I've been cleaning out my Twitter account after five or six years as a "Happy New Years to Me" present. I love meeting and supporting authors, but I've not enjoyed it as much in recent years. I can't find the art under all the marketing.
After doing an inventory, I found about two thousand people who were dragging down my social media experience or simply not adding to it. So, I did a MASSIVE purge based on the following criteria:
1. You RETWEET with spammy hashtags - I can only see the cover of that #free #kindle #ebook #bestselling #indie #novel six thousand times before I never ever ever want to read it.
2. We've changed since we first met - You and I have no interests in common besides writing. Maybe we did #nanowrimo together in 2009, but I'm now writing science fiction and you're writing contemporary thrillers. We're at different stages in our lives. If we were going to interact, it would have happened by now.
3. You TWEET or RETWEET too much - I don't know how anyone can tweet 400 times per day. It's a Christmas miracle that apparently lasts all year. I can't find regular people without making extensive lists and I don't have time for that.
That being said, I also had important criteria prevented me from unfollowing authors:
1. We have had a conversation and I remember you - Sure, people change. Profiles change. But, if I know you had something to say to me and I see your username or your avatar and I remember you as a real person, then you're a keeper. I love conversationalists.
2. You were unique - Maybe I don't know anybody from your part of the world or your profile doesn't look or sound anything like all the other author accounts. I needed to know more about you even if we have never had a chat, because you're special. You're a little different.
3. We had something in common - Basically, if you write about science fiction or say COFFEE in your profile. I want to hear what you have to say. Especially, if it's about coffee.
As soon as I started my purge of old mutual follows, I got called someone who follows for numbers and then unfollows. That is scummy behavior and I don't approve. I expect people who just want a mutual follow to unfollow me. That's okay with me.
As a rule, I don't automatically follow back, but I do follow people while trying to find people who share common interests. AND TALK. I'm on twitter to meet people who TALK to me (see criteria #1 above) or at least say interesting and unique things. I want perspectives.
If I've made a mistake by unfollowing you, because maybe I didn't recognize your account or I hit the wrong button, which I think I did in a quite a few cases, tell me and I'll fix it.
Or, if I've never followed you back, but you think you I should. Tweet me and I will follow you.
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