingnews btw), but to me an individual who doesn’t follow others seems to have an exaggerated sense of their own importance. Okay, I’ll put away my soapbox now. 😀
Teeg’s last blog post..No More Winking at Facebook’s Lack of Privacy
G’day Teeg,
Thanks for the tip on @breakingnews and commenting!
You (and your soapbox), are welcome here anytime!
Cheers!
Hi Allan,
You’re a busy man…you’re everywhere. Are you irritated by the lack of courtesy and reciprocity? I’ve got more than I can handle in Blogging alone. I wouldn’t want the added aggravation of Twitter or Facebook. No offense meant to you.
However, good luck. It is a way of making more friends and reaching out to people, but can also be testy at times. After blogging, the other reaching out activities I do are normally “live”. 🙂 –Durano, done!
durano lawayan’s last blog post..Forestalling Famine and Financial Failure
G’day Durano,
Most people are at least as busy as me, and have their own reasons for networking, so it doesn’t really bother me.
My activities on Facebook and Twitter are fun, as well as being something that I can study and learn from.
Cheers
Some people understand twitter, and some don’t. Twitter is all about the conversation and the interaction and intimacy that it can bring. People are getting too caught up in the “what are you doing now”. While this can be important, I want to know about unique situations and observations, not what kind of muffin you are eating today.
Chris Blackwell’s last blog post..Novo Emporium Launches Today
G’day Chris,
That’s the problem I guess, the ones that don’t make understand make it harder for everyone else.
Thanks for the comment, and enjoyed your post on Novo Emporium – good luck with it!
Cheers!
This is a gold article. It hit the nail on the head for me… the limited interaction that’s REALLY happening out there. People are posting, writing blogs and a few other things – but how many are posting replies and discussing topics????? Some manage to get a good following and people reply – but I get a sense that many people reply simply to “be seen” and raise their own profile (even I’m guilty of that so I know it’s true). It’s a curious subject that has sparked my interest. Glad Allan raised and wrote about this… xc
ps I’m wondering if we make announcements about our activities so that we stay “in the side bar on Flock” “in the fore front of others minds” yadda yadda… hmmmmm
charlie robinson’s last blog post..interact internationally
Hey Charlie,
Thanks for the comment!
With terms like ‘Social Media Marketing’ being bandied about, I can see this trend increasing, and while it may be successful in the short term, I believe that people will soon get sick of it.
Using social media for promotion purposes tends to become ‘background noise’ after a while, and people will tend to ignore it, as they might ignore the sound of a fridge in the corner of the room!
While I announce blog posts occasionally, I also enjoy interaction with others on the networks.
Allan