Reflections on one year of Twitter

Lucia, Mad-Men-ified.

Happy Twitter-versary to me!  A year ago today, Heroine TV joined Twitter.  Oh, I was so young and innocent then, following about 5o accounts and never engaging in conversation.  One year and 7, 205 tweets later, I have learned a lot.  Wait, 7,205 tweets in one year?  That’s how many tweets a day?  Yikes!  Overtweet much?  Why, yes.  Yes, I do.  Okay, okay, I know, it looks bad, but only about 25% of those tweets feature me broadcasting.  Most of the time I am replying to my tweeps.  And I am known to engage in lengthy late-night conversations with the Scooby Gang (yes, I am in a Twitter gang–only for the most hard-core of television fans, so beware) and my TVD gals.  With 560 followers, and 379 twitter accounts that I follow, it’s actually surprising that I’m not tweeting more.  One of the best parts of Twitter, in my opinion, is the interaction, and I’ve actually formed some great friendships, with some awesome people.  And I used to think that the internet was creeeeepy!  (Okay, maybe the internet still is, but not anyone whom I’ve met on Twitter.)

I figure that one year on Twitter is like 5 years in non-internet time–kind of like dog years or something.  Thus, I am listing some Twitter maxims of mine, culled from thousands of tweets-worth of experience.  I’m like Yoda or something.

1. Do not constantly tweet about your follower count.  For me Twitter is about quality not quantity.  Yes, we all love to get more followers, secretly, but what really matters is that you earn followers who actually care about what you tweet.  It’s not about numbers, but about building relationships.  If my favorite tweeps have not tweeted in days, I notice, and vice versa.  We get to know each other, and it’s way more fun that way.  Also, building a Twitter following tends to naturally happen with time.  Somehow, I have ended up with 560 followers, without any campaigning.
2. And on that note, don’t fixate on your follower account.  I can’t tell you how many tweets talk about losing a follower.  Who cares?  Those who choose to follow you are doing so of their own accord, because they think they may find value in your tweets.  But that doesn’t bind them to you for life.  Expecting someone to remain following you for eternity is a bit Cullen-ish, don’t you think?  Don’t take unfollows as personal offense, as that usually is not the case (I’m sure it is sometimes, but let’s not fixate on that).  Don’t you want the freedom to follow whomever you wish without any attitude.  I, for example, only follow entertainment related tweets–mostly about television.  If someone is tweeting about something else all the time, I don’t really want it in my feed.  That doesn’t mean I am dissing that person.  Also, most of the time, the follower losses are just spammers.  Follower counts are constantly fluctuating on Twitter, due to spammers.
3. Additionally, don’t expect everyone you follow to follow you back.  There are some people who expect a follow back, or they will unfollow.  I don’t bend to such strong-arm tactics.  I follow about 152 twitter accounts that don’t follow me back, as I find value in them–either  news sources, critics, celebrities, or just awesomely entertaining people.  I’m fine with not getting a follow back if I enjoy someone’s tweets, and the same should go for my followers.  I can’t follow everyone who follows me, plus these other accounts that I value, or I’d be following over 700 people.  I’m only one person, who has a real life as well!  This is where Tweet Deck and the global filter come in (oh, I LOVE that global filter).
4. Embrace the Twitter.  Don’t constantly tweet about the fact that you’re tweeting, and thus have no life.  What does that say to the people who are reading your tweets, who are also on Twitter, and spending their precious time reading what you’re writing.  Think about it.  And I guarantee that it is possible to tweet a lot AND have a life.  We all do it.  That’s the great thing about the 140 character limit.
5. Have a sense of humor.  Twitter is fun … or at least it should be fun.  Don’t allow yourself to get easily offended, just because people have different opinions or are snarky about something that you enjoy.  It’s easy for the 140 character limit to lead to misunderstandings, so just give people the benefit of the doubt.  We’re all having a bit of fun with each other, so let’s keep it light.

Of course, what do I know?  Feel free to ignore everything that I just said, as you should just be yourself on Twitter and tweet the way you want to tweet.  Okay, and I think that the occasion calls for one more list.  Here is what I have learned on Twitter:

1. I am not the only one who watches an insane amount of TV.  In fact, there are some who even watch more.  I can’t tell you how much this discovery has improved my life.
2. No one can agree on the best episodes or seasons of Buffy, but everyone can agree on the worst.
3. No one on Twitter likes Two and a Half Men.  Clearly we all have far higher IQ points than the general population.
4. Most shows could do with more shirtless scenes.  (Hey, I’m just reporting what I read.)
5. Everybody loves Lauren Graham, Nathan Fillion, and NPH.  Absolutely everyone.

In conclusion, Twitter is awesome.  You can find out pretty much anything, and in a much faster time period than the rest of the internet.  Also, I no longer have to scour the internet for television news, as it just magically appears in my feed.  Perfection.  Plus, there are way more awesome people in the world than I ever imagined.  I’ll leave you with my Twitter philosophy: Twitter is like Tofu. It tastes like what you put on it.  The people you follow are what gives it spice and flavor, so if you think that Twitter is boring, that just means you’re not following the right people.  (Okay, it is not a perfect metaphor.  Now I’m hungry.)