While I joined Twitter on May 17, 2008, I did not start actively using it until June/July 2008. Like most, when I first got on Twitter, I wasn’t sure how it all worked, how to find people to follow and what the ‘twittiquette’ (Twitter + etiquette) was on following. So I just started following some people and quickly realized that some of them tweeted things of a common interest, others – not so much.

While we use the term ‘followers’ and ‘following’; these are really people. Twitter is about connecting with people. So don’t forget these are people, and just like we do not agree with everyone offline, so too we will not agree with everyone online. I would rather have fewer good friends or contacts, then a plethora of casual acquaintances: even on Twitter.

So too, Twitter isn’t about how many Twitter followers you have: this isn’t a contest! While some will argue that those who follow you are potential customers/clients and a more targeted audience; Twitter is first and foremost about networking with people – not just self-promotion. So if you get hung up on the number of Twitter followers you have, how will you feel when they UNfollow you? Believe me, followers will come and go. Don’t take it personally. Other than blocking someone from following you, you are not in control of who chooses to follow you.

Therefore, I adopted the ‘Quality over Quantity’ follow philosophy. I do not automatically follow everyone who follows me. I prefer tweets that I value as quality. In order to maintain a level of quality over what was coming across my tweetstream, I needed to establish criteria of whom I would follow.

Defining ‘Quality’: There are certain things I don’t care to read about in my tweetstream; and that’s when I realized that I needed to establish some follow criteria that I would use before I chose to follow anyone. These criteria merely help me to establish if I have anything in common with someone, before I actually follow them. So now I check three things before I follow anyone on Twitter.

Three key check points before following on Twitter:

1. Twitter bio: This is key in learning more about someone. The Twitter bio is searchable and is one great way to find others with similar interests; yet many do not provide any real useful information in their bio, or worse – no bio at all. I believe it’s best to use keyword-type phrases to describe yourself and your interests. Here’s my Twitter bio, as an example: Christian, homeschooling mom of 6, grandmother, parenting coach & mentor, internet marketing, SEO, 30DC, web designer, WordPress, dogs, coffee. This bio sums up me and my interests. You will find that my tweets will be mainly about the things listed in my bio. Some days I may tweet more about one than another, but generally it will revolve around these key areas. With only 160 characters available in the bio space, make that space count!
   
2. Recent Tweets: What are they tweeting about – is it all self-promotion, or are they engaging in conversation with their followers. If all I see is self-promotion, that is too spammy for me. I also don’t care for foul language and someone who is negative. Negativity is contagious. I avoid it.
3. Web site link: If they have a web site linked in their profile, then I check out their web site to see what they’re all about. Again, to see if we have any common interests.

If I can find some common interests, then I will follow someone.

How I Find Folks to Follow
There are many ways to find people on Twitter, but here’s the three key methods I use in finding new folks to follow:

1. Twitter Search: Go to http://search.twitter.com/advanced and enter in keywords that are of interest to you, location, a certain #hashtag or any of the other fields they offer for the advanced search. It will give you a list that meet your criteria. I strongly suggest you then utilize the three key check points listed above before you choose to follow.
2. Friend Follow: do you have someone you are following that constantly provides quality tweets? If so, then chances are you will find many others where you share common interests via that person’s followers. Then go http://friendorfollow.com/ and enter in their (not yours) Twitter username and it will reveal three tabs: ‘People who don’t follow me back’, ‘People I don’t follow back’ and ‘Mutual Follow’. Click ‘Mutual Follow’ and then go through that list and click avatars to go to those Twitter pages, follow the three key check points listed above and see if they are a good match to follow. I choose mutual follow, because if the person I’m following has also chosen to follow them, chances are it’s a win-win all around. Spam Watch: To avoid appearing spammy to Twitter, I would not choose to follow more than 50 or so people at one time using this method. There is a 2,000 limit at this point on how many people you can follow – so remember it’s quality over quantity.
3. Forums/Email Lists/Web Sites: I am member on a few different forums and email groups, and now most members are including their Twitter info in either their signature, or profile pages. Same is true for blogs or web sites that I visit, most people have follow me icons on their sites. If I happen on someone, and I like what they have to say on a forum, email group or their web site; then I will follow them on Twitter.

This is my following philosophy for Twitter and how I find new people to add to my tweetstream conversations.

What makes you decide to follow someone on Twitter? Post your comments below. Oh, and if you’d like, follow me on Twitter: @TraciKnoppe