Wednesday, February 26, 2014

What to do if You do NOT want more Twitter Followers

by Edie Melson

Today I want to give you a short list for Twitter—specifically things to do if you do NOT want more Twitter followers.

Number 1—always talk about yourself. With the 140 character limit, Tweets that are always, Me, Me, Me, are guaranteed to not only keep you from new Twitter followers, it will help you lose the ones you have.


Number 2—hogging the Twitter feed. This means posting three or more tweets in a row. Again, it’s that nausea inducing litany of Me, Me, Me.

Number 3—loading your Tweets with hashtags. Not sure what a hashtag is? Here’s my post on Twitter 101 to help you decipher the code. Multiple hashtags are sure signs of spammers, bots or newbies. All accounts no one wants to follow.

Number 4—the dreaded egg avatar instead of a picture. Again, only spammers, bots or newbies don’t change out the egg for a real picture. You only get the opportunity to communicate who you are in a 140 character bursts. Trust me, no picture does NOT inspire me to follow you.

Number 5—a locked twitter account. Twitter is all about being FOUND. A locked Twitter account is the ultimate oxymoron. Some people restrict who follows them because they mistakenly believe their followers' Tweets will end up in their Twitter stream. Not true. Only the people YOU follow show up in your twitter stream.

Number 6—a description that promises you'll be commenting on the random or inconsequential. Twitter is all about focused bursts of info and interaction. Keywords and hashtags help us follow specific topics. Random nothingness is NOT what I’m looking for on Twitter.

Now it's your turn. What are some of the things you don't like in the Twitter accounts you follow?

Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,

Edie

TWEETABLES

7 comments:

  1. Edie, I've unfollowed people because of #2. I try to space my tweets over a period of time. People want variety, not a Twitter hog!

    As usual, great tips!

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    1. Joan, I used to have that issue more on Twitter, but now I'm really having trouble with people who use Google+ clogging my inbox with updates. Thanks so much for stopping by, Blessings E

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  2. You've heard me gripe before. I follow a hashtag like #dystopian or #ACFW, and every post is someone promoting their own work. I don't even see an opening to a conversation. I like people who post little funny snippets of their day, like the woman cop I follow who also happens to be a roller derby...roller derbier? She roller derbies. You can imagine the variety I get out of that one. So I suppose the "note to self" should be to post the simple things about my day. What I found funny, or interesting, without feeling the need to attach a link or hashtag. We're writers. We should be able to handle that!

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  3. This is great, Edie! I don't like bad words or creepy pictures! Try to be careful what I put in my mind!! Thanks!

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  4. I've unfollowed a few people who were always posting something they're trying to sell. Often every 2 minutes or so. It seemed ridiculous to me.

    But I'm a little confused, . I thought hashtags were good, so I don't understand number 3. What do you mean by "loading your posts with hashtags"?

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    1. Ellen, it's like most thigs. A little is good, a lot is not. More than two hashtags ( occasionally 3) and your tweet looks like an advertisement! Think of it as seasoning your updates with hashtags.

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  5. Loved this... made me laugh. I have much to learn about Twitter.Excellent...as always and thank you for teaching us so well. I truly appreciate you!

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