Right now, I am bit frightened. And no this is not just another lament how hard I am struggling to make ends meet or fears for the integrity of our cultural legacy. I think we’ve had just about enough of that. What I am worried about is my own profile on social media. In fact, what I am really worried about is that my Twitter account is growing too fast.
Crazy right? I thought the whole point of Twitter was to get as many followers, to have as big a platform as possible to broadcast my thoughts, my links, my blog content, my projects. The more followers, the more influence. The more free invites to swank VIP parties. The more swag bags, and free dinners. Press contacts reaching out for commentary or promotional help.
That may be the point to many of the people on Twitter. Grow the brand. The bigger the better. Nope, not for me. In fact, I want less followers. Small is beautiful. I want intimacy. I have the exposure I want. I am lucky. Many days while working the interwebs, I feel I am in the zone. Dashing between client work, blog posts, Twitter streams and conversations, my consciousness level actually rises. It’s kind of like being on drugs. (Trust me on this one)
It seems the more authentic I’ve become, the more honest I have been, even when that honesty is pretty horrendous or humiliating, my follower count kicks up a notch.
I believe in something called the “Social Media G Spot.” I can’t really describe it. It’s actually quite intangible and includes a potent mix of having enough followers from enough various backgrounds that no matter what kind of content I produce or share, it it will find the right audience. The benefit of hitting this sweet spot is having the kind of followers, and enough of them, where there is always a conversation either going on, or enough people willing to engage should I decide to start one. I do this often.
Right now, I feel like I am in that sweet spot. I’ve got the best followers in the world, and I wouldn’t trade them in for anything. I’d hate to see anybody go, but it happens from time to time. All for the better though, it allows me to find my more natural, native audience. The people who REALLY belong with me.
But I am worried that if my account keeps growing that I’ll lose some of the connection. I don’t want to lose that intimacy, that closeness. What if I am not around to engage and share their own content because my attention is one someone new who I don’t know as well? What if my client list grows too long that I can’t be as active as I occasionally, alright frequently, am.
It’s true that at a certain level, accounts get so big that the people behind them simply cannot keep up with all the comments, replies, direct messages and questions. Thankfully, I am not at that level. If’ I have achieved anything like success with social media, which I would never say whether I have or have not, it is because, to date, I have been able to respond and engage with everyone that came at me.
I hope very much to continue this, as I believe in the value of the community. I also extract tremendous value from it. And right now, I’ve found the sweet spot. Or at least I think I have. And the last thing I want to do is lose. Because it may never come back.
Image Source: RealEstateZebra on Flickr
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Kudos for admitting that you like having the intimacy (even if it is with 2455 people). A lot of people would never outwardly say they dont want more followers.
Apparently, we all could potentially suffer from social media anxiety in one way or another. http://prbreakfastclub.com/2010/03/09/social-media-anxiety-disorder/
I have to agree. I’m happy n cozy with my ratio n following as it stands now. It’s manageable.
.-= Julie Kalivretenos´s last blog ..Spinach, “Raw”cotta, & Squash Involtini with Marinara =-.
We have some surefire ways to weed out follower chafe. Alienate Friends and Influence People!
Again and again, we must invoke Eno on the first Velvets album. “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band’. “
i love it! i am soon getting to that point! love that cliche about the underground
Please forgive me if I’m being blonde, I don’t follow you but your on my food peep list so I see your tweets in tweetdeck and Rt some of your content (some good stuff, not trying to BN just a fact). Was wondering if you were drunk or high this morning when saw your somewhat offensive but very amusing tweets.
So this is the reason why, et al the blog post.
OK…………………. Here’s where the blonde part comes in, why get rid of some of your followers, you don’t follow all of the 4,285 back anyway?
I’m a big proponent of quality of quantity but aside from being a twit with the hopes of pissing some people off by swearing and being offensive why not just block ones you don’t want? or don’t respond to them if they @ you. Or heck just unfollow some of your followers, most will probably return the favor. I was kind of hoping your oddball tweets were some sort of fun social media experiment litmus test.
.-= Heather Turner´s last blog ..Review, Klick Kitchen =-.
Heather, HI! I was not drunk or high, as I don’t drink that much and haven’t been a user of drugs for more than 8 years. I was a bit wicked and delirious last night, I occasionally, rarely in fact, slip into a swashbuckling persona on Twitter in order to push the envelop, have some fun, get some reactions and simply experiment.
It is funny that you mentioned this today because yesterday my good friends @nicrad and @db, both prolific twitter users and social networkers, were discussing just this fact, that someone who shares and produces such great content (their words not mine, though who am i to disagree) but who also is offensive, politically dangerous, sexually explicit, and vulgar would effectively find a way to meld it all together. I don’t really believe in blocking people, and I try not to follow people until they engage me in susbtantive conversation or dialog.
When I was around 2200 followers I had the same in followees and I wanted to experiment with less. I did a mass unfollow and brought myself to zero and built it up again. A REALLY good idea to do every once in a while.
They were a litmus test. It is me, and i wasn’t pretending. It’s what goes on in my brain without a filter. some of it is beautiful, some of it is funny, some of it is horrible and horrendous and in bad taste. But its all true….
I can be honest here, mostly because I cannot afford therapy any longer!
you are a smart blond
Z
Thanks, appreciate the response, BTW if I was following you I wouldn’t have unfollowed because of the language, now if you started dissing Julia Child, now that would have made me pissy LOL Cheers!
i pray at the church of julia, have read all her books and have fantasized about her
Oh I love it, the Church of Julia, Can we say Fan Page? Fantasized about her? Let me guess, covered in lots of butter and heavy cream, and salt, lets not forget the salt (numbnuts proposed salt ban, grrrr, sorry that got me going again)
.-= Heather Turner´s last blog ..Review, Klick Kitchen =-.
I find Twitter is a lot like making a thick chilli, you need quite a lot at first, but the goal is small and good because its cooked down to the essentials. I have roughly 650 followers, but I probably have as many engaged people as someone with 2,000.
I am human, I engage in long conversation, I stray off into topics not outlined by my bio, I occasionally curse, and I often voice my opinion on controversial subjects; but all those things separated the true audience from the dead weight. I know people who have 3 times as many followers in the same time I’ve been on, but I get probably 5 times more engagement from the people that follow me.
I believe in “Fiber Tweeting” on occassion, say something thats true to you, but you know some people aren’t going to jibe with, and let the chips fall where they may.
.-= BrandonJD´s last blog ..Piece: Wintergreen =-.
Fiber Tweeting!! love it!!
I love losing followers now. i want more engagement. i envy you Brandon
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