I didn’t remember his username so I asked and was told it was @IAmDiddy

I went to the page to see what he had said to piss everybody off and now his updates were protected!

Damn Diddy … why Diddy do that?

Here’s what people were saying …

So anybody know what Diddy Do?

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Necessity is the mother of invention. On My Twitter page the Bio Paragraph is as follows: “Make Your Customers Fall in Love With You … (And Recommend You To All Their Friends!) ASK ME HOW!“ At least a couple of times a day I get a DM that says simply: “How?” So I decided to come up with a way to answer that question without having to type it over and over again.

I decided to put up a blog post that was targeted to my Twitter Network and tells about my business. Then I figured as long as I am at it i might as well put some personal info there as well.

In my profile,  Instead of just linking to my blog as before,  I created a special blog page just for my Twitter friends. I call it My “Twitter Friends” page. Now when people want to find out whether they want to follow me or not they can just click on the page.

You can find my page here:

Twitter Friends Page

Want to do the same? You can use my page for ideas. When you finish please comment here with your URl so we can all get to know about you!

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I joined Twitter on Aug 31st 2008. Within 100 Days I was able to surpass 10,000 followers. (see proof above). I’m not a celebrity, I don’t have a huge email list and I’m not some kind of “marketing guru”. I’m just a regular guy who followed a system. A system that I am willing to share with you … for free.

I know this is a controversial subject. There are many opinions as to who you should follow, how many you should follow, should you follow those that follow you, quantity vs quality etc. To be honest I don’t like the “F Word” (followers). Sounds like some kind of Cult. I prefer to call it my Twitter Network or my Twitter Associates.

Earlier this week I had posted something along the lines of this:

Hey Guys, If I put together a Free E-course on How I was able to get 10,000 Followers in my First 100 Days of Twitter would you subscribe?

I got a TON of people who said they would love to have this information, and 1 or 2 who said they weren’t interested

And then there was this Guy …

@JackBastide how about you do your course & then I will run a course explaining why YOU and people like you DO NOT BELONG ON TWITTER. Deal?

I’m serious … he actually sent me that message!

So anyway … If you are not interested in building a large Twitter Network then you don’t need to read this post. It’s as simple as that. Don’t lecture me on why its morally wrong to build a large network etc. I don’t want to hear it. We are all free to use Twitter as we see fit. Don’t judge me and I won’t judge you .. Deal? (smile)

That being said, the information I am going to share with you should be used for good and not for evil. Please do not use this information to build a large list of followers and then start spamming them with junk … use it to bring value!

Building a large Twitter network can be very powerful … if you do it right. I have made some great connections on Twitter. I have met many new friends and business associates. My circle of influence has increase and my life has been enriched … because of Twitter!.

I could have charged for this information. I decided to make it free. All I ask is if you find it useful please share it with your friends! So click on this link (or the link below) and I will share this information with you. It will be delivered by email auto-responder so make sure you put your correct email address. You can unsubscribe at anytime.

Please “Tweet This” (Below)

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Alternate Title: How to be Anti-Social on Social media

Ok so I just had an interesting thing happen to me.

I found a pretty good article about different Twitter tools that people could use and wanted to put it on Tweeter blog. I didn’t know the author so I figured i would give her the courtesy of letting her know I was going to use her article .

I like to do things like this in Direct message but this person wasn’t following me so I sent her a polite message:

@SnottyBeotch Hi There … can you follow me please ,, I want to ask you a question In DM

to which she replied

@SnottyBeotch @JackBastide – I don’t follow people just because they ask me to. Use the contact form on my website like everybody else, thanks

==============================

(um hello …. I politely ask you to follow me so I can DM you and you give me a response like that?. You have no idea of what I wanted

1 – I could have been telling you you won the lottery

2 – I could have been wanting to buy your goods and services

3 – I could have been a long lost relative trying to connect

And I was going to put your article on my blog as a Twitter Expert? … umm I don’t think so)

==============================

so I replied :

@SnottyBeotch umm no thanks I don’t like Contact forms on web sites. I was going to ask you if I could use your article on my blog

@SnottyBeotch But with an attitude like that I just changed my mind AND Unfollowed you as well .. Obviously you are NOT a Savvy Twitter user

to which she replied

@SnottyBeotch @JackBastide – yeah look I’m devastated

Ok, the person’s name is not really @SnottyBeotch. I’m not going to out her here because that would be mean-spirited. But SnottyBeotch, we could have made beautiful music together. We could have done JV’s together. I could have been a major connection for you …

Alas … now none of that will happen . Because you’re a Snotty Beotch

Moral of the Story: If somebody politely asks you to follow them so they can DM you … just do it!. It’s not that big of a deal. You can always delete em later!

So I guess my question is this : Why would anybody purposely be Anti-Social on a Social media?

Thoughts?

Jack Bastide

If you DIG this post please DIGG it!

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1 – First, I look at the avatar or photo of the Tweeter. I want to get an idea of who I am interacting with. No photo, no follow. I prefer to see a photo of the real person–not their dog, their logo, kids, or a caricature.

