This post started with a direct message on Twitter from a professional organizer (who shall remain nameless) that told me that she felt everyone that shared quotes on Twitter was “cluttering up the place.” She went on to say she was unfollowing me unless I stopped putting quotes in my status. Hmmm. . . that got me curious. I love inspirational quotes and have been collecting them since grade school. I wondered what other people thought, so I asked:
Here is what some of my tweeps shared back:
EmiRossiter @StephCalahan Actually I've noticed this myself. I love quotes, but there are a few people who overdo it. It's a matter of moderation. One person I know averages about 1 per hour. meant to be inspirational I'm sure but it reduces the impact of the quotes.
B104Buck @StephCalahan Tell your “Colleague” to mid their own business…and you can QUOTE me on that! HA!
JaniceSimon @StephCalahan No, I don't. I like the quotes from people.
TheGlowSystem @StephCalahan It's probably more of an issue of balance. Everything in moderation! But posting quotes has a good, motivational place here 🙂
getorganised @StephCalahan not if they are productivity related and people can take actionable items from them. that's the question: is it actionable?
OrderUpOrg @StephCalahan I personally like quotes. It's all the RTs and hashtags that are clutter-y to me! 🙂
RickLawson1 @StephCalahan Quotes often provide value to the reader. Thy inspire, encourage and provide insight about u. Keep em coming!
I have found that a number of people connect to one of the quotes I share and it helps us begin a conversation. I have met some fantastic people through connections that start in this way, so I will continue to share my quotes because they work for my goals.
So, then I asked
RickLawson1 @StephCalahan Nothing clutters because the followers determine value. Not valued…unfollowed. It's voluntary.
JaniceSimon What clutters up Twitter — convos between people who should either DM, email or talk on phone & those who repeat post several x's per day.
SLHC Says: I used to be irritated by duplicate posts from people, but I've now accepted it as a part of the culture. I do post the same thing more than once in a day because I have found that my over 7000+ followers are from all over the world and they look at their social networking sites at different times. By posting the same thing more than once, there are better odds of my folks seeing what I have shared.
Buffy Perry Ater I think what clutters up FB is all the ” going to the store now, gotta pick up something for supper” “gonna clean house today” isn't this twitter material ? Not FB.. We really don't need to read everyone's minute by minute plans for the day… that's my opinion.
SLHC Says: I'm with you Buffy! I don't share my location (in fact I think it is a security hazard letting people know when I am and am not in the office) but I have some colleagues that have very successfully connected with others by doing this type of posting. One of my colleagues here in town consistently posts where she is headed and often gets contacted to connect because someone has read her status and is in the same location. She has even made sales using this technique.
Dawn Pickworth Meads I really don't feel like mine is cluttered but if I had to pick something I guess it would be all the farmville stuff that is sent to me…I don't play why are they sending it to me?
Sherri Hoesel Papich All the games and nonsense “gifts” everyone sends to each other.
SLHC Says: Dawn & Sherri, I don't care for the games either. Again, however, I know of a few people that have made some awesome friends by connecting through planting and mafia wars. Not for me, but it works for others. That is why it is great that Facebook gives you the ability to hide the stuff you are not interested in.
busybeeorganize @StephCalahan I think too many people follow blindly for the sake of having more followers – quantity over quality.
SLHC Says: This is the big debate on many levels isn't it? I follow almost everyone that follows me on Twitter and I will accept most friend requests on Facebook. That being said, I don't go out and randomly connect with people just to increase my numbers. There are many different arguments for numbers or quality. Check out http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com for various articles on the pros and cons.
LifeCellar @StephCalahan Spammers! I see them all the time sending me links to “relevant” topics. Sigh. And it's only going to get worse!
SLHC Says: The difficult thing about this one is that if you are connected with someone they can reasonably believe you are interested in what they are doing. I have seen, however, more spam from people I am not connected with coming up in my view. For now, we just ignore/delete and move on.
Conclusion? There is not a “right” or a “wrong” way to use these sites. You have to find the equation that works for you. Ask your audience what they like and don't like and modify your usage to accommodate your needs and the needs of your readers/connections/followers/friends.
Your Turn!
I've shared some of my thoughts, what do you think? Share your comment in the comments section below. (If you are reading this in email, click on the title to be taken to the blog and share your comments there!)
Do you have Facebook or Twitter friends that would benefit from knowing this info? Share it by clicking on one of the buttons below!
To your success!
Leave a Reply