There are multitudes of "Internet Marketing/Social Media Gurus" who extol the virtues of getting as many followers as possible in the least amount of time. I followed some of their advice for awhile and followed anyone and everyone I could. Then I got a little more selective in who I followed... and then some I blocked. I didn't come to twitter to be subjected to the same vitriol spewed on sites like digg. I wanted to promote my freelance writing business through this new media and possibly have some fun at the same time.
Then I had to decide if I really wanted to share my true opinions on things such as politics on twitter. I know that once you go down that road you have the real possibility of alienating about half of your target audience.
So, I relied on advice I got from reading something of Bob Bly's... can't remember if it was a blog post, an email, in one of his books or whatever... but I do give him credit for the following (even though he got it from someone that HE respected).
It was a simple equation - one that I have taped to the top of my pc's monitor and I look at every day and think about several times a day.
SWL + SWL = SW
It is the acronym for:
Some people Will Like you, Some people Will not Like you... So What?
This great piece of advice helps you live what a good friend of mine calls as unedited life. It let's you be yourself. Because the things that alienate some people are the very same things that someone else will love about you.
So, I went with that philosophy and have let that be my guide on twitter. I post some humor that I make up, some that I find elsewhere, some that I remember from an old joke that might be appropriate in today's political climate... and it has served me well. I have made good friends there, I have found new clients, I have had fun and I recommend it for anyone who will appreciate the conversation that takes place on twitter without the caustic insulting atmosphere that exists on sites such as digg, facebook and myspace. I liken it to facebook for adults.
It could be the more mature audience... or the fact that your posts are limited to 140 characters... It's difficult to ramble.
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