The above question was posed on another site, and the author answered the question by saying our Twitter presence is made up by three factors:
- Who we actually are
- How we choose to present ourselves in the public space
- How others represent us
The first two points are arguably the most important, and they are the only two factors with which we have direct control. We can control who we are, and what we publish online, but we can’t force people to read it (and, consequently, become a Follower). As the old adage goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it.”
The third bullet point is out of our control; or so it seems. If you spend enough time on Twitter, you’ll undoubtedly come across those users who claim they can add 1,000 Followers to your account for $5. Everyone would like to have an extra 1,000 Followers, and for the low price it seems like a steal, but the “Followers” you receive are nothing more than fake accounts to enhance the perception that what you are saying online is important.
Imagine there are two doctors on Twitter. One has 500 Followers, while the other has 5,000. You might assume the doctor with the most Followers is the better, more knowledgeable doctor, but you can see how those numbers can be skewed using blackhat marketing techniques.
Twitter has gotten wise to these methods, and a large portion of your fake Followers get caught in their spam filter. Undoubtedly some of them will get through, but it all draws back to the question at hand, “Would you trust a doctor who pays for Followers?”
Self-Representation
I believe buying Followers in order to convey a greater sense of importance is a shady technique that speaks to the genuineness of a doctor or his marketing team. A doctor who pays for Followers does so in hopes that it will trick real people into spending money by going to that doctor for services. In essence, the doctor is taking a small gamble that the fake Followers will lead to a big payday. Do you want a doctor who is mainly interested in lining his wallet? I didn’t think so.
I’ve been on Twitter for a few years now, but my main reason for being on the social networking site isn’t to gain Followers, it’s to spread my knowledge to others and to learn from industry professionals. Twitter is one of the few places on earth where individuals and professionals can share their stories for the betterment of one another.
Obviously, I love to see my Tweets get Re-Tweeted or Favorited, but my favorite digital metric is when someone receives helpful information from something I posted. Sometimes it’s a person 2,000 miles away thanking me for sharing new ways to avoid arthritis in the foot; other times it’s a user asking me what they should do if they think they’ve suffered a calcaneal fracture. It’s immeasurable stats like these that make me smile the most.
At the end of the day, all I can do is provide you with the cleanest, freshest, and coldest bottle of water. If you don’t want to drink, that’s fine. I’ll come back with a different beverage tomorrow.
Related source: 33charts.com