Thread by @AlexandraErin

So, I read the most ridiculously prescriptivist tweet about how to use Twitter, telling people that they need to have so many original tweets for every one that they retweet.

The dude apparently works in social media software development? Big deal. I work in actual social media.

And when I say I work in actual social media, I mean that my job for, like... five years... now has been to be on Twitter. That's been my biggest and most consistent source of income, which is weird. I'm nobody's social media employee. I just make my living being here.

And I say that to emphasize that if anyone is in a position to give "Twitter ProTips", it is me, the professional Twitter user, not some social media app "idea guy" who is trying to wrangle himself a guru rep.

If you were to look at my profile at a random time, it might be twenty RTs in a row without a word from me, or it might be 17 different short to medium length threads, some of them written at the same time as each other, or one very long thread, or a bunch of my jokes.

My profile is mostly RTs when I'm on Twitter to read; it's mostly original tweets when I'm on here to write. I'm not going to tell you what the balance should be but I find a mix of those times to be a good and useful thing.

When I'm on here to *engage*, that's when it's a mix of replies, RTs, QTs, tweets referencing other tweets, etc. Those are three different modes for different moods and purposes.

Now, this dude advised someone that replies don't count as original tweets "because people don't see that on your profile". I'll click on someone's profile to get an idea what they're about or to catch up with a friend quickly, but that's not the primary way people use Twitter.

If you're trying to grow your account... don't. I mean, that's my most sincere advice, generally. Don't.

But if you want to grow your account, you need to engage with other people's tweets more than you need to curate your profile.

The Algorithm, people's schedules, attention spans, and the scrolling firehose of noise and information that is the timeline all mean that nobody is ever going to see all of your content on here unless they make a very specific effort to do so.

So you might as well engage authentically with this site. Tweet what it makes sense to you to tweet. Retweet what it makes sense to you to retweet. If instead you listen J. Mediocre Whiteguy try to sell you his "optimal strategy"... I mean, what does that actually get you?

People don't really talk about this, but "retweets/reblogs good content" is probably pretty high on the *actual* criteria people use when subconsciously evaluating an account for following.

...and just like that, I've figured out what bugs me about this guy's command/advice in particular.

He doesn't understand the value of content curation. He's trying to work in social media platforms and doesn't understand content curation is what makes social media work.

Anyway, I should be in bed. We've got contractors coming tomorrow for some of our house situation and I have to, quite literally, herd cats in the morning.

Your Twitter timeline is your own. Nobody knows better than you what you should do with it Use it however sparks joy.

And if this thread or my presence generally has given you any value, please feel free to tip in... tomorrow might be a long, expensive, and draining day and we're hoping to be able to order in food.

Thank you!

paypal.me/alexandraerin