While the joke about Twitter typically sounds like “why would I care what you ate for lunch,” the truth is that Twitter has become less about asinine comments and updates, and more “content marketing.”
The proliferation of link sharing on Twitter has created a less than ideal situation for initiating conversations. I started to find Twitter boring, noisy and impersonal.
None of those are characteristics that I would apply to my favorite social network. So, I wanted to “fix” it and make it more personal again.
The Solution
This fix will not work for everyone, just those with an iOS device, or an Apple computer.
There may be similar solutions for Android or Windows…I just don’t know about it.
My theory was that if I could remove the links from Twitter, I could once again see what people were SAYING, rather than just a load of junk that people were pushing and promoting.
I wanted to get rid of the noise, so I muted the noise. I setup mute filters using Tweetbot (Links to Desktop app // iOS app).
I began looking for the endings of each link in my timeline. I also wanted to mute certain hashtags that cluttered up my timeline.
Below is a screenshot of the keywords that I muted.
What happened next
I follow 944 people. Without the filters, this was just a noisy mess.
After the filters, I began seeing what people were saying. I began seeing people sharing things about their lives. I now feel a new level of connection to the people in my timeline.
When I see a link in my timeline, I go into my mute filters and add it. If I want to use Twitter to get links and news again, I simply switch to the native Twitter app, Hootsuite or Twitter.com. But now that I’ve made the switch, I rarely feel the need to go back in and see all of the links.
I’ve always felt that Twitter is one of the most social sites. Though Facebook’s threaded comment view is preferable in some circumstances, I find the openness of Twitter most appealing. Having conversations on Twitter, out in the open has led me to some amazing connections. I’ve met new people around common interests.
This tactic has made Twitter more personal once again.
An Emphasis On Results
All of my results on Twitter are the result of relationship building, not content sharing.
Retweets and Favorites only go so far, while relationships have a much greater value. By making this change, I have the opportunity to cut through the noise and once again focus on the much hyped “conversation.”
Will you try it?