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# How do I choose who to follow back on Twitter?
- URL: https://katecarruthers.com/how-do-i-choose-who-to-follow-back-on-twitter/
- Published: 2009-01-07T07:34:00.000Z
- Updated: 2009-01-07T07:34:00.000Z
- Author: Kate Carruthers
- Tags: ideas, social networking, #Migrated-1775015344493, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-04-01 14:49

[![](https://katecarrutherscom.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/3f39c-twitter-magenta.png)](http://twitter.com/kcarruthers?ref=katecarruthers.com)

A long time ago I confessed to [@SilkCharm](http://twitter.com/silkcharm?ref=katecarruthers.com) that I did not get [Twitter](http://twitter.com/?ref=katecarruthers.com) and was about to abandon it. But at her urging I persisted with the darn thing. Then quite quickly there were a whole bunch of people following me, and it became necessary to develop a set of rules for who to follow back.  
  
My rules are pretty simple and I like reciprocity, real people and conversations.   
  
THE 'NO' QUESTIONS

\- if the answer to these questions is 'no' then I'll probably follow back:  

1. Does this Twitter account seem to be a bot or a spammer?
2. Do they just talk self-marketing crap?
3. Do they just post marketing links?
4. Do they just have the default avatar?
5. Do they have only 1 or 2 posts that are old?
6. Do they have hardly any followers but follow a zillion people?

  
THE 'YES' QUESTIONS

\- if the answer to these questions is 'yes' then I'll probably follow back:  

1. Do they have a link to another 'real' website?
2. Is it a real person or a company that I might want to have a conversation with?
3. Have they got some recent posts that indicate a person who's into communication?
4. Does their website look interesting?
5. Would I want to chat with this person at a cocktail party based on their tweets?

Now this bunch of rules gets applied whimsically depending on how I feel. Mostly I try to be reciprocal but don't always follow people back for various reasons that usually relate to some combination of answers to the questions above.