One of the biggest problems with Twitter is that when you have a small number of followers (like myself), it is sometimes hard to get feedback or even general interaction with people you would LOVE to hear from. Whether it is a peer you look up to or simply a friend whose opinion you value highly, you just sometimes don’t get the response that you crave. Is it vanity? No. Is it recognition? No. Is it need and acceptance? Maybe. I recently found out a great way to get some feedback from friends and it is…
As I recently found out, there are numerous ways to get people to interact with you on Twitter and this is the best one. Post something with grammatical errors or even a link to the wrong URL and you are onto a winner (sorry @dazzler03 for the baiting) – just don’t go the same route Vodafone UK went about it.
As simple as it sounds, just ask for feedback. I respond to many more requests for help than I do ego-boosting soapbox types.
If you have a burning question, if your goldfish is on fire and you need help or if you run into a problem with PHP that you need help – just ask for it. I like to help – and you would be surprised how many other people do too.
Again, being polite, courteous and honest will get you far on Twitter. No-one likes the class-idiot demanding something. They don’t like it in person, they don’t like it over the phone so why should they like it via their screens? Just by recommending something worthwhile and being honest will help you get the feedback you desire (or not depending if you’re already an arsehole)
Be humble and ask for a #followfriday by someone much, much more popular than you. As with everything in life, it’s always good to get a helping hand from someone already at the top of their ladder.
Simply ask to be followed, advertise yourself in an non annoying way (unlike this guy!) and things will happen. I’ve always been a fan of practicing what you preach so if you like this post and want to show your appreciation then please don’t hesitate to follow me @kevstrong.
Craig (10 years ago)
Great tips Kev.
Using hashtags is useful if you want to have a conversation about a particular topic.
Another way to foster engagement and to build conversation is to participate in group chats in a area of interest e.g #blogchat or #commschat