Every week, we visit hundreds of blogs from our Twitter stream. Of those hundreds, we might skim and scan about the same number of posts. Of those skim-and-scan posts, we might actually read in more detail about 20-30 of those posts. Of those 20-30 posts, we RT those we find valuable and post on our other sites. And once in a while, we come across a blog that we feel deserves some more attention, and this week, that is exactly what happened.
It all started with a tweet (as it always does) from our stream and the title intrigued us: The World’s Top Tweeters Might Surprise You by Tecnolog’s Blog. So we clicked and we read, and according to this blog post (and don’t get us wrong, it was an interesting and thought-provoking blog with some very good points), it listed the “world’s top tweeters” by the number of total public tweets that an individual made within the decade. We think that the author of the post was making a very valid point in saying that actual people on Twitter tweet more than larger organizations and brands, and that we find extremely interesting. However, we do think that trying to emphasize “quantity of tweets” over “quality of tweets” (or, similarly “quantity of followers” over “quality of followers”) can be a bit misleading. In fact, identifying a “top tweeter” just by sheer volume and number of tweets does not truly grasp the essence of what Twitter is all about: a place where ANYONE can connect with ANYONE ELSE, no matter the numbers.
We are not here to poke holes into this post, since we think it has raised some very interesting questions about Twitter etiquette and Twitter cred, and quite frankly, in the end, all the Top Tweeters listed on the post all have a very unique and different way to approach Twitter and can claim strong and loyal followings within their respective tribes. (And, personally, the vast majority of the names listed are very cool people.)
However, what we do find fascinating about this post were its comments, from several people whom we greatly respect. And this is where we are already seeing differences in Twitter philosophies. Just like different companies, individuals on Twitter will follow their own beat. To some, that means tweeting automatically 24/7 to a get messages across (which, from our perspective, we just don’t do and have no interest in doing, and we will never put our Twitter on “autopilot”). To others, that means just tossing the “numbers” aside and just being you. To even others, this can mean not only capitalizing on a high number of followers, but truly connecting with those followers, no matter how hard it may be to do this on a consistent basis once you reach a certain level.
The point is this, and we say it all along: Once you try and analyze Twitter through traditional rankings and scorekeeping, you stray away from the true essence of Twitter’s power.
Who are the world’s Top Tweeters? Quite frankly, from our opinion, it is the person or brand who each and every day authentically and sincerely tries to connect with the Twitter stream. It is the profile who never schedules automatic tweets, since that just plays into the false perception that Twitter is all about quantity. A Top Tweeter is the person who initiates conversation or reconnects with a great contact after losing touch for a month or two. It is the profile that goes into Twitter with the sole mission of giving and giving and giving to the stream, with NO EXPECTATIONS. That is what matters.
So, as you weave through the Twitter stream, just remember: each and every one here on Twitter started at zero. Yes, when we all started and logged in for the first time, we had zero followers. Remember that feeling? What did you do to add value to the stream? How did you connect with profiles to begin to build your online presence? As your Twitter profile grows and you enhance your own tribe, our best advice is this: don’t get caught up in the numbers game or the grades or the accolades. The most important thing you must always remember is to give and connect, and when you finish doing that, you give and connect again. And again. And again. And you make sure that your tribe always feels that what you provide is valuable.
That is how you become one of the “world’s top tweeters,” because in the end, the people who follow you will validate your efforts.
Wow! That post make me feel all squiggly inside, Julio. So insightful and just really, really awesome thoughts. That “starting at zero” part really made it hit home. And shows you just how different we all are. Some game the system, some plod along, others dive in, some try then give up, don’t enjoy or don’t see “how to make money from this.” But the ones who truly get it are the ones who make the world of social media so amazing. And you, my friend, get it.
I knew that before you wrote this post, but I know it even more now.
Thanks for sharing – this one really made my day.
Shelly
Shelly, every time I ask myself, “How do I use Twitter now?”, I always remind myself of when I started at zero. It still amazes me how people misunderstand Twitter’s true essence. Different perspectives lead to different actions, and I feel we must continue to share the true essence of Twitter, especially since it will continue to go even more mainstream. To abuse it is a cop-out. Here’s to the people who are always trying to give to others here, of which you are a part of. So simple, yet so few do it.
Agree. One should Tweet with spontaneity. That’s always been my goal. When you stay true to that tenant the core of your being comes through. People may follow or not, but that’s the way it is off line as well.
Steve
Steve, it is a pleasure to literally be on the same page with you. I agree 100%. So well-stated.
Amen. I’ve always said, if you’re paying attention to the meaning of numbers on Twitter, you’re missing out on the meaning of words. Great post Julio.
