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Twitter: When to Follow Back

written on November 3rd, 2008 by Zach Braiker

the-meaning-of-follow-by-dhammza-on-flickr.jpg

(The meaning of follow, by dhammza on Flickr)

When people follow you on Twitter how do you decide whether to follow them back?

Here are criteria I use:

  • Your last three tweets made me laugh or think.
  • I already know you, and/or read your blog.
  • The link in your bio points somewhere interesting – not to a place I have to login to see
  • I like your wallpaper, photo or your icon.
  • You have sent me an @ reply with something interesting
  • Following / follower ratio (no spammers thank you)
  • Your bio is appealing
  • Because I suddenly feel like it and will decide later if there’s a fit

I asked a few friends on Twitter the same question:

@bmanley:  For me, if they seem “techy” and don’t look “spamy”, I’ll follow.
@msjen:  I read their tweets if I don’t know them. If they are a good writer, funny & not shilling a product or service then I follow
@thehotiron:  I usually go ahead and follow, then see what I am following!
@JayNeely: @quiverandquill 1) Do I know them? 2) Do their tweets show we share interests? 3) Are they over-following? 4) Are they tweeting too much?
@BryanPerson: Check out that person’s profile/tweets and look for points in common: living area, tweet topics, profession, industry, etc.

How do you decide?

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No Comments »

  1. [...] I have found that people who uses these keywords are often people I enjoy following. And when I am wrong, I simply unfollow them. When in doubt, I follow first and unsubscribe later. That method works well for me. Other methods I use are described here. [...]

    Pingback by Quiver & Quill » Following a Conversation — December 3, 2008 @ 6:34 pm

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Zach Braiker

This blog analyzes where social media culture and business converge. Zach Braiker is the CEO of Refine & Focus a social media agency and an adjunct professor of social media at Emerson College.

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