2 – Second, I read the Tweeter’s bio. If the bio is interesting and complete, I am much more likely to follow that person than if there is only a URL or a few words that don’t really tell me what the person does or enjoys. Since Twitter has shut down their “search by category” feature, the bio is a quick way to see if I share common interests, business goals, location, or area of expertise with the potential Tweeter. Even if the person is my competitor, I hope to learn something from them.

3 – Next, I read through the person’s recent Tweets to find out what type of information her or she is offering. Big turn offs: 90 percent of the messages are in reply to someone else and I have no idea what they are talking about. While I appreciate the interaction, I feel like I’m intruding on a private conversation if there are no other types of exchange. Big plus: links to helpful tips, articles, and even products to check out. I want interesting content, not just a URL with no explanation as to what I might find by clicking.

4 – Then, I look at the number of updates and the date of the last Tweet. If the person is not active on Twitter, there’s no point in following him or her. If someone Tweets fifty times a day about nothing more than their hairdo or what they’re eating, I’m probably not interested.

5 – I use Twitter.grader.com. This service evaluates using criteria similar to what I use to decide whether or not I want to follow someone. If I am leaning toward clicking the follow button but I’m still not sure, I will actually go to the trouble of checking a person’s grade on Twitter. If the Tweeter has a high grade, I will probably consider following him or her. If Grader doesn’t rank a person high, I’ll probably pass–not permanently–I may come back later to see if the score improves. It could be that the Tweeter is new to Twitter and doesn’t have much history for Grader to use in giving a score.

6 – Lastly, I check the ratio of followers to following. If a person’s Tweets are interesting and helpful, people will follow in return. If someone is following 1,000 people and only 65 are following them, I suspect the person is either a spammer, a newbie, or boring.

So, if you are following me and I’m not following you in return, check the above points and make a few simple changes. Not only am I likely to follow you, so are others!

Yvonne Perry is a freelance writer and the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services (WITS). She and her team of ghostwriters are ready to assist you with writing and editing for books, Web text, business documents, resumes, bios, articles, and media releases.

For more information about writing, networking, publishing, and book promotion, or to sign up for free email delivery of WITS newsletter, please visit http://www.writersinthesky.com New subscribers receive a free eBook Tips for Freelance Writing.

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The strategy of who and how many to follow has been debated over and over again on this blog but I came across a post on another blog that has an interesting perspective .

The author believes that Twitter is a “Pyramid Scheme” and that only those who joined early will be able to build a large following on Twitter. He also believes that there is “diminishing returns” on Twitter and that as Twitter gets more users it will become less useful.

Anyway, I totally disagree and I told him so. Rather than try to explain what he is saying Heres is a link to the post in question:

http://tangerinetoad.blogspot.com/2008/12/great-twitter-ponzi-scheme.html

Here is how I responded on his blog …

With all due respect … this post is full of Crap

Hows that for an Entrance? (smile)

seriously though anybody who says having a lot of followers on Twitter doesn’t matter … … doesn’t have a lot of followers on Twitter

its like saying size doesn’t matter ,, its all how you use it

Also this Pyramid thing is false as well

its like saying Amway won’t work because in short time the whole population of the earth will have been recruited

Amway’s been around for like 45 years and is not going away anytime soon

I have been on Twitter for about 3 months and have about 6500 or so Followers. My goal is to have 10K by the end of the year

there is an Old Adage in Business

“People will do business with those they Know, Like, and Trust”

Twitter allows you to reach a lot of people and if used properly they will
Know, Like and Trust you

Its great for branding yourself and Networking

and YES driving traffic

I have a Brand New Twitter Blog that is less than a month old. I have already gotten several thousand unique visitors.

All of that traffic is coming from Twitter

the url is http://www.TweeterBlog.com

I rarely pimp products on Twitter but i did read a Good Little SEO book recently so I signed up as an affiliate. I tweeted about it (along with my affiliate link) and sold 15 copies in about 10 minutes

I have met several people from Twitter in person …

I have developed great relationships with lots of people

I have gotten complex questions answered in in seconds

I have done business with several people I met on twitter

I have developed several Joint Ventures on Twitter

I guess I’m just a Sucker ( For Twitter)

Jack Bastide
http://Twitter.com/JackBastide

he came back and said:

@Jack How nice of you to stop by and add your voice here, in what seems to be an unlikely venue for your wares.

Your thesis unfortunately relies on a number of false assumptions, all of which stem from the (not uncommon) error of universalizing your own unique experience.

Now I don’t doubt that gathering thousands of Twitter followers seems to have worked for you, but:

• Very few people are on Twitter to promote businesses like yours that rely on a massive volume of web traffic. That’s your business model, but it’s far from a universal one.

• Most people are not on Twitter to promote anything at all. As I’ve noted, it functions as an asynchronous IM device for many people and would prove seriously boring if it were just a business tool.

• It’s possible to have all of the experiences you list under “I have…” with as few as 15 followers. Again, quality is more important than quantity.