Jim, I can understand why some people might feel this way because from a biz perspective we have always been trained to be #1 in everything, yet Twitter has debunked that idea tenfold. The true success of Twitter comes from the millions and millions of real connections that happen there every day. Thanks for your comment!
What a great post, Julio. Thank you for restoring sanity to all this hoopla about how to measure who’s winning, who’s popular, who’s doing it right. Sincerity, giving, connecting…that is what it’s all about. Providing something of value can be a blog post, links to good information, sharing insights, making someone laugh… and let’s not forget: listening and helping to raise the visibility of others. That’s why I’m drawn to folks like you, Shelly, Chris Brogan, Gini Dietrich and the many others who so naturally play well with others. Well done, my friend.
I do think you raise a great point: now that Twitter is getting more mainstream, there is more insanity out there. We have to remind ourselves why we are here in the first place and yes, you are so right about sincerity, giving, and connecting.
That chart is also flawed, for it considers a reply or a retweet in the same breath as a broadcast. Yes, there are three types of tweets and those are they. I can understand ranking someone by broadcasts, and I can understand ranking someone by replies or retweets; but all three together is a flaw.
That is a great point, Ari.
What I’ve found w/twitter is that as I interact w/folks on my stream, I grow and expand; therefore, my “use” of twitter has evolved in step with who I am (and who I strive to be).
It is empowering and exciting to interact with dynamic ppl whose goal is to communicate.
Great post. Thanks for the forum. Best, M.
I think what you commented here is pure brilliance and provides the true power of Twitter. Thanks for posting it!
The true SECRET of life is to SERVE, To GIVE & to SERVE & to Give…. you get the point, but with “NO EXPECTATIONS” is the key! Twitter’s ability to provide a forum that encases within 140 characters the magic of giving, opens up the field to millions of people that would have never had the opportunity to share and connect with such a huge audience of like-minded people. Stay authentic, stay transparent, show you care, really care and not only will you help in changing the lives of others but your life will change as well.
Thanks for such an insightful post.
I love it when my daddy comments on my blogs.
Great post, found thanks to @ShellyKramer, which I found thanks to @nicolabird ‘s list of top female entrepreneurs!
I love this quote from Katherine Hepburn “If you follow all the rules, you miss all the fun”
For my experience of Twitter, which started in may (how did I manage before???!), it’s all about Playing and Interaction.
The “benefits”, results, pay-offs are huge, but most of the time not expected,total serendipity.
I remember having been really bothered when a “LeadershipGuru” on twitter had asked me, alarmed, “what’s your intention, everytime you tweet, you “should” have an intention” (and having fun was not an option!)
Just like in real life, imagine, everytime you met someone new, you’d ask yourself, “now, how could I use this person? How can I maximize the time spent with her?” Nightmare…
I believe in spontaneity, curiosity and generosity in communication online as well as face-to-face.
Merci for this insightful christmas gift!
Marion, I love your perspective on this. Keep doing what you are doing on Twitter. That is all that matters. Thanks again for the comment!
Whew, finally some fresh thinking and a honest ethical perspective! Someone today asked me “so you schedule your tweets, right?” I got a sick feeling, and said “no way” — that doesn’t feel like the right fit for me. Scheduled tweets are definitely NOT authentic or personal. Julio you really nailed it when you say it’s about giving back, sharing, and connecting. It took me a while after “starting from zero” to get comfortable making connections, but the friendships and support are what make twitter enjoyable day after day. I am inspired daily by the people I’ve “met” on Twitter, and I hope to grow as a person AND as a business from my continued interactions there.
Exactly! So true. Thanks again for posting a comment.
Julio, you have a great knack of putting things in perspective! I love connecting & sharing with others through Twitter. I’ve so much from those connections and as a side benefit developed business connections and referrals. Nothing annoys me more than those who don’t know get that that is the essence of Twitter!
Hey! Thanks for the comment. Yeah, we feel pretty strongly about the fact that we all must continue to promote and practice the real essence of Twitter. Numbers don’t mean anything, unless you are truly connecting with people. If you aren’t connecting, you are just wasting your time.
Spot on.
I’m half way through a blog post about the ‘social media numbers game’ and up popped your serendipitous Tweet. I was beginning to feel heretical in my post, so I’m pleased to see your item!
I’d better get back to the article now and finish it – most interesting perspective and thanks for sharing it.
Long live the heretics and rebels. Thanks for your comment. Send me aino of your blog post?
[…] When Twitter Numbers Are Meaningless: This post was added a few days back and we have been so thrilled to have gotten such a positive […]
I haven’t been a Twitter user for long and this whole numbers game almost had me sucked into thinking I have to play too. You’ve reminded me that I don’t. I’d much rather spend my time actually socializing than worrying about numbers.
