Friday, 8 July 2016

The Benefits of Positive Networking



I like Twitter, and I enjoy putting myself out there and interacting with like-minded people. I’m usually too busy, to be honest, to regularly expand my social-media platform, so when work permits I enjoy going through the selection ‘offered’ by Twitter. I generally lean towards writers and bloggers, but if someone’s profile catches my eye, I’ll usually follow.

It’s a three-day thing for me, basically meaning that if someone I’ve pinged doesn’t follow me back within three days, I simply unfollow. It’s not an ego thing on my part – if a person doesn’t want to follow me, I’ve no problem with that, but I prefer my relationships on Twitter to be as mutual as possible, with a bit of positive interaction going on, initiating a tit-for-tat of likes and retweets and helping each other to network and spread the word, whatever that may be on the day.

Then I ‘sit back’ and enjoy the activity that comes from my little targeting campaign. Over the first day I’ll get a flurry of follow-backs. This’ll keep me entertained by going in and retweeting the pinned tweet of each new profile, which usually evokes one of mine being retweeted in return. Reciprocation is a wonderful way to develop fresh Twitter relationships and will often encourage unsolicited retweets that set the cycle off again.

The good thing about reactive tweeting is how it fixes the tweeter’s identity in my mind. That can’t be such a bad thing in a cyber world of millions where it’s easy to slip into oblivion, when all you’re trying to do is read good material, share what you like with a few others, and get your own message out there.

An added bonus is that Twitter’s algorithms react to my heightened activity by suggesting me to others, more than they usually do, because I receive a few ‘extra’ unrelated followers over those two or three days.

Anyway, when I start my little expansion ‘campaign’ – usually once a month, I’ll generally follow up to forty profiles, and over the next three days about half will follow me back. That’s not such a bad return. So, on the third day, I run through my list and simply unfollow those good folk who weren’t feeling my love. No harm done or felt, and I end up with twenty or so new tweeters to hopefully develop a worthwhile connection with. It works for me.

If you’re a writer or blogger, visit my profile and, if you follow me, I’ll return the gesture.

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