Twitter Literati

I agree - twitter is really cool that way, however I think that in order to get the type of feedback you get from twitter a twitterer needs to be like you. Thousands of followers and very active.

If you are passive and not contribute much - the moment you ask a question to twitter you probably get nothing.

As you point out, one can follow hundreds of tweeters then see a percentage of those tweeters follow back. That is one way I've seen people have large followings with very few actual tweets. However, what quality friendships are these? Exactly.

I have thought about this some more since I posted (and Christa, I do all those things you recommend). I wonder if the problem, if it can be called a problem, is that I have selected people to follow who I can learn from. Perhaps by being so picky about who I follow, I have created a one way flow of information, i.e. people who are great at sending out into the world fascinating info, but who are too busy to actually respond back to @ replies - or reply to other people's questions.

As for whether the info I send out is interesting, you can be the best judge of that. I have been on Twitter long enough to know that my stream of tweets is no more or less dull than the best of them. However, I don't jet set around to conferences. Maybe I should start doing that. :)

"Honey, it's a necessary expense. I need to built my Twitter base." Yeah, she'll buy that. ;)

Douglas Cootey
TheLaughingImp on twitter

I'll admit to not getting on the Twittering rain quite yet. I guess you could say I'm a "rural early adopter" as far as technology goes. Ahead of the curve locally, but a few months behind the rest of the world.

I have had good sucess with LinkedIn when I ask my connections a good question. What extra features does Twitter bring to the table?

You're absolutely right, Douglas. It doesn't work well if there's only 10 people in your circle. And I've found that "growing" a circle is a tricky thing. You can't just use friend adder apps. Or rather, you can, but then you don't have the "hearts and minds" of the people you're connected with.

Instead, you have to work from the perspective of contributing to the overall community, and making friendly add requests within the pocket communities. I think this is how I did it. In fact, I'm not sure any more. WAYYYYY back when, you were allowed to invite your entire gmail inbox to use the app, so I had a few hundred known friends on Twitter from the start. Maybe that's how.

Interesting point and question.

I remember trying this out just a few months after starting to use Twitter. I found myself wandering the bookstore desperately wanting something to read and wishing I had some recommendations for awesome books that I might not otherwise find on my own. I didn't have a lot of followers at the time, less than 50 I believe, but I did get about a dozen replies.

I don't think quantity of replies necessarily depends on number of followers but a whole lot of other factors: time of day and topic seem to be the big ones. This applies to blog posts as well as tweets. I seem to get more comments on posts about pajamas than I do on more serious topics. There are some things people just don't have anything to add, especially if people reading your Twitter/blogs are doing so because they want to learn from what you have to say and consider you more of an expert on the topics you post about. It is typically bad form to leave comments that say things like "I agree" and "Well done" only so people just don't respond at all. The more common the topic the more likely more people have had experience with it (hence Wil Wheaton's cold, who hasn't had a cold?).

One more factor is how often you interact with people who follow your tweets/read your blog. If you regularly reply the more likely they will reply to you. It becomes more of a conversation and less of a question/response forum. Chris Brogan (even with the obscene number of followers that he has) makes himself feel approachable. If you feel like you are having a conversation with someone that you have something in common with, it will be natural to send a reply their way.

Christa
linuxchic on Twitter ;)

I remember trying this out just a few months after starting to use Twitter. I found myself wandering the bookstore desperately wanting something to read and wishing I had some recommendations for awesome books that I might not otherwise find on my own. I didn't have a lot of followers at the time, less than 50 I believe, but I did get about a dozen replies.

I don't think quantity of replies necessarily depends on number of followers but a whole lot of other factors: time of day and topic seem to be the big ones. This applies to blog posts as well as tweets. I seem to get more comments on posts about pajamas than I do on more serious topics. There are some things people just don't have anything to add, especially if people reading your Twitter/blogs are doing so because they want to learn from what you have to say and consider you more of an expert on the topics you post about. It is typically bad form to leave comments that say things like "I agree" and "Well done" only so people just don't respond at all. The more common the topic the more likely more people have had experience with it (hence Wil Wheaton's cold, who hasn't had a cold?).

One more factor is how often you interact with people who follow your tweets/read your blog. If you regularly reply the more likely they will reply to you. It becomes more of a conversation and less of a question/response forum. Chris Brogan (even with the obscene number of followers that he has) makes himself feel approachable. If you feel like you are having a conversation with someone that you have something in common with, it will be natural to send a reply their way.

I replied to this already, but must have forgotten the Captcha...

I wonder how many followers one needs to be in this enviable position, Chris. There is a critical mass that needs to be reached before what you type out into the ether comes back with replies. You have obtained that critical mass. A person like me, however, who only has only 70 followers, can type until his fingers are numb and not receive a reply. When I ask for advice I am often greeted with silence. When I discussed a serious Facebook privacy issue today I was greeted with silence. Who am I? Nobody of real consequence.

But you, @ijustine, etc. can utilize these networks to great results. Heck, I once read a blog post by Wil Wheaton describing his head cold and he received over a hundred replies, many which suggested tissue brands he could try. All people do not have that kind of feedback from the net.

I mention this not to be critical, but to point it out. I wonder if there is a ratio of followers to following that creates this critical mass? Or is the inertia brought in from other sites/networks? It's an interesting problem. Many people would love to know how to get the responsive network you have.

Douglas Cootey
TheLaughingImp on twitter

Osteen's book is great!!!!!

I'm the one who suggested "Impro" -- but I also heartily endorse "Eat, Pray, Love," and I'm usually the last person to touch anything on the Best Seller list.

You-gle! I love it! This post has made me want to get back onto Twitter.:-)

I would be very interested to know how many followers one needs to have to reach this critical mass. I currently have 69 followers (@TheLaughingImp) and I can ask questions until I'm blue in the fingers and not receive replies more often than not. You are in an enviable postion, Chris. I wonder if we could quantify how many followers it takes to generate such fruitful replies, what ratio of following to followers one needs to have to get to that position.

~Douglas

Just like Soylent Green.

(a la Homer Simpson) Mmmmm. Soylent. (drool)

If you have not yet read the Ender series (and the companion series) it is an excellent read. I would second the Card recommendation.

Another series (still scifi) worth reading for it's scope and quality is the MARS series by Kim Stanley Robinson.

While I devoured Eat, Pray, Love.. I never recommend it without knowing more about the person. And I think you might find the author's bouts self-centered whining way too annoying.

so... soilent twitter