Librarian by Day

Bobbi L. Newman

How to Decide Who to Follow on Twitter

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I have had several conversations lately about how to use Twitter and how to decide who to follow. I know everyone has a different methodology and goal when using Twitter.  Here is mine.

I have gmail filter, label and auto archive emails from Twitter and I go through them every week or so.

Any of the following disqualifies the account for a follow:

  • the default avatar
  • 10,000 followers or more
  • businesses
  • social media experts
  • marketing experts
  • no bio
  • no real name
  • private account

Of course as these are my rules I have broken them all at least once I’m sure.  🙂 Other than that I look at the bio, the link if there is one and recent tweets.

I try to keep the number of people I follow around 250 and absolutely wont go over 300. I can’t keep up with more, some people can, I can’t.  I spend most of my time on Twitter using Tweetdeck, without the columns I think I’d have to follow less than 250.

How do you decide who to follow?

Other strategies and tips:

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23 responses to “How to Decide Who to Follow on Twitter”

  1. angefitzpatrick Avatar
    angefitzpatrick

    RT @librarianbyday: How to Decide Who to Follow on Twitter https://librarianbyday.net/2010/06/how-to…

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  2. VicHoon Avatar
    VicHoon

    I agree with most of your points, but would find a 250-follow limit rather restrictive. A good way of following hundreds of Tweeters is by using the lists that are run from the main Twitter platform and scan each one as and when you please, rather than taking all your Tweeters on at once.

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    1. Bobbi Newman Avatar
      Bobbi Newman

      As I said, people are able to follow more, but I find my limit is 250. I use Tweetdeck and my Twitter lists to break the steam into lists, but my limit is still 250.

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  3. janholmquist Avatar
    janholmquist

    @librarianbyday I learned from recent convo: Twitter etiquette should be follow who inspires you& who you can learn from. Don´t auto-follow

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    1. librarianbyday Avatar
      librarianbyday

      @janholmquist that’s how I feel about it, but there seem to be some who think no autofollowing has all sorts of implications

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      1. alsnyder02 Avatar
        alsnyder02

        @librarianbyday @janholmquist are ppl really criticizing others “follow policy”? do what works for u & respect that there is no “right way”

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  4. suzigurl Avatar
    suzigurl

    @librarianbyday loved that post on Twitter.

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  5. GMLGeek Avatar
    GMLGeek

    @librarianbyday I don’t autofollow either. I make sure I’m not looking at a porn robot or viagra vendor first. I rep the library after all.

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  6. seanroxdotcom Avatar
    seanroxdotcom

    @librarianbyday Does the Columbus library maintain a local music library of records, CDs, & mp3s of new/historic local musicians?

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    1. librarianbyday Avatar
      librarianbyday

      @seanroxdotcom I don’t believe so 😦

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  7. hbraum Avatar
    hbraum

    @librarianbyday yes, I think it would be worthwhile

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    1. librarianbyday Avatar
      librarianbyday

      @hbraum I’m sorry, what would?

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      1. hbraum Avatar
        hbraum

        @librarianbyday writing the post you discussed in this tweet: https://twitter.com/librarianbyday/statu… I think it’d be a worthwhile one

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        1. librarianbyday Avatar
          librarianbyday

          @hbraum the more I think about it not sure its worth a post, can’t keep up w/ more than 250-300 people, does that deserve a whole post?

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  8. Top Ten Links Week 37 | Librarian by Day Avatar
    Top Ten Links Week 37 | Librarian by Day

    […] on twitter as a follow up to this post http://bit.ly/aVRaLJ – The post I’m referring to is How to Decide Who to Follow on Twitter. End result I decided not to write the post. I don’t auto-follow because, as I said in that […]

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  9. librarianbyday Avatar
    librarianbyday

    How to Decide Who to Follow on Twitter https://librarianbyday.net/2010/06/09/how…

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    1. davisac1 Avatar
      davisac1

      @librarianbyday Really, no celebrities? I couldn’t get through a day without every nerd’s grandpa @smilinstanlee

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      1. librarianbyday Avatar
        librarianbyday

        @davisac1 yep really no celebrities, just not something I’m interested in personally 🙂

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    2. nuevaondacuba Avatar
      nuevaondacuba

      RT @librarianbyday: How to Decide Who to Follow on Twitter https://librarianbyday.net/2010/06/09/how…

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  10. Andromeda Avatar
    Andromeda

    Have recently started filtering my new follows thus — I will follow them back if
    1) they’re someone famous that I’m interested in. (This includes famous-in-libraryland, even if not elsewhere.); or
    2) they’re someone I know personally (and am interested in following); or
    3) they engage with me enough that I notice, and in a way that makes me interested in following back.

    I also have a gmail filter for Twitter follows, and this let me knock it back from ~150 (gulp) to zero almost instantly — anyone I hadn’t heard of was gone, and the rest were easy, and if the ones I haven’t heard of want me to follow back, see #3.

    I also find that above 250 it starts getting very hard for me to deal, and I’ve been rocking that limit for a while and I need a new client to thread things better; just haven’t gotten around to testing out my options. But it is *so* liberating to have a quick, easy way to decide, rather than investigating each account separately.

    I also take particular pleasure in blocking & reporting for spam all those spammers in my @replies. Ah, hammer of internet justice :).

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  11. Ryan Deschamps Avatar
    Ryan Deschamps

    If I ever get an auto-reply message, I unfollow or even block right away. Those things tick me off.

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    1. Bobbi Newman Avatar
      Bobbi Newman

      Oh yeah me too!

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  12. My Favorite Tools in Ten Installments: 2. Twitter | Librarian by Day Avatar
    My Favorite Tools in Ten Installments: 2. Twitter | Librarian by Day

    […] the past I’ve written how I decide who to follow on Twitter, and that hasn’t changed much. Although at that time I was trying to keep the number of […]

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