Comments on: The Gift of the Unfollow

By: Richard Reeve

Richard Reeve — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:26:08 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to comment Fred.

By: Fred H Schlegel

Fred H Schlegel — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:32:14 +0000

Life is too short to follow folks who don't interest you. And the twitter feed becomes to burdensome. When folks follow me I tend to either check out their past tweets or just follow for a while. If something catches my eye in a positive way I upgrade them on Tweetdeck - If it's negative they go bye-bye very quickly. If I don't notice them, that's a shame. Fred H Schlegel´s last blog post..Physics and Ideation: Ways To Unleash Creativity

By: Sue James

Sue James — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:03:51 +0000

Thank you for this reflection. At first when I signed up with Twitter, I followed back anyone who followed me, as I read all the advice about reciprocity saying this was the sensible, correct and courteous thing to do. Apart from the really obvious spam/scam followers (Oh the joys of free Macbooks!) I gave everyone the benefit of the doubt and followed back.

But since then, although I’m relatively new to Twitter, I’ve also become tired of too many marketing pitches and those folk who are obviously mainly focused on the follower-numbers game, so I’ve become much more selective.

Like Mary, for every new follower I always read bio, tweets and website (if there is one) and if there’s nothing there that sparks for me, I don’t follow back straight away. It doesn’t mean I won’t later – just that right now there’s nothing that has engaged me.

And so far so good.

I’ve found new followers who ’stay around’ when I don’t immediately follow back seem to be those who will (at some point shortly aftwards) reply to one of my tweets or post a tweet that prompts me to reply. Which means that I follow them in my turn and we’re off on a shared path anyway.

It seems as if those who follow primarily to add another number to their follower list just won’t stay the distance. Unless I follow back immediately, within 24 hours or so they’re gone again. I’m unfollowed and that particular ship has passed in the night.

By: ted

ted — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:54:52 +0000

Richard: Good post. I've been struggling with this lately. I try to be reciprocal, but I'm really tired of the MLM guys and their spammy stuff. I'm feeling a big culling approaching, a spring cleaning if you will. Thanks for the perspective. ted´s last blog post..Off Season But On Top Of It

By: jeelago

jeelago — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:50:22 +0000

This is only tangentially related, but I've stopped following celebs on Twitter that I don't care abt in real life, esp ones who arent saying anything interesting or funny, and it feels great! This whole clamor between Ashton Kutcher and CNN to see who can get the most followers is lame, lame, lame. Def prefer quality over quantity. I like this attitude you have for the unfollow, hope Ashton and Mrs. Kutcher appreciated mine half as much :~j

By: Mary McRae

Mary McRae — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:50:29 +0000

I don't reciprocal-follow; I look at the person's bio and see if there's a fit. Many folks are just looking for numbers; we have nothing in common. Others may have picked up on a single word in a single tweet and thought we had something in common; I don't follow them either. I have only just begun to unfollow folks that I did think would be interesting but have found that no longer to be the case. I don't get upset when someone unfollows me; I hope the same is true on the other side. Mary McRae´s last blog post..Home Again

By: David Cain

David Cain — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:42:24 +0000

That's quite an insight. As I unfollow and get unfollowed, I feel I'm getting to know my network better, and improving the quality of my twitterstream. It's good to do a good audit of the people you follow, now and then, to get rid of the chaff. David Cain´s last blog post..9 Thoughts Worthy of Immortality

By: Screwed Up Texan

Screwed Up Texan — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:40:11 +0000

I've often thought of this lately. To me, twitter is about building and fostering relationships--whether for business or for personal. I often wonder why someone decides to follow me. Do they follow me just because they are trying to rank up their numbers and so I am one of 60K that they really don't care about or are they following me b/c they are genuinely interested in what I have to say or post? I see the unfollow as a positive notion as it allows others into my stream that I value more. I dont mind when others unfollow me (and really I don't take count) and I hope others dont take it personally when I unfollow them. Screwed Up Texan´s last blog post..Only in Texas

By: chas

chas — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:37:53 +0000

if i find someone to be a valuable follow, i won't unfollow as a tit for tat...if they haven't left an impression on me, it's definitely a chopping block scenario! either way it's all good...we can't follow everyone! chas´s last blog post..twt: the rush to conclude

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:35:15 +0000

I couldn’t agree more. It has taken me a while to learn the importance of those I follow and why people are following me. In the end, it all shakes out for the better.