Are you finding Twitter boring? Tedious?
Are you finding that you don’t get the satisfaction you thought Twitter seems to give “some others”?
Are you finding Twitter “dead”?
The answer is simple and in the answer to this question: Are you interacting with your community?
Are you shying away from expressing yourself and instead putting out bland platitudes?
People follow conversations (tweets) not some picture of yours, on twitter.
Let me explain myself.
Twitter is designed for instantaneous conversation. Blogs are meant for postulating ideas and one-way treatises (like this one)! So if you don’t respond to other’s tweets, there is no conversation. If you do respond, others will join in. When others join in, the conversations and following grows, steadily.
Ofcourse, this means you must be prepared for all that goes with an open conversation. Take as good as you give. Selective (only to those that agree, praise) responses are the sure shot to killing interest in your tweets. Fan clubs are one way streets that are best run on websites and blogs. Whatever your public image, your Twitter community will taper off – at its “level”. Sure, the bots will find and follow you, till they un-follow when you don’t follow back.
The stars (TV, Bollywood, etc) use this selective response strategy to keep the space warm. Tweeting platitudes and selective responses, to avoid any faux-pas and scraps. But that actually denies them the real kick in following that twitter offers. As long as they’re willing to be vulnerable to reasonably open exchange, avoiding personal or extreme exchanges with the weirdo’s on Twitter, they can substantially enhance their credibility. Especially if they actually do have well thought out views that deserve an ear.
But that’s the tradeoff ~ Stars are the most paranoid – of losing their ‘persona’ or being exposed. They think that if they “lose” an argument, they lose face. NOT TRUE, if they have the grace to accept that Life is about Learning. But that’s the barrier that each one has to overcome. Whether you are a star (on Twitter) or not.
One TV personality has banned a whole host of people who were following her but didn’t have much good things to say to her. Now the only conversations on her page is those who suck up to her. Wonder how her show is doing, TRP-wise. LOL. And the Twitter reputation catches up….
Remember, you cannot control what others can say on Twitter, whether or not you ban them from following you! Your tweets are still searchable! And isn’t it fair? Freedom of speech and all? Ofcourse, subject to civility.
So want to get the most of Twitter? Simply start responding to what your community is tweeting. Keep it on subject, opinion – NOT personal.
Try it!
There are always those who are mute spectators – in life, let alone Twitter. To them, I say listen on! What will Life be like if ALL of us wanted to talk?! We need you too!
Tweet away!
Plz respond on Twitter at: @jsvasan