Are you Twitterpated?

Are you Twitterpated?

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This week it's back to the topic of social networking (again) - this time Twitter in particular. A few times in the last week I saw posts (on facebook and twitter) that said something like this: "Busy un-following anyone who isn't following me back."

(Brief explanation for newbies: On Twitter you "follow" people, which mean their updates show on your home page. Anyone who "follows" you sees your updates. The point of course being that you are keeping up with what each other are doing.)

Why? I asked one person. "Because that's what you're supposed to do, that's how you get followers" came the answer. Again, I ask, why? It seems that there is this perception among some that it is only "polite" or that "it's one of the rules." I respectfully disagree.

This attitude seems to be all about numbers, and not about substance. I follow you, you follow me and we both get lots and lots of followers! Woo hoo! But here's the problem. I checked out one of the posters Twitter page. She's currently following well over 3,000 people. How do you do that? The average person I follow Tweets 2 -3 times a day. At an average of 2.5 tweets multiplied by 3,000, that means she is following 7,500 pots per day? I don't think so....

Which means, she can't really be following them. Might that mean they aren't really following her either? If this is the case, what is the point? I guess for some it is just a numbers game...

There is another aspect to it as well. I follow people for a specific reason - I believe that they are going to provide me with news or knowledge that I want. I might follow someone who posts about social media and technology. I usually post about food and/or drink - should the tech guy follow me back? Probably not... What if you follow your favorite restaurant so you know what the daily special is, should they follow you back? These "rules" that some lay claim to seem to lack the one thing that it takes to make sense of all this - common sense. Thinking through not only the who and the what, but the most important component: why.

A few interesting articles on Twitter:

Is 22 tweets per day the optimum?

Tweets on the menu is a sweet deal

Twitter follower vs raving fan

Kogi Korean BBQ: a taco truck brought to you by Twitter

To follow or unfollow - that is the question

What are your thoughts? Let me know!

-Margie

Follow on

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Margie,

You are SO right on. Don't these people have jobs or homes or something to use up their precious time. Frittering valuable time away on a daily basis is so useless. At the end of the day,they should just stop and think that the day that has just passed will never come back. We only have so many days to live in this life. Do something you can be happy or proud about. Its part of the ME society we live in, I guess. We need to be recognized on a daily basis and twittering seems to do it for a lot of people.
Wilf Krutzmann DVM,CSW

Fruit of the Vine Consulting
Box 415, Malahat, BC
V0R 2L0
fruitofthevine@shaw.ca
http://wwpress.blogspot.com
______________________________________________________________

Twitter = Big Time Waster.

Rick Schofield, CWE
Hyde Park, NY 12538
rickschof@gmail.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickschofieldcwe
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Hi Margie,

I have not ventured into the realm of Twitter, but it occurs to me that the emitters of tweets could be called twits.

Cheers,

Richard Corles
Orangewood Wines
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Dear Margie,

Thank you for that! the information you provided about the tweets is most helpful. I wondered too...how does this work? Why do you follow everyone? How is this going to bring more business to me. How much time do we have to do all of this twitter tweeting stuff it's not about the numbers, you are right! It's about who and why and how it can help each other in our businesses. You are the best!

Sandy
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Hi Margie,

I think Dennis Leary has it right: "You can have your FlickerTube and your FaceySpace and your Tweety bird, TV already rots your brain enough."

Too much junk to process. Why do you care if a friend is at Fitch buying more torn up shorts?

Ken
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Margie:

My question to anyone on Twitter is this: How productive can you be if you're doing nothing but tweeting and reading tweets all day? I'm as much of a techie as anyone, but I simply don't have time for yet another social networking device that is going to keep me from getting work done.

JMHO:-)

Entertain your friends with an in-home wine tasting!

Denise Lowe
Wine Educator
Independent Wine Consultant
WineShop at Home
www.denisemlowe.com
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I love your columns and agree with you on your tweeter article.

Paeton R. Bangart, President
www.b2cwine.com
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Very good point. I couldn't agree more. Once again, it's about Quality not Quantity. It's not a competition. It's about learning, sharing thoughts and ideas and social networking.

John Lawrence
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We have entered into these new worlds and I am concerned that our clients who are already on our email list may get sick of us in at least four social places and dump us from all. I was addicted to FB when it first started then got bored by hearing too often from people I may not talk to in a month. Twitter is very irritating to me and I am rebelling Twitter addicts who are coaching us to do more Twittering. It is a necessary evil!
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Thanks for the article... i am researching more on social media

Eric Bardeguez
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Ditto all your comments.

