YOU’VE LANDED ON PART IV OF MY TWITTER TIPS.
SEE A LIST OF PREVIOUS TWITTER POSTS.
I love Twitter. And I’m big on proper manners. With that said, I am focusing my fourth Twitter tips post on the constant thanking of people on Twitter. In my opinion, our good manners have gone too far, and we all suffer for it.
Not sure what I’m talking about? When I log onto Twitter lately, this is what I see:
Thanks to @____, @_____, @______ for the follows!
Grateful for RTs from @ ______, @______, @_______!
Hugs for blog visits and comments @_____, @_____, @______!
Muchas Gracias for the #WW @____, @_____, @______, @_____!
Right back at you for the #FF @____, @_____, @______, @_____!
Appreciated your congrats today @____, @_____, @______, @_____!
Looks like a whole lot of nothing, doesn’t it? Call me a cynic, but seeing those messages as regular tweets rather than @replies where your entire following wouldn’t have to see them strikes me as suspiciously self-serving. (If you don’t know the difference between a regular tweet and an @reply, I explain it here.) If the goal of your tweet is to thank the people you’re listing, then why do ALL of your followers need to see it? Written as I’ve shown above, I can’t help but “hear” the following rather than thanks: Read my blog! RT me! Congratulate me! Me, Me, Me.
Expressing our gratitude as @replies helps our crisis a bit, but we’re still spending tremendous amounts of time thanking people and reading about other people getting thanked, which gets at the deeper issue. How much thanking is necessary on Twitter in the first place? Where is the line between appreciation and absolute overkill? Can we come to an agreement on how to demonstrate our gratitude?
LET’S ANALYZE EACH AREA OF CONCERN:
Thanking New Followers: This one is easy. If you follow the person back, that’s an inherent “thank you.” If you don’t follow the person back, I don’t think writing “thanks for the follow @_____” does much to compensate. Follow back (if you want to) OR leave well enough alone. Side note: NO MATTER WHAT, do NOT write direct messages thanking people for the follow. A private message saying: “Thanks for the follow. Check out my [novel, blog, tweets]” is an excellent example of disingenuous gratitude. When you truly interact with people on Twitter through their tweets, they WILL likely check out your tweets, blog, etc.
Thanking for Blog Visits: Respond to comments on your blog, or IF you can, try to visit the blogs of the people who comment. A visit to another person’s blog is FAR more useful to a blogger than your “thank you” tweet about YOU and YOUR blog. No matter what, I see no reason to bring this kind of business to Twitter. If you can’t stop yourself from letting people know you’ve answered their comments or appreciated their visits (I realize visiting all the blogs of the people who read yours is a lot to ask), consider an @reply instead of a regular tweet.
Thanking for ReTweets: I propose this: If you and other Tweeters regularly RT each other, then perhaps you can save yourselves some time and NOT thank each other on top of it all. The back and forth RTing, no matter how intermittent, serves as a more useful, “thank you” than a “thank you” tweet. As for thanking in general for RTs, I urge people to wait until the end of the day or the next day, then write one or two tweets (as an @reply) listing those thank yous.
Thanking people for congratulating you, for coming to your event, for helping to promote you in any way: Reread last sentence of the RT category. That advice applies here too.
Thanking for a #WW & #FF: I saved the most complicated one for last. Whether or not to write #WWs and #FFs (Writer Wednesday and Follow Friday) is a separate issue. Personally, I believe the practice has lost its usefulness. Unless you compose witty and gracious ones to individual people in the tradition of author @Jenna_Blum, then those tweets read like this: “Blah, Blah, Blah.” (Cue voice of Charlie Brown’s teacher.) I have a few followers who include me in weekly #WWs/#FFs, but don’t interact with me AT ALL the rest of the time. I’m 99% sure they see none of my tweets, and their #WWs and #FFs are automated. Frankly, I resent having to spend even a second seeing those automated tweets in my @mention page.
