I answered direct messages, replied privately, and followed people, probably for at least an hour every single day. If my calculations are correct, that’s roughly 5,000 hours of my life that I’m never getting back.
Twitter has been wonderful, helping me build a network without spending a penny. It’s a massive factor in my venture’s success, connecting me with great contacts and a friendly community. It’s been invaluable, but it has also caused some anxiety, especially in recent years.
Born in the late 1970s, I grew up with no social media, no Internet, no mobile phone. I’m not sure how we would’ve coped with a global pandemic, but life was good.
If I wanted to see friends, I’d have to knock on their doors or phone them via the landline. It was glorious. Epic. I didn’t know what everyone was doing, so I never felt like I was missing out.
I wasn’t exposed to excessive amounts of information or negativity. My world was small, manageable, peaceful.
Finding a balance
Optimizing My Twitter Strategy for Creative Boom Success
In my journey of leveraging Twitter for promoting Creative Boom and nurturing connections, I’ve embraced valuable advice from web designer and developer Dave Smyth. To streamline my experience, I made a couple of smart adjustments.
1. Curating Lists for Efficient Following
Following Dave’s suggestion, I’ve unfollowed individuals and crafted private lists tailored to my interests. This allows me to follow selectively without the pressure of reciprocation. Managing my Twitter interactions has become smoother, saving me valuable time each day.
2. Spring-Cleaning My Twitter History
Understanding the significance of privacy, I decided to tidy up my Twitter history. I removed old tweets, replies, likes, and retweets. This not only decluttered my profile but also reduced my digital footprint, promoting a more private online presence.
Benefits of Using Lists:
- Privacy: Lists can be kept private, enabling me to follow chosen accounts without reciprocal obligations.
- Time-Saving: By not following everyone, I’ve streamlined my feed, making it more manageable for my role as an editor and journalist.
Managing Direct Messages Effectively:
Adopting this approach has also limited direct messages, providing me with a focused and less intrusive communication channel.
Reducing Digital Footprint:
While I’ve always maintained a positive online presence, I recognized the need to enhance my privacy. Deleting tweets and likes, especially those predating October 2021, was a step towards achieving this goal. To sustain this, I’ve set up an automated service for ongoing maintenance.
A Word of Caution:
Before implementing changes to your social media accounts, remember that these are personal insights, and I’m not liable for any actions you take. I’m simply sharing my findings from exploring this topic.
Feel free to ask if you want to learn more about my process, keeping in mind the importance of responsible social media use.
How to unfollow everyone on Twitter
Unfollow Everyone on Twitter: A Simple Trick Making Things Easy:
This process is surprisingly straightforward. Developer Jamie Mason has generously shared a useful piece of code to Unfollow Everyone on Twitter. You just need to add this code to your Developer Console and run it.
Quick Steps:
- Go to your Twitter profile and click on ‘following’ to view the list of people you follow.
- Right-click anywhere on your browser window and select ‘Inspect’.
- Now, click on ‘Console’ and simply copy-paste Mason’s code there.
- Hit enter, and while it’s running, take a break – perhaps grab a brew.
- When you come back, your following count will show zero.
That’s it! Easy, right?
How to delete your Twitter history
Before taking any further steps, ensure to download and review your Twitter archive. Keep it stored for reference. This process may take up to 24 hours.
Once your data is backed up, embark on the exciting journey of deleting your content. Thankfully, numerous tools can assist you in managing this task efficiently.
Some popular choices include CircleBoom and TweetDelete. Personally, I opted for TweetDeleter, which proved to be exceptionally effective. I subscribed to the £11.99 per month plan, allowing bulk deletion of tweets, replies, likes, retweets, and media.
A standout feature for me is the ability to filter content by date, tweet type, time of day, profanities, and day of the week. This ensures a careful and gradual deletion process, preventing the erasure of your entire history in one go.
While my approach may seem somewhat costly, in the future, I plan to use TweetDelete, a one-time purchase priced at just £10. It runs in the background, systematically deleting content as I continue to use the platform.
What happens next?
I’ve unfollowed everyone @katylcowan on Twitter, and it’s been a game-changer. Now, people can’t slide into my DMs, shielding me from negativity and info overload. No more time-consuming tasks like following back or responding to messages.
Sure, a few followers got miffed – expected that. Now, I need to make lists for the people I want to follow – another task to squeeze into my schedule.
But overall, it’s pretty amazing without a feed and the social etiquette hassle. I feel free. One less worry, gearing up for a more productive, happier 2022.
If, like me, Twitter’s been a headache lately, this “brave” approach might just be your solution. Give it a shot!