I probably have a bout 50+ Twitter friends request sitting in my inbox right now. There are some people I know that would hate to have to deal with this. I enjoy the interaction.
I click through every singe request and make sure that they’re not just some automated bot or obvious spam. If the person lists a blog in their profile then I click through and check it out.
I also make a point (most of the time) to go back and send a direct message to my new friend (if I’m going to be sharing some of my deepest 140 character thoughts, then we should get to know each other).
I used to add all Twitter friends to my feed reader but I can’t handle more that 500 feeds so I’ve started getting picky with the new feeds I add to my Google Reader account. This weekend I decided I might start using my neglected Bloglines account for all my Twitter friends.
Managing the Noise
In order to not be overwhelmed with Twitter you have to manage it. This is no different than any other form of communication.
I have two tips for managing an active Twitter account. This works for me and may not work for everyone.
Approve Requests in Blocks
I actually do this for all of my accounts. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, FriendFeed, etc. One day a week, usually Monday’s, I sit down and go through all my requests. Sometimes I don’t get through all of them in one sitting but I do my best. I now start with the oldest requests first and work forward.
Filter Relevant Content
Set up SMS and IM notifications only for those friends you really have to/need to be in contact with. I also set up notifications for direct messages and @tacanderson replies.
I am quickly becoming a fan of FriendFeed. FriendFeed allows me to follow not just Twitter but most of my friends online activities and I can comment and reply to Twitter in FriendFeed.
So if you’re one of those many people waiting for me to add you back please be patient, I’m getting there.
Technorati Tags: Twitter, FriendFeed, Tips, Web2.Overload,
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Speaking of Twitter friends, I landed here ’cause of Justin Foster…
That friends request graphic is insane. I’ve got friend notifications turned off. I just add people I find interesting at the moment, and I’m liberal with the “leave” command.
I do a lot of the same tactics for managing the Twitterstorm, and we agree on FriendFeed as a Twitter accessory. The other vital part of my filter strategy is dropping my Twitter friends timeline into my feed reader. Makes it easy to scan and see what I might’ve missed. It’s only occasionally fruitful, though, so scanning is the key word here.
FriendFeed has a RSS feed, too, but it’s rolled up and not as easy to scan.
Bren,
Thanks for swinging by. I’ve heard about other people pulling their Twitter feed into an aggregator. That just seems insane to me. Maybe it’s because I’m too liberal with adding friends and not liberal enough with the leave button. If something is that important it’ll come around again.