If you’re going to thank someone for the #WW/#FF, do not RT the whole list. I’m begging you. Re-sending those long lists of random names clogs up the Twitter stream, forcing many of your followers to see the same tweets over and over. Many times you’re not even following everyone on that list, which only makes the entire #WW/#FF concept that much more pointless.
So group, what do you think? Am I the only one who’s tired of their Twitter feed looking like gobbly-gook? Gratitude is good. What I’m seeing on Twitter these days is too much of a good thing. And it’s really annoying.
With that, I thank you for reading this lengthy post. And for RTing it.
FIND MY PREVIOUS TWITTER TIPS HERE
THE ART & SCIENCE OF TWITTER (MY GUEST POSTS ON WRITER UNBOXED)
Nina (@NinaBadzin)
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Welcome! I am a freelance writer living in Minneapolis with my husband and four children. My essays on parenting, social media etiquette, improving my habits, Jewish life and more appear in the Huffington Post, Kveller.com, The Jewish Daily Forward and elsewhere. I'm glad you found your way here!
I’m not going to lie…I am giggling through this whole thing because BOOM, woman! You hit the nail on the head! nothing more depressing than to wake up, get your coffee, log onto twitter and think, “YAY! lot’s of mentions!” only for it to be a much of useless #FF or #WW lists and lists and LISTS!
Also, I have a few people who RT my tweet every time they reply to me. WEIRDSIES!
I miss all my twitter conversations. It’s all links and lame RTs/thank you @s.
Katie! I’m so glad you appreciated the post. It’s one I hope people will listen to. Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to myself. WHY do people think that 1000+ people or even 50+ people want to see them thank a few other people.
THE WORST is the RTs of those #ww/#ff lists with the “thx” right before. PAINFUL.
Couldn’t agree more. It feels fake and weird – yet when everyone else is doing it, it feels rude not to!
I know–it’s hard when it feels like everyone is doing it . . . that’s why writing them thank you tweets as @replies instead of regular tweets at least helps a little bit. Thanks for visiting!
I found your tips by way of SITS. I’ve had an account and not done much with it. Even in this single installment of your series, you’ve explained a ton. I’m looking forward to reading the rest.
Maggie,
If you run into more questions as you go along, I’m always happy to help! Nina
I use the favorite button as an “I saw what you did there, and I appreciated it!” Occasionally, if it’s a totally new person or a new follower, I’ll tweet a thank you. It’s always an @yourhandlehere tweet, however. And it’s never just a “Thanks!” Newer Tweeters do appreciate something to RT that has their handle in it as it helps them get some recognition and kudos from others. For those that care about Klout (anyone?), it also helps them.
Interesting—I use the favorite button as a bookmark so I can read the linked article later. So when people thank me for doing so, it feels REALLY unnecessary because I’ve most likely not read their post yet and won’t necessarily be retweeting it or even commenting on it when I do.
An RT is different than a thank you tweet of course! I also try to RT a variety of people–but always based on something they wrote, their blog in general, etc . . . not just for RTing ME. It’s a big difference.
Klout is the devil.
In all seriousness, thanks for taking the time to comment and for finding me on FB and Twitter. I found you back!
I used to use the Favorite button as a bookmark, but it became unmanageable! What I meant is that I use it as a Thank You in itself. I’ll “Favorite” their FF or RT or mention. No one else has to see that – unless they go looking for it. And then they get what they wanted as it is!
You know what–I like that idea! Makes good sense. It’s kind of a way of saying “hi” or giving a nod. Similar to a “like” on FB.
OMG I DO some of this!! How long have I been tweeting and all this time I didn’t realize when the @ isn’t FIRST it goes to my entire list!?! I thought it only goes to all people who follow both me and the person I’m replying to. There’s an actual order involved here?
How is anyone still following me??
Kat, I refuse to believe you didn’t know about the regular tweet vs. the @reply!! You’re such a social media guru. (Love your gorgeous site by the way. Inquired into the designer but I can’t quite go that level. It’s INCREDIBLE!)
So just to review:
@NinaBadzin, thanks for the RT! (That goes to people who follow you AND me).
