Developing a Twitter Personality

Dear Cybersorter,

I have noticed that when I tweet about food or my cat I always get a few pleasant responses. If I tweet about more serious issues, though, no one seems to want to listen.

I prefer to talk in a public forum about more sensible things but it’s very tempting to talk crap when you get better feedback. 

How should I develop my Twitter personality?

N.C

Dear N.C

Along with bringing down despotic regimes and challenging the judgement of entire judicial systems, Twitter is still the tool by which people keep tight, or try to keep up, with their friends.

Tweeters, like other bunches of people, have things in common. Eating, fluffy kittens (please note the apostrophe), Star Wars and popular music will hit any available “like” button inside the head of the majority of Internet users.

It’s all about getting the balance right. Tweet inanely about such things on a constant or even overly regular basis and it will demark you as a sad git to the cool gang.

It’s also not a good plan to put too much nonsense out there if you are trying got build a professional front or may want one in the near to medium future. It’s wise to remember your Twitter profile is your public profile (unless you have protected your tweets).

When you say no one seems to want to listen to your more serious points it’s more likely most people aren’t willing to weigh in on something you seem to know more about than them (although it doesn’t stop loads of Twitter users). Just because someone hasn’t replied directly to your smart tweet, doesn’t mean it hasn’t resonated.

Think of the tweets you have read that you didn’t respond to but thought about afterwards or repeated to a friend or acquaintance.

People endlessly re-tweet the banal rubbish that celebrities bleurgh out while waiting for their Botox. Slavish numbskulls re-tweets don’t make their thoughts useful, valid or worthwhile.

Being yourself on Twitter is probably the easiest and best route to go. Lying about your personality to your twitter followers is like lying to your wife about the stag weekend in Wales. You get found out. It’s embarrassing when you do.

Your Twitter personality is your personality, only a little sharper (squeezed into 140 characters) a little funnier (don’t tweet too much when you’re down) and bit cooler (notice trends and pick up on them – but only when you fully understand them).

This way you won’t tweet like you’ve been Botoxed in the brain.