Why I Connect On Twitter
How can I help you? That’s the question I ask myself as I decide if I am going to connect with you on Twitter.
Whenever I get a message that someone new is “following” me (I HATE that term!) on Twitter, I always check out their profile. The first thing I look for is a real name and personal picture. I rarely connect to brand logos (or goofballs) because I know they are likely more interested in selling than really connecting. The second and most important thing I look for is a link to an active blog. If you are not blogging, it’s going to be very hard for me to help you on Twitter.
If you run a blog with current and remarkable content, I will subscribe to your blog and read your new articles as they are posted. If I find something I like, I will share (retweet) that article with my Twitter community. By putting my brand on your content, I am both helping you and hopefully someone in my Twitter community.
Twitter is a very large space that people use in a variety of ways. Most of the people I connect with on Twitter are using it as a tool to build social capital by curating helpful content that they or someone else has created. The people I connect with on Twitter show up primarily to help others, not to sell or tell us when they are walking their dog or brushing their teeth.
If you are helping yourself by helping others, then I can help you by connecting with you, adding you to one of my lists, and curating your original content. If the way you help yourself does not involve helping others, then I personally will pass on connecting with you.
If you are not the type of person that I would be interested in eventually having a phone conversation or a cup of coffee with someday, then any connection we make holds no potential value for either of us. Your Twitter profile needs to make the case for a valuable connection in about 20 seconds, and there is no better way to do that than by using your real name, your personal picture, and linking to helpful content you are posting on your blog.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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About the Author: Bret L. Simmons
Welcome to my blog! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section of my posts. I publish all constructive, non-anonymous comments. 
Bret,
I am with you…I don’t automatically follow people either. In addition to checking for blogs…I am also read their profile. The last thing I want is to bring on a multi-level marketer (pyramid schemer) to the people I am following. And…if you don’t have a profile, you are automatically deleted.
That being said, I am a little less strict in my follows as I am looking for people I can learn from or who might learn from me.
Thanks!
Sharon
http://www.sharonmarkovsky.com
[Reply]
Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2011 at 10:52 am
Twitter is a big space and people use it in many different ways. I’m not suggesting everyone should use it the way I do – no way! Just offering an explanation for the method behind my madness. Thanks, Sharon! Bret
[Reply]
Hi Bret,
Always interesting to see the decisions people make to return a follow. I am close to your strategy, I follow people back, rarely companies, that depends on the company. With people I check their profile and timeline and 90% of them I follow back. A blog is not necessarily included in my selection criteria; a person can have an interesting timeline on Twitter sharing information I would not have run in to in other situations, while he/she does not maintain their own blog.
Next to these initial criteria I try to include them in a list. You for instance are in my leadership and alliance lists due to the topics you often cover. That way it is easier for me to to actively follow you. It may also allow me to actively follow people without following them using the Twitter follow button, which sometimes happens.
Regards,
Peter
[Reply]
Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
I too follow people that don’t blog, but they must be helping in some other way. And I too find Twitter lists are a great way to signal people that I have connected. Thanks, Peter! bret
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I’m still learning how to use Twitter personally, but I loved your comment that you follow the people that you could see yourself potentially having a cup of coffee with one day. It’s so true. I wouldn’t want to sit at a coffee shop and listen to a one-sided sales pitch for an hour. But I do love to engage in conversations with people, and those conversations may paradoxically lead to a “sale” of something that person has one day.
The only downside of your approach is the sheer time involved. It seems the most effective online social networkers spend a lot of time online, and not everyone has that time available to them. Any recommendations thought for us on that Bret?
Keep up the great work! I’m learning a lot from following you and reading your blog. You really seem to ‘get’ social networking.
- Tim
[Reply]
Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
I’ve had coffee with London, NYC, and Denver with people I’ve met on Twitter! I actually don’t spend a lot of time each day on Twitter, Tim. I spend most of my time developing my own blog or reading the blogs of others. I am always looking for helpful content that i can then take to twitter to share with my community. Twitter for me is more asynchronous than synchronous. I share content, then I check in later to respond to any conversation that might have developed around that content. I don’t just “hang out” on Twitter – I don’t have time for that! Hang in there, Tim! As long as you don’t quit, you will learn and improve. Thanks, Bret
[Reply]
Bret,
I really enjoyed this post. You were spot on about twitter and creating a brand. That is what I have been trying to do with my business, however, I named my blog after my business, and my twitter account after my business. After reading this post, I changed my blog up, adjusted my twitter account, and really think it will make a difference. I is all about creating relationships and communities. Thanks so much for your help! PS: I am and will continue to follow you on Twitter.
[Reply]
Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
Welcome. What’s your name? My advice is to be personal both on your website and on Twitter. We connect with people, not brands. When people like YOU, they will help both you and your brand. I like your picture on Twitter, but my advice (for what it’s worth) is to tell us your real name and then link back to your business. Thanks! Bret
[Reply]
Neal Ely Reply:
February 13th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
My name is Neal Ely. I couldn’t agree more about people connecting with individuals. If you get a chance to check out the webpage, I would be open for ideas on what I could do better there too
I spent alot of my weekend following blogs that I can benefit from and I sure am happy to have found your site. Do you have any books out I can buy?
[Reply]
Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Welcome, Neal! I love that you are blogging. Just do NOT stop and you will master it. It takes time, so be patient. My big suggestion for your site is to make sure I can find your name – Neal Ely. I love the picture of your family and the story you begin to tell, but make sure the story is from Neal. You should also consider doing Youtube videos with a simple flip cam. You could find tons of content for that.
I have a lot of posts and videos on this site about personal branding and social media, but I don’t have a book. I recommend these books: Inbound Marketing, The Digital Handshake, and The Zen of Social Media Marketing.
Great meeting you! Bret
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