Thanks for the RT @NinaBadzin. (That goes to your 5000 followers. Yup. In my opinion, 5000 don’t need to see you thank one person or even 5 people. But I’m a crabby patty that way.)
Thanks for a good post on Twitter etiquette. I’m still relatively new to Twitter (just under 5 months) and if I’m honest it can be a little overwhelming at times. I tend to thank people for RT’s of my fitness and nutrition related tweets, as they are sharing the information. Where possible I do it in one swoop, as I appreciate that I’m filling up others Twitter space. I also thank for #FF’s as it tends to be people I’m in contact with, not random ones as observed by some others above. I’m still learning and I’m guilty of some of the things mentioned but I’m sure I’ll get there. Now I’m off to find your previous Twitter tips
Gillian,
Writing those tweets as @replies will help a ton . . . at least they won’t clog up the stream!
Hi, Nina, Nice to meet you – I’m visiting from SITS. I’m a fitness and nutrition expert working to stay on top of the blog, twitter, video, Google, world. I feel that twitter is the most overwhelming of them all and just stop by there once per day or so for about 5 minutes. My first impression was that the “thank-you’s” were a nice thing to do – acknowledging the follower and maybe giving them some twitter attention/ love!
Hi Luci! My thought: The thanks ARE nice and there’s always room in the world, and on Twitter, for good manners and for being welcoming. But imagine if you’re following 1000+ people and all of those people thank every new follower, etc . . . imagine how boring all those tweets would be. Also, what I find even nicer than a thank you is knowing someone is actually reading my tweets (not just the tweets that show up in their @mentions column)! So I’d take an RT (even just every so often) over a thank you ANY day.
This is so funny! I have to admit, I do some of this. Sometimes, I am so unsure of twitter etiquette. This is helpful, and makes some points are obvious. Visit those who visit you, and follow back, but I am guilty of the RT thanks. I’m just never sure if it’s rude to not say “hey, thanks for the love”, but this gives me some clarity. So THANK YOU! Found you on SITS!
I don’t think there’s any reason not to acknowledge when people help you out, but it’s better to help them back! Also, my main point is–yes, say thank you–but do NOT force all your followers to watch.
Oh. My. Gosh. Yes. I had to turn off the push notifications on my phone because I was running the battery down receiving meaningless Thank You Tweets. This is the best thing I’ve read all week. So glad I ran into this on SITS.
Yes!! People sometimes argue with me about this stuff, but then I see they’re following 50 people. Trying following 500 and reading nothing but thank you after thank you. Right???
This is great! I’m relatively new to Twitter, and I definitely see how all the gratuitous thanking clogs up the twitter stream. Good thing we only have 140 characters with which to over-thank!
Yup–major stream clog!
Just left you a comment on YOUR blog but I’m not sure it showed up. Let me know!
Yes, it did show up. Thanks for the comment. I always appreciate getting them.
Thanks for this tip. I’m new to twitter – and – have NOT thanked anyone. So, I won’t now…ha. No, really, I enjoyed your tip!
Remember, it’s OK and even good to thank when appropriate, just remember to start the tweet with the handle (@NinaBadzin) and do not write the tweet in a way that every one of your followers has to read. It makes all the difference.
Great tips. Going to read the rest of your series. On the point about people thanking people for blog comments on Twitter that bothers me to. It’s like when people just copy paste something that worked on Twitter to Facebook. Just doesn’t make always make sense, or work, each has it’s own rules of engagement. I’m still learning the ropes myself so really appreciate the Twitter Etiquette 101.
That is so true about the Facebook/Twitter thing . . . completely different animals. As for Twitter, I get that “animal” much more than Facebook. I’m happy to help if you have additional questions. Nina
Yes! Thank you! I’ve been trying to get into twitter, but I see so much “nothing” in my stream that it’s really hard to find things of interest and the whole process winds up feeling pointless. I also wish people would be more specific about what they’re offering (so often it’s a few vague words and a link – am I really going to click all those links?), but that’s another issue.
