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Why I won’t follow you on Twitter

benlreed —  January 27, 2011 — 13 Comments

I love Twitter and social media.  But just like any other form of media, the pool gets diluted pretty quickly.

So I’ve come up with some of my own rules for why I won’t follow you back on Twitter.  Don’t be offended.  If we ever run into each other in person, we’d probably be friends.  But my Twitter profile has standards much higher than I do.

Why I won’t follow you on Twitter:

Your picture:

  • has you resting your head on your clenched fist.
  • is of you wearing sunglasses.
  • if of you taking a picture of yourself, and we can see the camera.
  • you don’t have a picture because you haven’t taken the time to upload one.

Your profile:

  • includes “Internet expert”
  • includes “social media expert”
  • includes “Internet social media expert specialist”
  • includes any of the above words in any order

Your Auto-Direct Message

Your followers:

  • You have over 1,000 followers and only 2 updates
  • You have over 1,000 updates and only 2 followers
  • You follow 2,000 people and only 2 follow you back

Your updates:

  • You only update about your own stuff (website, blog, self-promotion, etc).
  • Any of your updates include: “I got thousands of followers using ______…you should try it!”
  • You never reply to anyone
  • You never update. Ever.
  • All you do is reply…to 10 people every update.

Have you ever consciously chosen not to follow somebody back on Twitter?

Why or why not?

 

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benlreed

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Christ follower, husband, father, writer, pastor of small groups at Long Hollow Baptist Church. Communications director for the Small Group Network.
  • http://theperkinsblog.net MichaelDPerkins

    Auto DMs. Social Media Experts and they only have 100 followers. And the get more followers thing.

    • http://www.benreed.net Ben Reed

      Ha! Yeah, if you’re a social media expert, you’d expect to have more than 100 people following you.

  • http://twitter.com/jasonvana Jason Vana

    My “rules” are pretty similar to yours. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt at first, but after a while, if they only tweet about themselves, never respond, or are “internet” experts, they get the hack. I try to do a social media purge every 6 months or so.

    • http://www.benreed.net Ben Reed

      Yep, me too. What do you use to do your purge? Any kind of automated thing? I’ve used Tweepi and love it.

  • Pingback: Tweets that mention Why I won’t follow you on Twitter | Life and Theology -- Topsy.com

  • http://jriggs.wordpress.com/ Jeremy

    I have used a website called “follow cost.” Basically from someone’s profile, you click the follow cost link and it will tell you what that person’s twitter feed is like–@replyaholic, etc.

    But I also have issues with some who seem to be pushing their brand.
    Twitter, like most social media, feeds the ego. That’s one reason why people like it. I also know my own heart, so my default reaction is that others’ motives are as impure as mine. If nothing else, I can see how it would be easy, but dangerous, to get wrapped up in how many followers one has.

    This post is very similar to one I would like to see: Twitter Etiquette for Pastors.

    • http://www.benreed.net Ben Reed

      I’ve heard of follow cost, but I haven’t used it. I like that concept.

      I agree with you on pushing your own brand. I’m working on a post now to address that. Have you written a “Twitter Etiquette for Pastors” post?

  • http://kelybreez.com/ kelybreez

    Yep. Scantily clad profile pics, liberal use of innuendo, “f” bombs or other crass language, you’re boring. All good reasons.

    • http://www.benreed.net Ben Reed

      Without a doubt, Kely.

  • http://www.bloggingtheologically.com Aaron Armstrong

    Re: picture rules – good thing my profile picture is of me resting my chin on two hands then!

    • http://www.benreed.net Ben Reed

      I’ve decided to preemptively unfollow you, Aaron. You just can’t be too careful these days.

      • http://www.bloggingtheologically.com Aaron Armstrong

        Well, I suppose I had that coming, didn’t I?

  • http://www.soundshoremedia.com/ ejswensson

    I understand. I understand. I do it differently though. I pretty much follow everyone who follows me in order to give people a chance and then drop them when they show they either have no understanding of how to participate or clearly they never intended to because they are basically pirates.