One of the things we talked about yesterday was determining what your follow-back policy will be on Twitter. Many of you pointed out quite correctly that this is one heck of a hot button issue in the world of Twitter, and you’re 100% correct.
I’ve always taken a sort of “middle of the road” approach to following people on Twitter. I’ve never made it a habit to go out and follow tons of people at a time. I gravitate towards people who I start talking to or who I meet in chats. If someone starts following me, I look at their profile. I look at how they are engaging with other people.
But how I do things on Twitter is not how other people do things on Twitter. It may not be how you want to do things on Twitter. So, instead of me blabbing at you about how I would do things, I thought I would give you a sampling of the ongoing conversation about the art of Twitter following. Take a look at these posts and see which resonate the most with you, and let us know what you find out.
Sound good?
Being a Twitter Snob is a Good Thing, by @MitchJoel
Bringing Down the Twitter Snobs, by @markwschaefer
Why I Unfollowed Everyone on Twitter, by @shama (Shama Kabani)
The 100 People You Should Follow on Twitter, from PC Magazine
Techies: 2011 Directory of Who To Follow on Twitter: from Tech Republic
Twitter and the Delicate Art of Unfollowing, from MemeBurn.com (pretty funny)
My own take
I’ve done a fair amount of writing about this topic, so if you’re interested, here are some posts I have done, including one tutorial that explains how I go about following people on Twitter.
(S)He Has More Followers Than Me?
I’m a Snob When It Comes To Twitter Snobs
And here’s my tutorial – Who I follow back on Twitter
I hope these posts all give you a good idea of what kind of opinions are out there about following and unfollowing on Twitter. It’s a very important part of how you end up engaging online. And remember, your actions on Twitter can have powerful ramifications for other parts of your Social Media campaign. What happens if you unfollow someone who is a loyal blog reader?
Where do you come down on this issue? I’d love to hear YOUR thoughts!
This is post #14 in The Engagement Series. Is this series helping you out? What can I do to make it better for you? Please let me know!
Image by mie sørensen. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/fededorit