Twitter Intimidation Explained

If you are new on Twitter, I hope this article sheds some light on the relationship building aspect of social media.

When I first started on Twitter, I remember being intimidated by people with a lot of followers. I would follow their tweets but I would never introduce myself, thinking that those people would not have time to say hello to me. I would just quietly learn from them but not interact.

Now that I have 20,000 followers (which I’m very humbled and grateful for), I just want you to know how silly that way of thinking is. The way I see it, Twitter is the great equalizer. We all start at the same level. We all build our reputation one tweet at a time. We all build our following at our own pace.

When I began to engage with people on Twitter, I would send them a tweet and then sit at my computer in anticipation of a reply. If they didn’t reply, I would feel intimidated and sad. I would wonder why they didn’t reply. I would wonder what was wrong with me.

Yeah, I know, I needed to get a grip. I hope that if you’ve ever felt this way, I can help you release those feelings. There is never any reason to feel intimidated or nervous about tweeting anyone. Nobody can make you feel inferior unless you let them, right? Remember that. Just because someone has a lot of followers does not mean they are “better” than you or “above” you.

Like in real life, some people on Twitter are a little social, some are overly social (like me) and some are not social at all, but it is not because of YOU. Unless you’ve done something to ruin your reputation on Twitter (see http://bit.ly/6Y1zDi), do not internalize it when someone does not interact with you.

There are many people that like to keep their tweets pertaining to business, others only interact one-on-one through direct message, others only reply to their mentions once a week. Everyone has their own style. We are all unique.

This is a tweet I received yesterday from someone that is brand new on Twitter:

I receive tweets like this weekly. It saddens me. Let this be a reminder that Twitter is truly about engaging with others. Please remember that as you go about your day. Continue to tweet whoever you want, without being sad if they don’t respond. Continue to spread joy, pass on valuable information and be happy – after all, that is what it is all about, self-expression.