Why Am I Following You?

I’ve fielded a bunch of comments and questions regarding my recent “unfriending” of everyone on my facebook account. I am beginning to build it back, but don’t see the long term. I’m beginning to analyze my Twitter account. This is a bit more tricky in my mind, because I actually do engage many people on this medium right now.

On August 22, my friend John, systematically unfollowed every single person on his Twitter account. (In fact, he unfollowed me and hasn’t followed me back yet)

Like John, I want to encourage dialogue and communication. I don’t have the 1000s of followers that he has, but I both follow and am followed by an eclectic group of twitter users. Just in the image above:

• Sports Talk Radio Hosts
• Ministries
• Healthcare Marketing Folks
• Creative Church Folks
• Pastors
• Worship Leaders
• Companies
• Wives of Friends
• Homeschool Folks like me
• Celebrities
• NASA / Space Agencies
• Hospitals
• Churches
• Political Users
• Applications

This particular list is made up of users that I follow who don’t follow me back. As I ponder my twitter strategy moving forward, I decided to think about this group of people. I find them interesting, but they either a) don’t find me interesting, b) don’t know I exist, or c) don’t have an auto follow strategy.

I can tell you that @AndyStanley doesn’t care about best practice healthcare marketing strategies.

I can tell you that @joelmchale isn’t going to post one of my tweets on The Soup.

I can tell you that @albertmohler probably does not know that I find him both annoying and Biblically sound. @johnpiper = ditto.

@fredkalil isn’t going to get sports updates from me, even though he’d get a #gothrashers, #goHawks, or #GoJackets every once in a while. (in fact @techwhistle unfollowed me this past week because I don’t tweet enough about Georgia Tech on Game Day)

@mrsbear – she doesn’t know me. @human3rror does… I’ll let them figure it out.

I’m sure that if @erguncaner HAD to see my constant tweets, he’d do anything he could to unfollow me.

I’m sure that if @jillianmichaels and @MyTrainerBob knew that I follow them, yet still eat the junk that I do, they’d block me.

I am sure that @LordDrayson can continue to be a British Lord and Minister for Science and Innovation while driving really fast Aston Martin’s and Lola Prototype cars without needing to read about my Retweets about the fact that Lady Gaga is dressed up as the Alien from Alien (via @jesusneedsnewPR)

What I’m trying to say is this. I don’t care that they don’t follow me. Sure it makes “conversation” more difficult to do on twitter. But twitter isn’t meant to be end of real conversation.

I don’t want to fail those who are trying to get my attention and have real meaningful conversation because I am distracted by the volume of noise that comes into TweetDeck.

So… for a long time, I have had a follow me and I’ll follow you strategy. I’m taking a step back from this. Not sure where I’m going to end up, but I’ve already begun some minimally invasive unfollows. I’m sure that it will hurt some feelings, but those who really know me will know that I don’t do this without serious thought and consideration.

It Begins.

What is your twitter friend or follow strategy?