Yes, the title of this article is tripping with sarcasm, but I’ll stop there.
Here's why. Author David Foster Wallace wrote this about sarcasm:
Even gifted ironists work best in sound bites. I find them sort of wickedly fun to listen to at parties, but I always walk away feeling like I've had several radical surgical procedures. And as for actually driving cross-country with a gifted ironist, or sitting through a 300-page novel full of nothing but trendy sardonic exhaustion, one ends up feeling not only empty but somehow ... oppressed.
I don't want to oppress you, so I'll get straight to the point. Sometimes having more Twitter followers, or email subscribers, or Facebook fans is a great goal—especially email subscribers; you own that space …show more content…
Let's focus on Twitter. Here are some of the reasons you or your brand may be using Twitter:
Direct sales
Website traffic
Brand awareness
Nurturing leads
Building your own …show more content…
Just don't trade more disinterested followers for fewer interested followers.
I'll give you an example using my Twitter account. Back in the early days of Twitter, developer Chris Ennis created a website that tracked the most influential Twitter users in Nashville, my home town. Every morning, I would check the website and see how close I was to overtaking the next Twitter user. Maybe I could overtake Michael Hyatt's 285 followers in a week or two. I think it's safe to say Michael Hyatt won that race.
Think Before You Chase Twitter Glory
Because I was focused on gaining more followers, I looked for the easiest path to that end. I shared as much Nashville news as I could and tried to break stories before local news. This strategy worked at gaining more follower from Nashville, but this didn't align with my longterm goal of being known as a writer. I was becoming known as a guy that was really passionate about Nashville. That's true, but not what I ultimately want to be known
Here's why. Author David Foster Wallace wrote this about sarcasm:
Even gifted ironists work best in sound bites. I find them sort of wickedly fun to listen to at parties, but I always walk away feeling like I've had several radical surgical procedures. And as for actually driving cross-country with a gifted ironist, or sitting through a 300-page novel full of nothing but trendy sardonic exhaustion, one ends up feeling not only empty but somehow ... oppressed.
I don't want to oppress you, so I'll get straight to the point. Sometimes having more Twitter followers, or email subscribers, or Facebook fans is a great goal—especially email subscribers; you own that space …show more content…
Let's focus on Twitter. Here are some of the reasons you or your brand may be using Twitter:
Direct sales
Website traffic
Brand awareness
Nurturing leads
Building your own …show more content…
Just don't trade more disinterested followers for fewer interested followers.
I'll give you an example using my Twitter account. Back in the early days of Twitter, developer Chris Ennis created a website that tracked the most influential Twitter users in Nashville, my home town. Every morning, I would check the website and see how close I was to overtaking the next Twitter user. Maybe I could overtake Michael Hyatt's 285 followers in a week or two. I think it's safe to say Michael Hyatt won that race.
Think Before You Chase Twitter Glory
Because I was focused on gaining more followers, I looked for the easiest path to that end. I shared as much Nashville news as I could and tried to break stories before local news. This strategy worked at gaining more follower from Nashville, but this didn't align with my longterm goal of being known as a writer. I was becoming known as a guy that was really passionate about Nashville. That's true, but not what I ultimately want to be known