Comments on: Twitter Users Missing the Point with Automated Follow Responses

By: imansubarkah

imansubarkah — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:45:59 +0000

thank's for sharing info,..!
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By: Joan Ellen

Joan Ellen — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:23:31 +0000

Am a recent twitterer who has been sending 'canned' welcomes. Your comments are so welcome. We definitely need a personal approach to twittering so as to avoid treating each other as objects rather than as people with souls.

I'm aware that my followers come into my life for a reason, & am more aware now because of your excellent postings, how important it is for me to say a prayer for followers, as I would for people in my life otherwise.

Anyone of us who has left our name & email address on a perfectly inanimate form, has done so as a thinking/feeling soul. Am thinking that if we use a generic message (an inanimate welcome) & have a plan for PERSONALIZED FOLLOW UPS, that maybe then we could then justify the use of the inanimate welcome.

Would this be more civil & charitable, & in keeping with the intent of Twitter? Could this be a reasonable approach as we conduct business on Twitter? Thanks.

By: joemachuta

joemachuta — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:18:39 +0000

This is something that I have thougt about a lot, in fact, every time my outlook inbox get's me another direct message. Actually, I have gotten few personal notes from someone I followed, maybe 3 out of 3 – 10 new messages per day.

By: Reilus

Reilus — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:27:40 +0000

Oddly enough, today I was having a conversation with a friend about this very same thing. I think if you really examine the dynamics of social interaction, you will see that Twitter actually got it right. Most of what passes for social interaction today is a series of canned responses.

By: Angela Connor

Angela Connor — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:03:15 +0000

Those canned responses take the “social” right out of “social media.”
I am not a fan and I agree with you that they are certainly missing the point. I just received one the other day that said something like: “I look forward to changing the world together.” At first I thought it was sincere but then I wasn’t quite sure how this person checked me out and was able to determine that I would somehow become a partner on a quest to change the world. At any rate, I think you get out of any platform what you put it. Put in canned responses and content, you will get the same thing in return.

By: Global Patriot

Global Patriot — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:29:24 +0000

I send an individual thank you DM to every follow, and I do my best to put in a personal note based what I found in their twitter bio – it might be a reference to where they are from or their profession, or passions, as I want them to know that I took the time to find out a bit of who they are.

In most cases I also check out their blog/website, and if listed, their LinkedIn, Facebook or StumbleUpon accounts. It’s common that I discover something about them that is of great interest to me and will help to foster future conversations.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:07:56 +0000

Jay, I actually prefer your point of view, but have seen others do a “mass welcome tweet” which I suppose is better than a spammy auto-DM but not a good as what you are suggesting.

Interesting that both Joshua and Robyn used party analogies, but I suppose that’s a good way to think about it.

Great comments everyone – thanks for sharing.

By: Robyn

Robyn — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:54:01 +0000

When someone comes to a party at my house, I don’t keep talking to other people and let a robot at the door welcome them. To me, that’s what automated welcomes are like. Impersonal and impolite; a clear indication that you don’t value ME as someone with whom to exchange ideas so much as just a warm body to add to your twitter stats and as a selling opportunity.

Each person brings their own agenda to social media. Mine is to learn from others and to contribute positively to the conversation. If I’m not learning from someone and my replies and DMs are always ignored, then I unfollow. And I generally DM those I unfollow to tell them why.

By: Leanne Boyd

Leanne Boyd — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:35:22 +0000

I was so glad to see your Twitter message, and come here to read the rest. I am fairly new to Twitter, and have been overwhelmed with what a positive force it is, for finding like-minded people and actually getting involved. I’ve received a large share of the tin-can messages, and now I have turned that off for coming to my email. I zip through them on Twitter, and have found some personally written DMs that were important. The rest is just like all the other spam. What I don’t understand about those using this method… don’t they realize that this is an instant negative in my/your mind (the receiver)? That it will affect their future communications with me/you?

In teaching at online university, one of the first things you take up, with a class, are the rules of Netiquette. The written word is quite different from fact-to-face spoken words. It is much easier to alienate and offend, just in slight misuse of simple wordings. The LAST thing people want to see in any inbox, is spam. It is an offense in the Twitter world, which, by nature of the very model, is intended to be personal interaction… even if that interaction is based on a hunt for business information.

I delete these types of DM. Several individuals, upon taking a deeper look into their web site or their postings… I remove them.

I have taken a lot of time to write personal posts after pondering a person’s site or blog. Yes, this is social interaction. Nobody should be treating their posts like an attempt at “killer sales page.” If you have something to offer, post it, INVITE me. Don’t DM me and shove it at me.

I love the TwitWorld!

By: BloggerSavvy

BloggerSavvy — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:32:35 +0000

I’ve been using an automated feature. Quite frankly I’m now considering turning it off. It helps to get bumped into seeing things from the receivers perspective.