This is so helpful! Thank you and I agree! It is tricky finding the balance between overdoing the formalities and seeming self-centered on Twitter.
Zeenat Burse recently posted..Nurturing Your Intuition
I’m going to have to disagree with you on this. Thank you/You’re welcome is a common courtesy! We observe in our daily lives and is also useful is creating connections. Its the beginning of engagement. Definitely doesn’t feel to me like a whole lot of nothing.
Eva Smith recently posted..#Latinoheritage roadtrip to Petrified Forest National Park – Arizona
Please Please PLEASE add an image to your helpful posts so I can pin them!
Kathleen recently posted..Twitter Lead Tuesday #bloggers
Thank you, Kathleen! I just switched over to wp.org and lost some pics in the process. Just re-uploaded the one for this post and plan to make some for the rest of the series too. Thanks so much your interest and for the extra push. Check out the picture for the “thanking crisis” post.
Looks good thanks! It’s funny I left a window open with your blog to check out the rest of the series later and when I went back just now, noticed photos in the series and figured you must have seen my message! Thanks. All will be pinned to http://pinterest.com/blogathon2/social-media-twitter/
I am so glad my critique partner told me to check out your website! I just joined Twitter today and without your tips I would have been lost in the world of Twitter. Each part explains really well how to and how NOT to utilize Twitter. So, thank you for making it a whole lot easier for a total Twitter newbie like me to navigate this new world! I can already understand why people are so addicted to it:-)
[...] The Twitter Thanking Crisis [...]
I’m kind of new at all this, but I’m learning the ropes. I see what you mean by all those auto tweets and just lists of names. But when someone who isn’t a spambot follows me, I still want to thank them and make it personal. It’s about connecting with people. If I just follow back as my thank you, then how have we connected? Then it’s just a number added to my followers/following people.
J. L. Mbewe recently posted..Dropping the Ball
There’s another choice aside from just following back and/or sending a thank you tweet. How about retweeting something that person tweeted, or responding to something that person tweeted. That’s real interaction, which is why we’re all there.
Thanks for stopping by, J.L.!
Hi! hashtags, especially #mywana has really helped to connect with people on twitter. I’ve responded to people’s tweets, that’s the fun part.
And I’ve retweeted a few times, but that still feels a little weird, I’m still learning. I agree all that is part of the of why we are there, but I’ve got to connect with the person, or really believe in what I’m retweeting, and I think that starts with a personal hi and thank you, common courtesy.
in an earlier you comment you said:
@NinaBadzin, thanks for the RT! (That goes to people who follow you AND me).
Thanks for the RT @NinaBadzin. (That goes to your 5000 followers. Yup. In my opinion, 5000 don’t need to see you thank one person or even 5 people. But I’m a crabby patty that way.)
Ack! What is the difference? if the @name is in front, then everyone who follow either of us will see it right? but how is the second one different, if the name is later on the tweet, then it goes to all of the followers??? I’m confused. Maybe I need to read all of your posts about twitter.
Hey there. Yes, there is a big difference between a tweet that starts with @ and one that doesn’t. This isn’t an etiquette “rule” it’s just the actual mechanics of Twitter and it’s important to know the difference.
Start here: http://www.ninabadzin.com/2011/02/14/twitter-kiss-and-tell/
Thanks for the link! I will be reading through it all. I think I’ve got a brain cramp just reading the first post. I’ll take it slow. Thanks!
Twitter makes me cry. I can spend all day tweeting, and I don’t get traffic. I have tweeting, retweeted, replied, referred, and it just seems like I will do nothing but bang my head against the wall. There has got to be an easier way!
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[...] those as @mentions, not regular tweets), and tweets thanking people for following you. See my post, “The Twitter Thanking Crisis” for more on what I consider overkill as well as disingenuo… The 500 people following you do not need to see you thank one [...]
[...] expected that interactions are short and sweet. Likewise, when someone says thank you on Twitter (which I believe happens way more often than necessary for the quick and casual atmosphere of Twitter) it is completely over-the-top to then tweet “you’re welcome.” Being “graceful” [...]