I don’t have a specific Tweet ratio or formula when hanging out on Twitter. I let them fly when the mood strikes and say what’s on my mind. I don’t compare linked to unlinked Tweets, though I try not to be spammy, and I don’t count other people’s links unless that’s all they Tweet out. I read lots of posts about how to Tweet and how to behave on Twitter. Personally, I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules, but, rather, proper etiquette to follow. Still, I wonder if I’m doing it wrong.
You see, I Tweet too much.
I wish the world a hearty good morning when I log on, and share details throughout my day. Yes, I’ll tell you what I’m doing for lunch but I’ll also share how I walked it off. I’ll divulge pearls of wisdom from my eight year old and discuss current affairs. I talk about what’s on TV and share details about my job. I link to blog posts – from me and from other bloggers – and upload images.
Sometimes that’s a turn off.
Not for me. I’ll keep talking until the people are all gone, sort of like when I’m at a party. However, plenty of other people aren’t into seeing nothing but my incessant Tweets in their Twitter stream. I don’t know why this is, to be honest. I think I’m an excellent conversationalist. Still, on days that I’m especially prolific I find myself caught in the dust of my rapidly exiting followers. Being a chatterbox provides another useful skill: the ability to clear a room.
Every now and then I’ll ask if I’m Tweeting too much and receive just enough ego-pumping, “No way, your Tweets rock!” comments to keep me going, yet my follower count drops so fast I feel the breeze. I think of my Dad on these occasions. He used to tell me, “Your true friends will always be there for you.” Oh wait, he never said that, he used to say, “Deborah, you’re wearying me. Please stop talking.” Good times.
I studied the Tweeting habits of the Twitterers with mega-follows – I’m talking the 25,000+ crowd. Some of them Tweet nothing but links. Some of them don’t Tweet at all. Some of them Tweet all day and some of them only Vanity reTweet. No formula for success. No rules. No ratios.
Every now and then I’ll start to do a study on my Tweets and compare a prolific day to a low Tweet day. The problem is, I don’t have many low Tweet days at all. Even after I log off, I’m on my Droid, sharing pictures of the latest harvest or talking about what’s on the Kindle. It’s an addiction for sure, but it’s better than smoking.
If you are what you Tweet, I wonder what all this makes me?
On second thought, I don’t want to know.
