Confessions of a Graphic Designer

Common sense says you should follow whomever you want. But recently I read a post by a blogger who felt everyone on Twitter—especially those in "leadership" positions—should follow everyone back. It might sound good in theory, but here are some thoughts to ponder: Some followers may not be worthy of a follow back. If you check before you click the "follow" button, you might find: • Accounts that have posted no tweets. Maybe their abandoned accounts have been taken over by squatters, or they could be fake accounts created for people who buy followers. • Questionable content — X-Rated timelines; "Tweeps" (Twitter peeps) who use a lot of foul language; Businesses that tweet exclusively about their products and services; Tweeps who post spam or tweet the same message over and over • Accounts that broadcast one-way outgoing feeds with no interaction with anyone • Those who use TrueTwit validation to weed out "bots....

Following up on my previous post about transparency , I'd like to share a list of 30 people who fit the bill. Beside being "authentic" and nice, their timelines include a mixture of content and conversation. I've come to know most via email, Skype, phone or in real life. They've trusted me and shared their lives, and I look forward to seeing them whenever our paths cross. I think you'll find most to be kind, funny, smart, or have a fascinating story—or all of the above. All have fewer than 10,000 "organically* acquired followers." And in my book, all are worth knowing. I hope you'll check them out! They are listed in reverse alphabetical order, including their follower numbers (in parenthesis) at the time this post was written: NOTE: When you follow someone new, it's good to post a friendly shout to say hello and let them know you're a new follower. It increases the chances they'll follow you back. @zaharoff (5,...