I think people shouldn't use "topline stats" like # Twitter followers. You should be tracking the value that Twitter drives to your product (preferably dollars

I think people shouldn't use "topline stats" like # Twitter followers. You should be tracking the value that Twitter drives to your product (preferably dollars-in-hand) and optimize that -- whether that means getting more followers, getting more followers of a certain type, getting more people to retweet your stuff, or whatever. The same goes for the other "top line" metrics like that: pageviews, uniques, # friends, # fans, whatever. "# friends"-type metrics are particularly bad because they're virtually monotonic. Just my thoughts -- your product might not be designed for my needs.