It used to be that the big fad was to go “follow” a bunch of people on Twitter with an expectation that a majority of them will “follow” in return. I watched it and cringed, because I saw that there is a point when it totally comes undone and all of Twitter becomes deaf. It is still a pretty strong fad, but a newer fad is to go and unfollow everybody and start over.
Bulk Unfollow: A New Fad
Let’s face it my friend, you can only follow so many people before it becomes no more than a courtesy to show that you are “following” them, while the truth is that you only see .0001 percent of their messages. I mean, really, how many hundreds of Twitter updates per minute do you think any person can read?
Now a bunch of Twitter users are up-in-arms about this latest trend of people with massive numbers of followers who decided they wanted to hear Twitter again. You know, the way it used to be.
A lot of the people taking this route brought it on themselves by trying to play the game of following massive numbers of people just to be re-followed. Then there are people like me, who just thought it was courteous to re-follow people who followed my Twitter feed, just in case they ever wanted to address me with a direct message (which, by the way, is where 90 percent of my tweets are sent).
The message that I hear over and over regarding people bulk un-following sounds something like this:
“Oh, this stinks … you mean you are going to unfollow me? That would be like taking away a birthday gift. Are you saying that we cannot be friends anymore? Boo hoo, pout, sob, sniff … I am going back to bed and pull the blankets over my head.”
I have not done this, but I can certainly see why some people would. First, let’s get these couple of things clear:
- A “follow” is not a promise!
- A “follow” will not make you a better person.
- If I do not follow you, I can still hear you, and we can still chat.
An Alternative: The “Real” Follow
I use Seesmic Desktop to manage my Twitter, which allows me to put my closest friends into groups so I never miss their tweets. This is the true “follow” that we should all be seeking … somebody who actually pays attention and wants to hear what you have to say. So I guess you would call this the second-layer-follow. Just because Twitter says that I am following you, it does not mean that I see your tweets. In fact, I spend a relatively very small amount of time looking at my main public Twitter stream. I spend a lot more time reading messages that I have filtered out with advanced searches, groups, and @ messages. This way, I have tidy little columns of information that is sorted nicely for my reading pleasure. Are you in one of my advanced searches, friend groups, or sending me an @ message? If so, that is a real follow.
The Truth About “Followers”
The majority of users subscribed to your Twitter feed are not following what you have to say. They are just giving you the nice warm feeling of another “friend”, and extending you the awesome gift of their return-follow. Do not take it to mean that each of those people following you will show up at your next tweetup, or that they would ever even hear about it.
I remember back when it seemed that people would respond and start a conversation with every other “tweet” and you knew they were paying attention. Today, that is rare, and you must actually make an effort to reach others and build your communications. Yes, that means paying attention, which is so hard for most people who sit at a computer all day to “tweet” crap to all of their oh-so-treasured fans.
A lot of people have clearly noticed and agreed with what I said in a recent article titled “Did Twitter Go Deaf With Broadcast Static?” If you have not read it, I would recommend it. Another related article is “Twitter Follower Frenzy“.
If you like these articles and find them useful, you will really like my new book “Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends“.