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I'm sorry you cannot understand this very real issue -- maybe it's because you're biased? People follow Dan Bernstein because he already has a large following i

by ztratar 13y ago

I'm sorry you cannot understand this very real issue -- maybe it's because you're biased? People follow Dan Bernstein because he already has a large following in a well recognized field, and even so, 37% of his followers are inactive and 8% are fake [source: statuspeople.com] Dan Bernstein is by no means the average user. He is also not the type of people Twitter has to retain in order for Twitter to grow into its full potential. You're talking about gaining followers assuming you are already using Twitter. That's not what this is about. This is about helping newcomers who don't have followers. The average user is NOT retained on Twitter. They leave. The numbers don't lie.

tptacek 13y ago
It's full potential for what? I disagree that this is a real issue. I think it's a fake issue, a way of riling people up about a perceived injustice that is totally artificial. You seem to be arguing that the "average Twitter user" is entitled to followers. Why on earth would that be? The average person doesn't in fact have a lot to say publicly.
- ISeemToBeAVerb 13y ago
  I think what he's getting at is the initial difficulty inherent in the process of building a reputation for your personal brand or business when you don't have any preexisting reputation to leverage. There's a tough issue of gaining the momentum to make Twitter a viable marketing channel. When you're just getting started it's difficult to know who to target and where to begin. I see this bot as a relatively harmless way of getting that ball rolling. I agree with you that no one is entitled to followers, but even people with a lot of value to offer can still have a tough time getting those first followers.
  - tptacek 13y ago
    Sure, I grant you that the former problem is hard. But the idea that gaming Twitter is a good way to solve it (or that solving it has anything to do with Twitter) is crazy.

by ztratar 13y ago

tptacek 13y ago

It's full potential for what? I disagree that this is a real issue. I think it's a fake issue, a way of riling people up about a perceived injustice that is totally artificial. You seem to be arguing that the "average Twitter user" is entitled to followers. Why on earth would that be? The average person doesn't in fact have a lot to say publicly.

ISeemToBeAVerb 13y ago
I think what he's getting at is the initial difficulty inherent in the process of building a reputation for your personal brand or business when you don't have any preexisting reputation to leverage. There's a tough issue of gaining the momentum to make Twitter a viable marketing channel. When you're just getting started it's difficult to know who to target and where to begin. I see this bot as a relatively harmless way of getting that ball rolling. I agree with you that no one is entitled to followers, but even people with a lot of value to offer can still have a tough time getting those first followers.
- tptacek 13y ago
  Sure, I grant you that the former problem is hard. But the idea that gaming Twitter is a good way to solve it (or that solving it has anything to do with Twitter) is crazy.