So, I’ve been twittering for a while, not sure exactly how long, but about 9 months to a year I guess.  Over that time, I have spent a lot of time on twitter for periods and spent almost no time there during others. And finally, I am starting to feel like I am more connected to some folks on there.  Recently I started using twollow to auto follow people.  And I have begun to think about a blog post specifically about what I have learned though my experiences with it.  But seemed to me that before I go there, it might be useful to say a bit about why I follow people.

In the beginning, I looked at these folks who have hundreds following them and they are only following a few people and I thought that was the way to be!  That would mean you were successful on here, but I have changed my mind about that.  That may mean that you are more likely to get your ideas out there- but it may not too.  Now, I think the ratio of how many people you follow and your followers is unimportant.  Sure I would like to see the number of followers go up, b ut if a way for it to go up is to follow more people, then that is fine.

In the beginning, I followed people because they said something or posted a link that caught my attention- it was something I wanted to know more about. This was mostly in the arena of social networking, but other subjects too.  Now, my approach is fairly different.  I still do that- read tweets for interesting links and stuff and let that direct me to people who I want to follow, but I’m more inclined to read and follow pewople who have blogs or web sites, and subscribe to their blogs via Google Reader than simply follow them on twitter.  I guess I was using twitter as a feed aggregator, and now I’m using it to help me find feed, but I agregate them in Google Reader.

I still watch for social network stuff, but I’m more inclined to be on the lookout for broader categoriesof my interests.  Like creativity/art; like GLBT or queer stuff; like religeon/ritual stuff.  That last category probably deserves more of an explaination.  I write a blog and produce a podcast called A Queer Look at the Bible. So, now, I’m looking more for folks that are or might be like-minded.  Folks who may get value out of what I say in addition to folks who might say stuff that I would value.

And now, I’m doing more to have direct conversations- more @ posts, and more DM’s.

Last thing I think I’ll say in this post is that sometimes I follow people for no god “understood” reason.  There is something about what they say or how they say it, that catches me.  It may be something I have littl einterestr in, like sports.  But there is still something there.  So, I’ll follow them and pay attention- figure I’ll get something I need, I’ll learn something, or develop a freiend of some sort.