It’s a good social gesture and don’t we thank people, when they help us in real life anyway!

I read the post and actually think that the author, has some good points, but in my eyes is wrong on many levels about this one…

Tweeting about lunch plans, politics, religion, thanking people publicly, cryptic replies??

I think these are all fine, Twitter has a lot of noise and as if you choose to follow a mass amount of people you have to be able to shut some of it off sometimes.

People do feel happy when you thank them for actually listening to your twitter feed long enough to RT something. It is very easy for someone to get on Twitter and essentially talk to themselves…a thank you for RT’ing is a good thing.

There was much more I would like to say about that post but won’t as is does not relate to this one…

I think you are awesome and right on the money on this point…

Keep the Peace!

You seem very much to fit in that same category, and I applaud you. You took my point well: people can interpret good messages in negative ways–but you can’t please everyone. Thanks for the great discussion.

1. You reply to just about every comment on your blog. When only a couple of people comment, that’s understandable. But when it’s a long string of comments, it indicates maybe a slight propensity to wanting to control the conversation. By commenting on every single post, you might inadvertently be telling readers you won’t allow anyone to disagree with you without a fight. This can also prevent people from feeling comfortable talking with each other–your guests aren’t free to talk amongst themselves, many of them might feel forced to engage in dozens of individual conversations with you and only you.

2. You admit to being stubborn and unlikely to admit you’re wrong–if any of your followers pick up on this (maybe they’ve witnessed you arguing over small disagreements) they are probably hesitant to publicly disagree with you on something you feel so strongly about. Usually people in your camp are much more likely than your dissenters to offer public commentary, a trend that is only enhanced if you tend to be argumentative.

3. Lost in the “obviously you thank people for doing something nice” argument is the inherent implication that you view an RT as a favor. There’s a further implication there that make some people cringe and others say, “duh” to: What you want out of twitter is more followers, more exposure, more recognition.

Thanking people for an RT is an acknowledgment that you view the RT as beneficial to you. Maybe it’s flattering. Maybe it’s just nice to have someone find your words worth repeating. Of course you’d thank someone for that! But to some people (be they cynical, paranoid, or just plain irritable) thanking for an RT is an acknowledgment that it’s what you wanted all along. Like you’re saying, “Thanks for the RT, I was hoping someone would repeat it.” It’s drawing attention to your desire for more publicity.

That doesn’t have to be your motive for people to perceive it as such. It’s just one of those unfortunate byproducts of mass communication.

I struggle with this question, because on one hand I feel like if I say nothing to thank people, I’m a jerk who is totally ignoring a flattering gesture; if I DM them, I feel like I’m intentionally avoiding mentioning them in public, as if to say, “Yes, I do crave more attention and more RTs, but I don’t want any of my glory to reflect back on you,” which just feels creepy; if I publicly thank them for the RT in an @ reply, I feel like I’m just calling attention to myself.

So I feel uneasy about the issue in general. I guess I’m just insecure when it comes to public praise; always have been, probably always will. My approach is still evolving, but I can understand both sides of the issue. Here’s my current approach (which I’m sure will change within the month):

If someone RTs a link to my blog, I thank them. I wanted people to read my blog, which is why I posted a link to it–I don’t feel bad about that because the most I ever do it is a couple times in one day.

If someone RTs with a comment (ie they were just giving their audience the context of their response) I respond if the occasion calls for it.

If someone RTs something I RTd, I do nothing.

If someone I know RTs a post of mine that stood on its own, I try to acknowledge the gesture with a comment that adds to the idea and a general spirit of gratitude and friendship.

If someone I don’t know RTs, I check to see if they’re a bot. If not, I usually will follow them, thank them for the RT and add a positive comment about their recent posts I just discovered.

But I might be thinking about all this waaay too much.