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Stop Telling me how to Tweet!

I was a bit shocked tonight to read Neal Wiser's post on TwiTip. Essentially the post is asking, and then answering the question "To follow, or not to follow?" It also asks (but doesn't really answer) the question "Does Twitter need more regulation?" The part that really got to me was the suggestion that we should all have a written "Twitter follow policy" and the writer suggests posting this policy wherever you can "so that my Followers can clearly understand how, when and why I may or may not follow them back." He's even thoughtful enough to include a final line stating that he reserves the right to amend the policy without notice!

For goodness sake! Twitter is a social platform, we don't need rules and regulations, we don't need policies! The whole beauty of Twitter, apart from it's immediacy, is it's spontaneity. It's easy to filter out people we don't want to hear, it's easy to stop following people for whatever reason we want. When we meet people socially, we don't hand them a card with our "Social policy" telling them the circumstances under which we will, or won't be their friends.

So why do we accept this as reasonable (and most people do judging by the comments the post received) on Twitter? For some reason, there seems to be an insatiable urge to take Twitter and create a whole set of rules and norms around it. But why? Why do some Twitterers feel the need to post things like "Remember, The Five Steps of Twitter Success: Follow, Reply, Retweet, Share, Repeat?" So what if some people are on Twitter to sell me their get rich quick scheme? It might entertain me to read their stuff, and if I don't like it I can disconnect from them in a second.

Please stop over thinking Twitter, and please stop telling me how to Tweet!

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Submitted by Mike on February 5, 2009 - 22:44.

"To Follow or Not to Follow" Author Responds

Submitted by Neal Wiser (not verified) on February 6, 2009 - 20:35.
Neal Wiser's picture

Hi Mike, I just read your post in response to my Guest Post (To Follow or Not to Follow; That is the Question) on TwiTip and wanted to address your concerns.

The purpose of the post was to generate discussion about what I thought might be One solution, but Only One Possible Solution, to the "Follow Question" that a lot of people on Twitter are asking. The suggestion that users might want to adopt a Following Policy was exactly that, a suggestion, not a Call to Action or an attempt to start a movement.

With so many different ways to communicate these days, people are starting to understand that we use different platforms for different purposes. As a result, a "follower" should expect different types and levels of interactions depending on the platform they use. However, different people each use these platforms differently. As a result, the intent of a Following Policy is to establish ground rules so that when someone follows, they understand how the person whom they are following uses that platform. The Follower will then be able to get the most out of communicating with those who they are following ON that platform.

Let me know if I’m not clear on that.

Indeed, not everyone needs, or wants ground rules or even "formal" regulation (which was an open ended question to stimulate discussion about protecting users from predators), but as these environments grow, a certain "etiquette" may need to be established; or maybe not.

Anyway, thanks for your opinion. I respect it and appreciate your passion.

Neal

Hi Neal Thanks so much for

Submitted by Mike on February 7, 2009 - 07:56.

Hi Neal

Thanks so much for coming over here to read the posts. Let me start by balancing my arguments and saying that your original post on TwiTip was well written, well researched and a damn good read!

It did spark some passion in me, and it did stimulate me to follow you on Twitter, but I couldn't find a way to get your RSS feed or email updates on your site - let me know how to, as I would like to keep reading.

At the end of the day, we all (even me!) effectively have a "Follow policy" whether it's a formal one like yours, or something as simple as "I don't like the photo of that guy, so no follow!" And I respect your desire to formalize your own, and your post sharing the process with other bloggers.

This is what I love about Web 2.0! The potential for great debate between people from different cultures, lifestyles and beliefs, and the total freedom for each of us to do it in our own way, applying those standards to what we write.

If I'm honest, I suspect that more people will be in tune with your approach than with mine.

I look forward to reading your posts and comments in the future, and I'm sure we will develop an interesting blogging relationship with our differing views, and I will one day forgive you for getting a guest post onto one of Darren's blogs before I did!

Mike

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"Mike's Life is where you can stay current with the life, thoughts, successes and failures of Mike Cliffe-Jones. Never knowingly ordinary, Mike shares as much as possible about his work as a marketer and in business, as well as his enviable lifestyle on and in the oceans around The Canary Islands."

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