You Got Followed, Should You Follow Back?

Although following another person in exchange for him or her following you on Twitter is a great way to grow your network, the approach is not always advantageous. When someone follows you on Twitter, there should be greater reasons for them to do so and not simply to expect you to follow them back. Some online users are not actually worth following. You need to get some more details to determine if the individual will be helpful in your Twitter objectives in the future. Otherwise, you'll have a timeline full of nonsense that will just drown out whatever is actually relevant on your feed. Here are some tips and guidelines in handling followers and follow-backs.

Choosing the People to Follow

1. Determine their value to you.

Worthiness is gauged by the type and relevance of information that you can acquire from the person you?d like to follow. The first sign is an active Twitter account. The person should frequently post information and stay updated with the latest trends and issues. Second, the person should be adept in various Twitter apps and features. Third, the individual should also incorporate other means available to provide and share information such as the use of hashtags and retweets. These key Twitter users understand the value of good content and will be a helpful source of info in the future. Actor Wil Wheaton (@wilw) has a lot of followers not only because he's a celebrity but also because his tweets are informative and interesting. See how many retweets and favorites his posts get! (Of course, if the person's your close friend and you would like to know whatever tweet that comes out of his or her account, then by all means, follow back.)

2. Check actual followers.

You will notice how the most popular individuals on Twitter always maintain a huge positive follower to following ratio. This means that they have more followers compared to the people they are actually following. These special Twitter users get followers not by promising to follow back but by providing quality content and frequent updates that people are actually interested in. Social media users actually benefit more because of the information that the key user provides and not merely to add another follower to their list. Check out author and tech expert Guy Kawasaki's (@GuyKawasaki) follower and following numbers as of this writing.

3. Relevance.

The person you follow should be relevant to your industry or online objectives. This can be more helpful to online companies and individuals who belong to a certain field or business. You should follow someone who can provide you with useful information?that will improve your knowledge and performance in the business. The user should use different types of media and upload content and links that will be good for your continuous growth.

The Drawbacks of Following Back Immediately

If you simply follow back any person who follows you on Twitter, you run the risk of having several inactive online users. Many beginners actually follow friends and family on Twitter with the hope of being followed back to jumpstart their list of followers. After some time, these individuals may stop using Twitter altogether or fail to engage in the various available tools and activities online. You may not be getting anything back aside from an extra count in your follower list. The relevance of the follower?is more important than quantity. The idea is to be a relevant social media user on Twitter so that people have more reasons to follow. Establish your reputation online by participating in social media events and activities as well as regularly post useful information. People will follow you without expecting to be followed back.