Annette Aaron
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I have been writing a lot about Twitter lately on my blog at http://blogs.foodserviceu.com/tpmusings/Default.aspx . In addition, part of my practice is now dedicated to helping businesses use social networking in a business and professional application. Thanks for your commentary.

Tom Rector
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Since you asked...

LOL @ people who are keeping score. I guess I mostly follow people to get their attention or to get access to their follower list so I can follow those people too. I then un-follow anyone who is overdoing it on my home page. But it's all about biz for me. I liked the restaurant article, gives me optimism that we can get at least some kind of results from our time on that thing.

Kind regards,
Bill Matte, Owner
Shooting Star Bed and Breakfast
www.shootingstarbandb.com

This entry was posted on July 1st, 2009 at 10:30:56 pm and is filed under Restaurant Management, Sales, General.

5 comments

Comment from: Melinda Y. [Visitor]

· http://apps.enjoyfinewines.net/Blog

I agree with you Margie and I am also one of your Twitter followers. I am a new Twitter user. I follow people for specific reasons, to network and learn from others and get news I am interested in. I am grateful for those that follow me back and feel I add value, but I don't expect everyone to follow me back.

I just tweeted your blog post to my Twitter network because I like your post.

Thanks!
Melinda Y.
Site: EnjoyFineWines.net
Blog: apps.enjoyfinewines.net/Blog

07/02/09 @ 16:52

Comment from: venetia Witty [Visitor] · http://web.me.com/chefvenetia

I am with you all the way! I joined Twitter mostly to follow people in my industry, NPR, Oprah, Anderson Cooper, Food & Wine, other chefs etc. to stay informed of the trends and news and share links. I also use it as a marketing tool to drive people to my website - but I try not to overdo this. Sometimes I do not Tweet for days, although it is said that Twitter is more effective if you do. Nothing important to share? Save it for another day when you do. I do not follow people just because they follow me - there are some mindless narcissistic people out there saying nothing I am interested in - so check out your followers profile and Tweets before you follow them - be selective - forget the numbers game - go for quality! associated

07/03/09 @ 14:46

Comment from: Kathy Howe [Visitor] · http://www.chocolate-addiction.com

As with most things, Twitter can be overused. However, it can also be a networking tool to communicate with people with similar interests.

I follow people who post comments that I want to read. I "unfollow" those I'm not interested in. I'm not in a race to get the most followers as many seem to be.

Obviously people Twitter for various reasons.

07/04/09 @ 15:00

Comment from: Chris Stehle [Visitor]

· http://www.LadiesNights.com

The reason I heard for this is that: Twitter has a max following cap of 2,000 you can follow. Until your follower catch up to 2,000 you can't go over. They give you a buffer of around 150 . So if you have 2000 you are following and only 500 follower, you have to wait until your follower gets within 150 of you 2,000 following. Makes huge sence. This keeps people from following Tens of thousands and no followers. Your ranked by your follower also. Remember that you can have 127 that you follow and 6500000 that are following you. The reason for unfollowing is to bring down your over vellous following and keep that 150 follow gap. THE REASON I LIKE TWITTER, is that you see and meet new businesses and websites you would have never ran across. I only follow the stuff I like or pertains to my area of business. I feel more nobel that I have see some pretty cool ideas and sites out there and it is all because of twitter.

Thanks
LadiesNights.com
Follow if you like:
http://www.twitter.com/LadiesNights

07/08/09 @ 21:25

Comment from: Don [Visitor]

Margie,
You couldn't be closer to the truth! As so many other commentators sighted -- what a colossal waste of one's life. Sad really.

When I entered the work space in the early 80's it was all about networking. After several years of useless cocktail gatherings I faced reality... 10 close friends and 10 reliable business colleagues trumps 10,000 acquaintances any day of the week. Twitter is networking on steroids to the 100th degree. With that comes uselessness 100 fold. For those claiming their online friends make them money... that's NOT a friend, no matter how many time you claim it, or if Facebook and Twitter define it as such. That's a PROSPECT at best! Start calling it what it is and you'll have far less people living in the real world calling you a TwitHead!

This food service techie isn't buying it until there's a practical PURPOSE to it! Claiming you're valuable, doesn't give one a purpose. Wake up people. It isn't about money... in your end days you'd give it all back for one more day... which you will have Twittered away for "FREE".

07/10/09 @ 16:22

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Are you Twitterpated?

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