Tips on Being a Good “Twitizen”

Posted by Michael Owen Hill Features Monday, April 19th, 2010

I started posting that simple statement a couple of weeks ago after a wake-up call in the form of a tweet from a new connection. (I say connection because I don’t feel comfortable calling people “followers.” Having followers makes me sound like a cult leader or, heaven forbid, some kind of guru.)

Anyway, this guy had actually thanked me for responding to a comment he made. I think my response was in the nature of “right on, smiley face.” In other words, not a lot of effort on my part. The fact that this newbie was grateful to get a response of any kind made me realize something: a lot of us are not doing a very good job of welcoming the newcomer.

The truth is many of us who have been around a while have become pretty status-conscious. Some of us tend to treat newbies like an annoyance, at best, and only start to consider someone worth talking to once they’ve reached a certain numerical level of attainment in terms of followers.

Others of us make decisions about who to engage with based on third party influence tracking and rating services. If so-and-so doesn’t have high enough Klout or only an 80% on twitter.grader, they are just not worth our time.

We make the mistake of confusing statistics with personal value.

What that means to a lot of newbies is that the people they look to as successes treat them like dirt. Some of those newbies will probably grow large followings of their own, only to then turn around and treat other newbies like dirt. It’s a vicious cycle. It’s bad for our culture. I say we stop it.

How? We start being gracious. And we stop being such a bunch of big shots.

The Curse of Big-Shot-ism

In my super-secret professional life (I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you), I’ve been taking a close look at Twitter — specifically the Twitter culture and what makes a person a valuable, contributing member. More specifically, I’ve been looking at who are the best connections to cultivate for the purposes of brand management and promotion.

I’ve also recently had occasion to put together a complex policy document to provide guidance for professionals who are new to Twitter and who want to simultaneously grow their own social capital while adhering to the best rules of Twitter etiquette.

While I won’t go into the specifics — most of it is deadly dull corpspeak and legalese, anyway — there was one takeaway I though would be valuable for anyone who is interested in being a good, contributing, authentic member of the Twitter culture. It’s one simple rule we all should live by:

Don’t be a big shot.

Don't be a Mr. Big

I know how tempting it is to look at your follower numbers or your Twitterholic ranking and think, “wow, I am really a big deal.” There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the momentary ego-boost. Just let’s not fool ourselved into thinking big numbers means it’s okay to treat others as if they are insignificant. Let’s not fall into the trap of big-shot-ism.

You know the type. If you’ve been on Twitter for more than a few days, you’ve probably already been snubbed by a big shot. You see, big shots only talk to people who are “influential” or from whom they think they can get some perceived value. Big shots use follower numbers to determine a person’s value. Unless you have big numbers, the big shot won’t deign to notice you.

Big shots generally have an over-inflated ego combined with a real inferiority complex. They rarely thank anyone for anything. Big shots are so vain, in fact, they probably think this article is about them.

Big shots rarely talk TO their followers, but they often talk ABOUT their followers, usually in terms of numbers and benchmarks.

“My goal is to reach 10,000 followers by this weekend.”

Calling attention to your follower number is tacky. It’s often a way of saying, “look at what a big shot I am.” It’s the twitter equivalent of wearing too much jewelry or dousing yourself in cologne. It’s just plain tacky.

Like any faux pas, the occasional violation is completely forgivable. But when a person’s entire twitter stream is about getting followers and trading recommendations to get more followers and promising to get your followers more followers, they have gone off the rails. They are a bad Twitizen.

[Exhibit A: One of the worst offenders, @xMichaelBieberx. Talk about over-developed sense of self-importance. Repugnant.]

Big Shots vs. Celebrities

Alyssa Milano has fans

Now, it’s important to draw the distinction between the big-shot and the celebrity. Some celebrities display elements of big-shot-ism, it’s true. But a legitimate celebrity can’t be expected to personally thank everyone who retweets them or sends them a link or recommends them on Follow Friday. It would be a full-time job.

Also, some of the best celebrities on Twitter are actually very down-to-earth and gracious with respect to their fans. There is a reason why Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) is the “princess of Twitter” – it’s because she’s a real person who has fun with it and who interacts with her fans. She is not only a legitimate celebrity, she is a contributing member of Twitter society. Not to gush, but she does just about everything right.

Here’s the real distinction: Alyssa Milano has fans. Self-styled marketing “gurus” from Poughkeepsie and part-time “baristas” from Sacramento do not have fans. Don’t confuse followers for fans. And don’t confuse the ability to manipulate the system to get “big numbers” with being a “big shot.”

No More Mr. Big Shot

Ultimately, acting like a big shot is a good way to shoot one’s self in the foot. It turns off the authentic folks who make being on Twitter so rewarding.

Those of us who work in the industry know that the most valuable people on Twitter are not necessarily those with the biggest following. That’s because many of the people with big numbers actually have very little influence. They are mostly followed by other numbers-obsessed tweeters who also have little or no real influence. All those numbers amount to little more than a social capital echo chamber.

As a strategist, I would rather my message reach someone who only has a couple of hundred followers, if those followers are engaged. In fact, I actively encourage clients to ignore most people with massive followings. Big shots just aren’t that valuable, it turns out.

As a private Twitizen who appreciates authenticity, good manners and quality content, I try to foster connections with real people, regardless of “rank” or “status,” and to do what I can to set a positive example for those who are new to our little metaculture.

I guess I’d rather be a “good guy” than a “big shot.”