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So with the launch of TwitterAdder and Twitter Adder for Firefox everyone is in a stir talking about how there is finally an easy way to add friends. What do I think of this new awesome service, um, not so awesome. I feel as if it kind of defeats the purpose of Twitter and if people are looking to it as a launching point for their new account, they will be more likely to bail on Twitter.

First off, for those of you who have seen my own Twitter Adder, let it be known that I am not a hypocrite. My reasoning is that I believe Twitter is a powerful tool for connecting with like minded individuals. This is why my own Twitter Adders only add friends within the industry of your choice. So far I’ve covered 3 industries and 1 age group (which is private to 20SB members).

My favorite pitch when describing Twitter to social media newbies is that it instantly connects you to individuals of similar industries, trains of thought, and locations. If TwitterAdder becomes their premiere source of obtaining friends I believe they will lose interest in Twitter fast as 6 of their new found friends speak a different language and the other 4 never use their account.

Conclusion

I think TwitterPack and TwitterLocal are the best sources for finding new friends. The future of Twitter adders should specialize in specific demographics. I chose my microblogs like my regular blogs, quality over quantity.

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  • http://www.pyrogenicmedia.com Pyrogenic Media

    Even though i am also a developer of a “twitter friend adder”, i see your point. But i dont think the automation of twitter is to blame.

    I think even without them, it is still impossible to make sense of twitter. Rarely can i ever check my timeline without people babbling on. I think twitter needs to seperate out the “celebritys” and the “friends” timelines into two different sections.

    I have a personal twitter account, and i still like to follow known people in my industry, even though they arent my friends. But if you follow anyone over 100, then twitter just becomes a waste.

  • http://twiogle.com Ben

    good question Jon, I would have to assume that a good portion of the followers in my accounts are real people.

  • http://twiogle.com Ben

    Sure, twitter friend adders are ok. I use them for over 20+ accounts and everything has been great so far.

    • http://www.jonbishop.org Jon Bishop

      Thanks for the comment @twiogle … I guess the real question is why do you need 20+ accounts. But on another note, how can you be sure you are getting real followers if it’s automated … or does that even matter?

  • http://poputech.com Popular Technology

    I’m new to twitter and frankly I don’t like people who post messages like: Having dinner.. Petting my pet

    I don’t know about you guys

  • http://www.quotecatcher.com/Site/Quote/WebInternet/WebDesign.aspx Quote Catcher Website Design

    I am a fan of twitter, I love to follow and see where it leads me. Spam is very frustrating though and I agree with the theory of quality over quantity.

  • http://www.bestvideoskin.com Rem

    I see no problem with people posting links to their products or services. Social networking alone doesn’t pay the bills. I don’t like blatant spam of crap though. If a twitter has a good product or service, I don’t mind looking at it, clicking on the link and seeing what they’re marketing. It might turn out that I like what they’re marketing and learn something new.

  • http://www.devinreams.com/ Devin Reams

    I agree with both of you, this largely devalues the ‘followship’ you bestow upon people. Obviously there have been spam accounts that have hurt things, too.

    But, as a twitter user I love getting new followers. Sooooo, I guess my ego isn’t complaining. ;)

  • http://www.sethkeever.com/ Seth Keever

    Amen to that!

    If you’re only on Twitter to see how many “friends” you have (as many people I know do with Facebook), then what’s the point?

    The whole idea of social networking is to connect with new people; not to make your following or follower numbers climb.

    I completely agree that most people who use TwitterAdder will likely leave the Twitter service (and everything not Facebook or MySpace) very quickly.