What Twitter Numbers Say About You (And How Knowing Them Can Make You Better At Twitter)

First, a definition.

Twitter Numbers - these are the 3 key numbers associated with the activity level and social network size on Twitter. The three Numbers are: following, followers, and tweets. Following indicates how many people you have chosen to actively follow, followers are the number of people who choose to actively follow you, and tweets are how many times you have posted messages on Twitter.

(I am not going to include listed numbers for this broad generalization.)

Now, I am going to broadly define a few groups of Twitter users based purely on their Twitter Numbers and what this says about them.

Small Followers, Large Following

These are true celebrities and organizations who have a lot of people who are interested in their activities. Follow these people to learn about them, and interact with them in a meaningful way and you may end up being one of the small number who THEY follow.

Small Followers, Small Following

These are the noobs. They are either not very dedicated to using Twitter, they have not been using Twitter very long, and/or they are not very proficient at taking advantage of Twitter. Follow these people as they will likely return the follow. Encourage them by interacting with them and you will find you have nurtured a lasting relationship as they grow on Twitter.

Large Followers, Small Following

These are usually spammers, especially if they keep this ratio for a long period of time. Because Twitter is new to a lot of people, and so too is its etiquette, many people will follow people who follow them almost as a reflex. This is wrong. Do not feel obliged to follow someone just because they follow you! This can often be a ploy to get a quick follow. Look for meaningful interaction or posts that provide you with value.

Large Followers, Large Following

These are the trailblazers and the gurus. They are often the early adopters, power users, and authorities on Twitter. Listen to what they say, as they are often reaching a large audience for a reason. Try to emulate their successful behaviour, and even see if they might take you under their wing or give you personalized advice on using Twitter to its maximum.

Small Tweets

These people are either very new, say only important things, are spammers, or don't engage publicly through Twitter very often. In a Twitter user who has a lot of Following, this is often a red flag that they are a spammer.

Large Tweets

These are either spammers or power users. Sometimes the barrier between a spammer and a power user on Twitter is blurred, and depends on your frame of reference. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether you read their tweets and whether you click through their links, or if you just tune their tweets out. If the latter, they may as well be a spammer to you.

In summary, these numbers should be paid attention to, but should not set hard rules for how you use Twitter. Human interaction is a dynamic and organic affair with as many exceptions as there are rules or generalizations. Take heed of these numbers, but do what feels right to you and your organization.