Here’s an idea for an extreme experiment in lifestyle for those of you with large following/follower lists on Twitter: Try following only people you really care about for a month, starting today (April 1, 2009). How much more meaningful would the time be? How much less time would you waste? At the end of the month, would it even be worthwhile to expend the energy to re-follow the lame ones?
Oh, and by the way, I don’t mean just follow the people that you’d listen to if they were speaking on television – I mean people you actually know and care about. Focus on the 20% that make a difference in your life.
This one action could revolutionize the way Twitter works for you. And I will go out on a limb and say that if ten people read this, nine of them won’t give it a try even if they really want to.
This begs a question. Actually several questions – questions about the true utility of Twitter. Is it really a great tool for listening? Who are YOU listening to? Why should I be listening to you? Perhaps most importantly, as I look over the updates from all the people I follow, what if I just don’t care?