Ask HN: How do you use Twitter? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How do you use Twitter?

#41

Post by liotier » Sat, Nov 16, 2013, 7:36 PM UTC

netman21 wrote: post #39

mrThe wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I follow 30,000 accounts on Twitter oh God why?

I use Twitter as a broadcast medium. People follow me for news and very short form analysis. 80% of the hits to my blog and column come from Twitter. Of course I have a lot of followers and it is rude not to follow back.

Rude not to follow back ? Is it rude to be honest ?

Re: Ask HN: How do you use Twitter?

#42

Post by netman21 » Sat, Nov 16, 2013, 10:42 PM UTC

liotier wrote: post #41

netman21 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use Twitter as a broadcast medium. People follow me for news and very short form analysis. 80% of the hits to my blog and column come from Twitter. Of course I have a lot of followers and it is rude not to follow back.

Rude not to follow back ? Is it rude to be honest ?

OK, set aside the judgement on rudeness for now. Twitter limits the number of people you can follow with daily limits and rate limits and a hard stop at 2,000. In order to follow more than 2,000 you need first to be followed by around 1,900 people. There are many people who would like to generate a large following. After all, the most influential/interesting people (and celebrities) are followed by millions. Therefore many people unfollow non-followers so they can move on to follow someone who does follow back. Think of it as a karma system that has real world relevance because the number of followers you have is public and often your Twitter handle is associated with your real identity. So, if you do not follow everyone who follows you will lose folowers. Unless you are Justin Bieber of course.

The rude part is that someone took the microsecond required to follow you and now they have to use a tool to find their unfollowers (you), unfollow you, and follow someone else.

Re: Ask HN: How do you use Twitter?

#43

Post by liotier » Wed, Nov 20, 2013, 4:48 PM UTC

netman21 wrote: post #42

liotier wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rude not to follow back ? Is it rude to be honest ?

OK, set aside the judgement on rudeness for now. Twitter limits the number of people you can follow with daily limits and rate limits and a hard stop at 2,000. In order to follow more than 2,000 you need first to be followed by around 1,900 people. There are many people who would like to generate a large following. After all, the most influential/interesting people (and celebrities) are followed by millions. Therefor…

Who you follow is a reading list for people who share your interests. Polluting it with people whom you follow just as a hat tip is rude. Also, following uninteresting people makes your stream unusable. In my book, keeping a high signal to noise ratio is the epitome of politeness. I guess that we don't use Twitter for the same reasons...