This may shock you, but I was an avid Google+ user till the day it was shutdown. I was a pioneer, one of the first on the platform, and I loved it. But once it was gone, my options for a replacement were limited since I had already deleted my Facebook account only a few months before. Facebook just didn't give me the entertainment I found on Google+. It's not the same having debates and expressing your opinions when most of the people reading are family members and friends. It's the equivalent of talking politics at work, a no-no in most workplaces. So, I was stuck with Twitter, a social media site I had never been able to master.
After more than a year learning the ropes, I have finally made a home on Twitter. I still have a lot to learn on how to use my Twitter account to grow my YT channel and interact with future potential viewers but I'm working hard. One thing I chose to do was separate my political opinions as much as I can from my brand account, which is my current main account because I really don't want to deal with the clutter of political discussion and arguments and my brand all in one account. So I created a second, well, technically third account specifically to dive into political topics because I have an interest in politics as well. Amazingly enough, it was through this account that I met some hardcore Twitter users who treat their accounts like sacred ground and are extremely careful who they follow and who follows them.
One user, in particular, is probably the most hardcore user I have ever seen. He was dedicated at his job of reviewing every single person who followed him and every person he was interested in following. I mean, we're talking about him not only checking a person's account to see what they tweeted and retweeted but also checking who this person followed and who followed this person. As he went along reviewing all these accounts he would build a list of what he believed were bots, accounts specifically designed to troll accounts of opposing political views while pretending to be of the same views, or accounts that were controlled by software designed to collect information for political purposes or extreme trolling and more. And he would share these lists so others knew who to avoid. He had strict rules about being followed and following and he had no problem blocking anyone he felt was not up to his standards of being part of his political views. While he would often block people just for having bots following them he would often warn them to give them a chance, likely because he liked what they tweeted and retweeted. And he was just one of many who used similar tactics to ensure they avoided bots and trolls.
I had never considered being this dedicated to avoiding followers but being accounts that thrive on political discussions I can see why they were this adamant about who follows them and who they follow. After all, as interesting as politics can be to some it can easily become a cesspool of garbage talk, insults and sometimes even threats.
So yea, to some, Twitter is more than a social media site. It's a way of life.
After more than a year learning the ropes, I have finally made a home on Twitter. I still have a lot to learn on how to use my Twitter account to grow my YT channel and interact with future potential viewers but I'm working hard. One thing I chose to do was separate my political opinions as much as I can from my brand account, which is my current main account because I really don't want to deal with the clutter of political discussion and arguments and my brand all in one account. So I created a second, well, technically third account specifically to dive into political topics because I have an interest in politics as well. Amazingly enough, it was through this account that I met some hardcore Twitter users who treat their accounts like sacred ground and are extremely careful who they follow and who follows them.
One user, in particular, is probably the most hardcore user I have ever seen. He was dedicated at his job of reviewing every single person who followed him and every person he was interested in following. I mean, we're talking about him not only checking a person's account to see what they tweeted and retweeted but also checking who this person followed and who followed this person. As he went along reviewing all these accounts he would build a list of what he believed were bots, accounts specifically designed to troll accounts of opposing political views while pretending to be of the same views, or accounts that were controlled by software designed to collect information for political purposes or extreme trolling and more. And he would share these lists so others knew who to avoid. He had strict rules about being followed and following and he had no problem blocking anyone he felt was not up to his standards of being part of his political views. While he would often block people just for having bots following them he would often warn them to give them a chance, likely because he liked what they tweeted and retweeted. And he was just one of many who used similar tactics to ensure they avoided bots and trolls.
I had never considered being this dedicated to avoiding followers but being accounts that thrive on political discussions I can see why they were this adamant about who follows them and who they follow. After all, as interesting as politics can be to some it can easily become a cesspool of garbage talk, insults and sometimes even threats.
So yea, to some, Twitter is more than a social media site. It's a way of life.