Thank you.
Exactly! Keep doing what you are doing!
well, there have been quite a few interesting viewpoints, so let me add mine which goes to show what twitter can be all about.
in the 1970ies two management-scientists (BLAKE + MOUTON) created what they called a “management grid” which showed that people can be very people-oriented or the opposite or anything in-between (the grid helped people find their position on the grid). but the basic idea is what i am after, in order to add my bit to this important post:
we all know that twitter belongs to the so called SOCIAL MEDIA. many of you have taken the SOCIAL position (people-oriented), i happen to be autistic (mildly, so called ASPERGER) thus i cannot be people-oriented in the first place, but rather product-oriented which means i concentrate more on solving problems, doing duties, achievement etc. that’s why approach twitter not mainly socially (somewhat of course, but not as people oriented as “normal people”) but more as a MEDIUM. i carefully try to get GOOD tweets, offer my followers real value, read lots of web-pages and offer LINKS to the few which offer something special (like this post and ist discussion). my followers know that, every one of them discovered me (i use no automatisms, robots or whatever, i do not repeating of tweets etc. etc.) it is honest an advice board and worked at – although i do have FUN doing it, my “job” is my vocation (which is only one letter away from vacation, ever noticed that?). anyway, i believe that twitter can also be approached as a medium. i use different hashtags for different themes so that any time it is easy to SEARCH one or the other thread of my tweets, to name only 2 (of approx. ten) for the English language; #vfbE (english tweets) and #vfbSc (engl. tweets touching something scientific like a fascinating scientific new fact or a theory, debate, video etc.). further i cultivate people whose tweets i find similar valuable by RESPONDING and of course RT-ing, but i never RT anything i have not looked at, read, heard, seen etc. (which means that i “deliver” quality, even in RT.s). thus new contacts to PEOPLE do develop but not because we want to socialize “socially” but because we are birds of a feather searching another to flock together. here geeks use twitter als a medium to find other geeks and socially oriented find other people who find “human” aspects more important than those we geeks, researchers etc. are fascinated by. i think this is great. and when i hit the 500 follower (about 4 weeks after having developed my system) i was so proud as others are, who have 5000 or 50.000 followers. it’s not the numbers, right. it’s whether you are content with the numbers you are making contact with.
makes sense?
thank you for your attention, i had not planned to explain in so much depth, it has “happened” during writing which shows: we too, can be spontaneous.
:-)))
vfb
Thank you so much for posting this incredible comment. You are truly using Twitter the way you want to use it and that it is the essence of Twitter. You are truly connecting.
[…] Whilst I was drafting this yesterday, I came across this piece on the same topic: https://juliorvarela.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/when-twitter-numbers-are-meaningless/ […]
AMEN to this article!!!!
Thanks so much for that comment!
PRIVATE QUESTION (DM):
may I ask why my twitter-picture was not used (as with the others)? i prefer to read comments from people with a face and i assume others might feel the same.
vfb
Unless you have giving Avatar permission to upload your profile pic to WordPress, you get a standard icon. That is why some of us have pics and some of us do not.
no one has ever asked me. where do i give that permission? gladly?please help, i am new to the social media thing and daily learning a lot.
:-))
No worries, this is where you need to go: http://en.gravatar.com/
It is called Gravatar and it is a great site.
Satisfying Saturday: 7 Ways to Praise Tweeting Birdbrains…
Thirteen months ago this weekend, Social Media Today co-founder Jerry Bowles wrote a provocative article leading to 43 comments in response to Twitter as a conduit for idiots. Love or hate his thoughts, which he later amended, I single out a paragraph …
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Cool!
well, i just jumped there (gravatar) and remembered. these people keep telling me my paßword is wrong when it is not! there are two or three sites where i can’t get back in, this is one of them. too sad they have not adopted “sigh in with twitter” and verity via twitter, that always works. so i shall be faceless forever??? pity
vfb
Bummer. So sorry to hear that.
Shelly makes me laugh – she feels all “squiggly” inside.
I agree with Marianne – AMEN to this post! We all, at some point, thought the numbers mattered. I was at a TweetUp in Denver in May and a couple of guys there told me it was all about numbers. Their philosophy being that the more people following you, the higher chance you have at finding someone you can work with eventually.
My philosophy is dead opposite that – use target precision to network (online and offline) and you’ll have better success than buying your followers.
Why, thank you for that!
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[…] the social media space, the issue of quality over quantity is more important that anything else. We had said this a while back in 2009, when Twitter was more fun and Facebook less brand-like. Now that these two social media icons as […]