• Many of the people posting here in agreement do in fact have large numbers of followers– Laura “Pistachio” Fitton being a prime example. But as Purple Car notes, those lists have grown organically, rather than via begging and shilling. That’s a very important distinction.

• While it does rely on a pyramid structure of sorts, Amway’s business model is not a Ponzi scheme. Amway relies on the fact that there is, in fact, a fairly unlimited market for soap products. Contrast this with the extremely limited market for social media experts.

But again, thanks for commenting. Dissenting opinions are always welcome.

to which I replied:

Hey Alan,

Thanks for the nice welcome

Couple of questions

First of all what are these “wares” of mine?

I mentioned the thing about The Seo book merely to show what kind of “reach” you can get with Twitter.

As of writing this I have 6,247 Updates

At least 95% of those are @Replies where I chat with other users

I have dropped an affiliate link maybe 2 or 3 times? if that

I have linked to my TweeterBlog.com several times where we discuss Twitter Related Issues

You said the Following:

===
Very few people are on Twitter to promote businesses like yours that rely on a massive volume of web traffic. That’s your business model, but it’s far from a universal one.
===

Actually thats not true. My biz is about developing a few quality relationships. don’t need lots of massive traffic for that … although it couldn’t hurt

You said:

====
While it does rely on a pyramid structure of sorts, Amway’s business model is not a Ponzi scheme. Amway relies on the fact that there is, in fact, a fairly unlimited market for soap products. Contrast this with the extremely limited market for social media experts.
====

I don’t consider myself a “Social Media Expert” and don’t know that there is a “market” for that at all?

I’m in the people business and Twitter is great for that.

I just posted something about THIS post on my blog and maybe this is a good way to show the power of Twitter. as of 12:50 Pm EST there are no comments there because I just posted it. I’m going to Tweet about it and if you come back in a couple of hours you should see a bunch of comments

couldn’t do that with 15 followers …

here’s my post

http://www.tweeterblog.com/twitter-etiquette/is…

Tal;k to you soon

Nice meeting you

Jack Bastide

so what do you think? Do you agree with this guy? Disagree?

Jack Bastide

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And so it went on for many years and these Gurus got rich off the backs of everybody else selling you their crap with their launches and hype and B.S.

Well now its the world of Web 2.0 and the web is being taken back by the people! My favorite Web 2.0 site is Twitter .. hands down. But now these old school Gurus are trying to turn Twitter into their own personal playground to rob and plunder again. They are only here to sell you stuff.

Let me explain …

Above you will see my list of followers and who I am following. I follow everybody that follows me and then some. I’m not kidding. Go follow me on Twitter and within 24 hours I’ll follow you back. You see for me Twitter is a two way street. I’m here to Network and meet people.

Now compare this to you typical Guru Page. The majority of them follow under 100 people yet may have thousands following them.

For example:

Guru #1 Guru #2

I won’t tell you who these guys are because I don’t want to embarrass them. If you look at the pitiful small list of people who they are following it’s just their Guru cronies. So basically what they are saying is this:

“Follow me so I can talk at you and sell you stuff but I won’t follow you cause I don’t give a cr*p what you have to say!”

But wait it gets worse. Look At This Dude!

Mr “I Don’t Follow Anybody”

This Guy follows NOBODY. WTF is that all about? Why are you on Twitter if you don’t want to connect with anybody? Twitter is not your personal email list! And who the heck are these 9,002 people that are following somebody who doesn’t give a Cr*p about them?

Oh and another thing …

If you look at my Twitter page you will notice something. Out of the 20 updates on each page at least 19 are @replies. I spend the majority of my time on Twitter interacting with people. When I went to Mr “I follow nobody’s” page I scrolled back 5 pages and saw only One @reply!

Heres the @reply:

Mr “I Don’t Follow Anybody” said :

“pls follow me so I can direct message u. have tried your product for wks but takes hours to sync and eats all my memory! help!”

to which the other person replied:

“Following. it sounds like you have a corrupt sync database. we’ll follow up in email.”

and then later the other person said:

“Were you able to try the fix that Byron suggested? If sos, did it work? (Pls follow me to receive this in DM)”

(Yeah OK good luck with getting Mr “I Don’t Follow Anybody” to follow you back!)

So thats the end of my rant. I have a strict Mutual follow policy. I will follow anybody that follows me. It’s the right thing to do. I will make every effort to reply to anybody that needs a reply

By the same token I will NOT follow anybody that doesn’t follow me. I don’t care if its the Pope or the Queen of England

Ok Hold The Presses …

We have a some dissenting opinion here:

Scott Allen of http://thevirtualhandshake.com/ brings up an interesting point:

He commented on my blog and then we argued discussed it a bit on Twitter .

Heres what Scott say’s:

So What About You?.

Do You Follow People That Don’t Respond To You and Don’t Follow You Back?

Jack

P.S. If you want to meet a celebrity who is real cool and interacts with fellow Tweeters I recommend that you follow @McHammer ( Just tell him Jack Bastide sent ya)

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