Ok, guys, I know I talk about Twitter a lot. I can’t help it, it’s done so many good things for me and I want it to be as helpful for you as it was for me. Usually I keep this conversation positive: How-to, tips & tricks, etc. But today, I want to talk about things people do on Twitter that piss me off.
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| This picture is only tangentially relevant |
No seriously, if you do these things, you need to stop. You’re probably losing more followers than you will ever gain.
1) #ff (Follow Friday) everyone you follow (or lots of people). Your followers really don’t need to see you tweet everyone you follow. They could go to your following list if they want that.
Also, it’s annoying. And insincere.
2) Start a self-promotional tweet with “Worth the RT?” Worse: Start every self-promotional tweet this way. For me, this is an automatic unfollow and you should feel lucky that we’re not in the same room because I really want to slap you.
If it is worth a RT, people will RT it without you asking.
Note: This is not for those tweets where you really need a lot of people to see it for less-than-selfish reasons. Like if you’re looking for a person who does a specific thing and/or is in a specific area. (Like my tweet that said “I’m looking for book bloggers, writers, etc who live near Orlando, please RT.”)
3) You have your own Twitter account and you manage another (for a business, your book, etc). Stop tweeting the same thing from both accounts at the exact same time. I know TweetDeck makes it ridiculously easy. You know what else is ridiculously easy? Eating pizza every day for every meal. That doesn’t mean I should do it.
I follow two accounts. I want two separate streams of posts. For an example of how to do it well, check out @bookgirl96 and her company @kmspr
4) Vague passive-aggressive tweets that are obviously about someone specific. This doesn’t piss me off so much as make me worry it’s about me. Please stop.
5) Tweet the same tweets over and over again. Don’t think we notice? We do. (Especially if they are self-promoting or you think they’re super clever.)
One self-pubbed author, whose twitter I enjoyed otherwise, would post the same exact one-line pitch for her book every day with a link. For months. It was like Chinese water torture. I recently unfollowed her. I will never see anything she has to say about her next book.
6) Post only self-promotional tweets. I will keep saying this until everyone gets it: Twitter is a conversation. Would you walk up to a crowd of people trading publishing jokes and pictures of Ryan Gosling and say “buy my book” every three minutes? No? Crazy, right?
I know our readers have some Twitter Pet Peeves. Go ahead, let it all out in the comments below!
(Yeah, I also have a problem with softening my angry posts with lolcats.)
Bingo!
ReplyDeleteYou describe my general pissed off 'tude also. If flooding Twitter with self-serving ads is an aspiring author's only marketing tool, please inform me if it actually works.
Cuz I don't see it.
That's what I'm wondering? Do they think it actually works?
DeleteThat pretty much sums it up :) I want to engage in conversation not be your billboard.
ReplyDeleteexactly! I fast-forward through the commercials on tv, why would I want to watch you spammy adverts?
DeleteI'm usually the person doing the taboos unknowingly. Though I don't have any pubs to push so in this case that's a good thing.
ReplyDeletehaha, don't worry! one or two offenses won't get you thrown in twitter jail :-)
DeleteAnd this is why I love Sarah. :)
ReplyDeletehaha, thanks wendy! <3
DeleteGood job, you nailed it
ReplyDelete:-) thanks
DeletePreach it.
ReplyDelete:-)
DeleteLOL. I have nothing. I tweet a couple of days a week, usually on the weekends when I have time(when I should be writing). I caught on pretty quick that it's like a conversation...with a lot of peeps...in a crowded room.ha
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to go follow you.
D'oh! I should have put my twitter name on this post. Looks like you found me anyway though :-)
DeleteIt's @sarah_nicolas in case anybody else is wondering!
YES! I appreciate when people @ me with a #FF and all that, but never-- not once have I actually followed someone from Follow Friday. Waste of a tweet.
ReplyDeleteI've followed someone because of a #ff, but it's more like a "you should follow @Almost_Grown_up because she says awesome things about great books and is cute as a button" rather than a "#ff @thisguy @thatgirl @andthisgirl @andthatguy @alsothisguy"
DeleteIt's kind of funny that you mention these things. I never really noticed these until you just wrote a post about all of them...now I will notice them in the future...thanks!
ReplyDeleteIf I'm good at anything, it's ruining your twitter experience :-D
DeleteWait, no. that's not right...
The self promotion tweets set on repeat are my biggest pet peeve.
ReplyDeleteNew follower. Although I have not idea why it took me so long. Some of my favorite people are here!
Glad to have you :-D
DeleteThere's a book blog I'm following on Twitter (that will remain unnamed) that posts up to 12 (or more) tweets one after the other. SO ANNOYING.
ReplyDeleteoh yeah, that is annoying too. especially when they're all links.
DeleteWow I had no idea there were so many rules and regulations to Twitter. And here I was thinking I'll make an account and enjoy the experience for the first time. You totally scared me away for a long time.
ReplyDeleteYeah, someone tweeting a million tweets in a row is so annoying. I've unfollowed people for that and I NEVER unfollow.
ReplyDeleteYou are probably completely right. However, my present time-constraints have led me to commit at least some of these Twitter no-nos, particularly sins 1, 5, and 6! Hopefully when I have more time again I can go back to my previous, less-repetitive Twitter style. :) But its a good thing to keep in mind.
ReplyDelete