Following So Others Will Follow You Is a Crappy Idea

Here’s what I don’t get about Twitter:

Why is it not reasonable for me to assume that the people who are following me are actually interested in the content I produce?

I tell people exactly who I am and what I do in my bio. There’s even a handy link to my blog that they can check out before they decide to follow me.

And yet, I get the strong impression that 99 percent of the people on Twitter don’t really pay attention to any of that crap. They just sort of blindly dash from one profile to the next, adding people like mad, in hopes of increasing their own followings.

Because, after all, they believe anyway, the larger their followings, the more influence they’ll have, the more pageviews they’ll grab, the more money they’ll make.

That might be true if your name is Guy Kawasaki.

But for most of us on Twitter, that’s not our name. Still, we’re all on there for our own reasons. And almost everybody on Twitter wants more exposure in some way.

But I don’t really like the notion that the way to get more followers is to follow more people. Before you start in on me, let me just say that when I first got on Twitter, I also made this mistake.

It’s a natural mistake to make. It almost seems logical in an odd sort of way.

But I believe there is a better way. It’s called being useful. And creative, friendly and funny.

If you are just you, and your ideas are good, your followers will find you. They might never reach the 1 million mark.

But who cares? I think there will be enough people who are actually interested in who you are and what you do to make it worth your time and effort.

But, really, who am I to say? I’m still trying to strike the right balance myself. I believe I can and will. It’s just going to take some time.

As it will with you, too, I’m sure. So, don’t just rush out there and follow all the fools you can find.

Sit on a rock. Relax. Breathe in some fresh mountain air. Find your focus. And your followers will find you.