Humans on Twitter
by Alex Shippee in Labels: , ,

When you're on Twitter everyday, it can seem like a very impersonal tool. I recently read this post titled "Learn From Your Friends To Make The Most of Twitter." He mentioned my company's Twitter, @tcgagency, but this was my favorite part:

"By now, there’s been plenty of blog posts written about the various ways to effectively use Twitter, so I’m not going to bother writing what they are. Instead, I wanted to give some “props” to the people who have helped me build my Twitter account and communication skills on the site. They exemplify what I feel to be the foundations of a successful Twitter profile: community, value, authenticity, and sharing."

This is a smart and very communal idea. Behind this, is something very similar to Follow Friday (#FF) - where users recommend people whose content they enjoy - but with more authenticity and expression. Anyone can tweet a few account names, but it takes more time and thought to write something about them. It's a gesture that shows you've been paying attention to someone and it makes for stronger bonds.

Twitter makes it easier than ever before to communicate with someone, but with that ease comes laziness. A lot of accounts will just tweet links to articles - it's amazing how many places you can get the latest from Mashable - without any indication that they read or even something away from them. These pusillanimous accounts are half way between nonsensical spam and users that really try to build relationships.

There's a good amount of talk about just how powerful bonds built over social media are. I think a good rule of thumb is that you're more likely to build a relationship if you feel like you behave and communicate similarly offline and if you take chances, even if you are a little shaky (fast forward to 12:42 where his company, that made a video amidst a PR crisis received playful, sociable responses). Because if you don't show people that you're human and trying to get involved in the conversation, than how are they going to find out?

  1. Thanks for mentioning my blog post in your piece, much obliged.

    It's funny you bring up the Mashable tweets, lol. I do roll my eyes half the time when all I see from someone is Mashable RT's. I ask myself, do you have anything else to offer? Needless to say, I stop following those individuals quickly.

    I never anticipated Twitter to be a place where I could build relationships where it's a hybrid of both the professional and non-professional world, but it definitely exists, and I definitely engage in it. After all, what's the point of technology if there's no heart and soul behind it?

    Thanks for the great read.

  1. No problem. I enjoyed your piece.

    I agree. Technology and social media are infinitely more useful with a purpose and a human touch. It's too hard to get a feel for who somebody is when they only speak in corporate lingo or mention the most popular articles (like Mashable).

    Thanks for commenting.

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