Twitter is all about creating a network of people that you wish to interact with. When you choose to follow someone on Twitter, it means that you can receive real-time updates from them on your Twitter page. You are thus following them.
When people choose to follow you, it means they can receive your real-time updates on their Twitter pages. They are then your followers.
Simple enough.But where do you find these people??
The best place to begin is on the “Find People” page at the top of your Twitter home page. Enter the name of a person you know who may already be on Twitter, and hit “search”. If the person you know pops up and you wish to follow him/her, all you have to do is click on the FOLLOW button near their name. To see your friend’s profile page, click on their user name.
This next part can be fun.
At the top of your friend’s profile page, click where it says “following”. Now you can see who your friend thinks is worthwhile following, and perhaps add some of these people to your own list. Scroll down your friend’s “following” page, and click on any of the names that seem interesting to you. If they do, simply hit “follow” under their individual profile pictures.
If you go back to the top of your own profile page, you will now see the number of new people that you just added listed in your personal “following” tally.
Who’s Following You?
Often people that you select to follow will choose to follow you in return. You can see who is following you on your “followers” tally at the top of your profile page.
This is the best way to get the process rolling. It’s like high school all over again – who do you want to be friends with?
By the way, if you start following someone and then decide you don’t want to anymore, you can easily remove them from your list. Simply click on your “following” list on your Home of profile page, find the name, and click the “remove” button. The same process applies for when you decide that you don’t want someone to follow you anymore. Simply click on the “followers” list and hit “remove”.
You can also block someone from following you. Check your list of followers, and if there is someone you don’t want following you EVER, hit the “block” button.
Where can I find new friends?
If you don’t know anyone on Twitter, or want to start following new people, you can find kindred spirits by consulting various directories that categorize Twitter users by subject matter or interest. The directory sites Twellow and Twitter-Freinds are a couple of good places to start.
I especially find the site WeFollow useful. It categorizes Twitter uses by tags – words users submit that describe their areas of interest or expertise. You can browse through the topics that interest you, and choose to follow any Twitter user listed. Just click on their user name, and choose “follow” under their profile picture.
Photo by Jesus Solana, Creative Commons Attribution License
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