Twitter
can be, but doesn’t necessarily have to be, overwhelming. It can instead be
used minimally and in an organised, systematic way.
There is
obviously no one right approach to Twitter. Some of us have several accounts,
while others manage their tweets via just one account. Some Twitterers send out
tweets strictly limited to work, whereas others mix in tweets of a more
personal nature, too. Some of us are very active, while others just lurk on
Twitter. And all these approaches are okay.
One
comment by Alison Hughes, the presenter at a workshop hosted by ITI's Western Regional Group in Bristol in June 2017, sparked the idea for me to write the
present blog post. Alison commented that she generally avoids information
overload, as well as overloading others on Twitter.
 |
| Twitter can be used minimally and in an organised, systematic way |
It
struck a chord with me in that I, too, generally try to avoid Twitter overload:
I aim not to overload others and not to overload myself. It’s become part of
what I call my “minimalist approach to Twitter”, which involves the following:
1) Restricting
Twitter to my personal needs
If
you’re in business, Twitter can be a brilliant marketing tool for acquiring
more customers: it may be used in a targeted way to achieve specific marketing
goals by engaging with companies and potential clients. Twitter offers a
plethora of opportunities and ways for individuals and businesses to interact.
However,
I do not see the need to use Twitter in this way. Instead, I use it merely for
extracting useful articles and information. I also enjoy having the possibility
of socialising with others occasionally as I’m working on my own at home.
Restricting myself to this use of Twitter involves less strategising and organising
on my part.
2)
Minimising Twitter overload by setting up lists
Whenever
I visit Twitter, I go straight into one of my personalised Twitter lists,
depending on what I’m interested in reading right at that moment. For instance,
to catch up on what my ITI colleagues have tweeted, I visit my ITI list. If I
want to catch up on the latest Brexit news, I call up my Brexit news list. Or
if I feel like indulging in the most recent minimalism tweets, I access my minimalism
list.
Lists on
Twitter are great for managing tweets: jumping straight into one of them means
I won’t get lost in the masses of unrelated tweets that would jump out at me
and overwhelm me straight away. For instructions on how to set up Twitter lists,
see http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Twitter-List.
3)
Reducing Twitter activities
It’s a
simple mechanism: the more you tweet, the more followers you’ll gain, and the
more popular you’ll become eventually. Maximising your Twitter presence will
help you stand out. By contrast, not being present on Twitter often enough may
mean losing followers or missing out on interesting discussions or trends.
However,
I’ve decided to sidestep those rules and keep Twitter use to a minimum. I don’t
visit it every day, and even sometimes have Twitter breaks. As a general rule,
I aim to be selective about what I tweet.
As with
all things at our fingertips (especially apps on our phones!), it is very easy
for them to take over our lives. However, by applying minimalist techniques, I
find that Twitter consequently has not
taken over my life.
