10 Ways You’re Using Twitter Wrong (And Many Ways to Get Reported as Spam)
There are a few right ways to do social media but there are SO MANY wrong ways! People think just because they signed up for Twitter or Facebook, they get it. NAWL! Nope. Nay. The thing I love about social media is the fact that you can connect with everyone in a short amount of time. Strangers and friends alike are one tweet and status away.
Twitter can be awesome but it can also be terrible. Try to avoid those people who are doing Twitter wrong and try not to be one of them either. I’m sure you just asked “How can you do Twitter wrong?” GLAD YOU DIDN’T ASK! I’ma tell you anyway.
10 Ways You’re Doing Twitter Wrong
1. You follow everyone who follows you.
If you automatically follow everyone who follows you, it means you’re missing the point of Twitter. If Twitter was all about reciprocity, then it’d be called “Friending” and we call that Facebook. You do not have to follow everyone who follows you, because let’s face it, everyone isn’t interesting enough. And if you have 500 followers and are following 500, it tells me YOU aren’t interesting.
Your entire Twitter experience depends on who you’re following. If you find it boring, it’s because the people you follow are. If you’re involved in too much drama on Twitter, then unfollow the dramatic fools. You have control of your Twitter experience most of the time, so stop feeling obligated to follow folks back. This brings me to the next point.
2. You are Team FollowBack.
No damb country, municipality or zip code for Team Followback. These are the people who tweet others with “follow me and I’ll follow you back.” And they actually use the the hashtag #FollowBack and other related ones. I’m not sure how these online roaches started but they’re the boils on our collective digital yanshes.
If you are spending your time tweeting people to follow you and you’ll follow them back, I imagine you’ve also been catfished before. If you ever send me (or others) this request, not only will you NOT get followed, but you’ll be reported as Tyrese’s spell check (aka spam). And it seems that everyone who uses #TeamFollowback on their bio is also an annoying stan of some celebrity.
3. Retweeting (RTing) 20 compliments in a row.
It’s always great when folks show love on Twitter. No one tires of receiving compliments, and anyone who says they do is a liar or not a big enough narcissist. BUT when folks send you great and kind words, please do not retweet every single last one. At that point, you’re spamming your own timeline. We get it. People love you. Do you really have to RT TWENTY compliments in a row? It just reeks of “LOOK!!! PEOPLE LOVE ME!!! BELIEVE THEM THAT I’M AWESOME!”
The people who are seeing these tweets are mostly your followers, and the fact that they’re following you means they like something about you, so chill. I’m not saying RTing compliments is bad. Nay. I RT some of the ones I get BUT like everything else, moderation is key. 20 of my last tweets being compliments I’ve RTed is eSelf-ass kissage.
Also related: please don’t spend your ENTIRE birthday RTing folks happy birthday greetings. I end up having to mute some people on the anniversary of their welcome to the world because they will literally spend 12 hours tweeting:
THANKS! RT @someone HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
THANKS! RT @thatperson HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
THANKS! RT @somedude HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
THANKS! RT @whoisthis HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
But… WHY? Find another way to show appreciation.
Read the rest of 10 Ways You’re Using Twitter Wrong (And Many Ways to Get Reported as Spam) on Awesomely Techie.
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23 Comments
This just gave me life!! This morning I woke up thinking “You need to get rid of some of the people you follow.” The last week on Twitter has been hectic and it’s been to much junk/garbage in my timeline I didn’t give a damn about. I don’t care about rap battles, hair cuts, “tweef” or whatever else. Like you said in #10, if you’re not “interesting or informative or funny or useful” then I have no use for you.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am most thankful that I am not a violator! LOL
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I do not like tweets that are linked to your FB. If I wanted to read your FB status, I’d be on FB. So don’t come to twitter with some long-ass update that is 100 characters long with 40 reserved for the link to your FB.
I kinda feel this way about tweeting IG pics, too, but I do that.
Soooo many people on Twitter need to see this post. However, I must admit I was guilty of numbers 1 & 2 when I first started Twitter. But I was new and didn’t know any better.
I’ve unfollowed people who are living totally opposite of what they try to portray on twitter. The hubris and pomp of arrogance is a total turn off. Trying to constantly preach to others about how awesome their life is and how they you can be like them. “The lady doth protest too much”
I regularly do a Twitter Cleanse. I look at some folks whose tweets I enjoy (like Deshawnraw) and I forgive some of the retweet bragging because the dude is funny as all get out. But I jump in, tweet a little, then jump out.
I don’t like to be annoying, and I still sometimes feel like that nosy neighbor if I respond to something not directed at me. However, I can’t quit some folks on there…
Desus
Luvvie
Steenfox
OneChele
Crissles
TheFerocity
YoungSinick
I can honestly say that Luvvie has taught this old gal so much about leveraging social media and using Twitter for both the good and the ratchet, so I say “Thank you!”
Desus and Brokey McPoverty are the BEST! He is so random!
Oh yeah…quickest way to get blocked is to show up with an egg avi. Biggest giveaway that you are about that spam life.
This write up just informed me that I know NOTHING about Twitter other than how to tweet and read other folks tweets.
You have to curate that TL like it’s an art exhibit.
I have a Twitter account as well as a Facebook.
I don’t use either. LOL!
I ended up signing up for the both of them because I was badgered by folks to get one.
I just want to thank Luvvie for the Tom Hiddleston gif.
This is right in time as I just joined Twitter yesterday. Thanks Luvvie.
I think if you ONLY follow celebs on Twitter you’re also doing it wrong. There are so many “regular” interesting people to follow…
Funny Truth! “Be human. Be humble. Be honest. Be interesting.” Luvvie, thanks for these reminders!
And please don’t leave out those who post porn all the time! There are porn sites for that!
10.1) Not knowing how to reply to and adding your reply to the end of someone elses tweets.
you GOTTA add this to the next one.
oh yeah, you gotta do a Facebook one too.
Lol I feel like I may have done one, maybe two, of these already in my reintroduction to Twitter tonight…will not happen again. Definitely not trying to be sent to Spam-hell!
Fair enough for the most part, except for the proscription against twitlonger et al. Some subjects require more than 140 characters, if you’ve anything intelligent to say about them.
I came for the free GIFs!
You forgot the party promoters, girl!
[…] but it’s important to realize that it’s another tool out there. (there are plenty of wrong ways to use it) If you don’t want to spend time on it, don’t. You certainly don’t need to. If […]