10 reasons people unfollow you on Twitter

When someone unfollows you on Twitter, it either goes unnoticed or leaves you asking, “Why? I really liked him and thought he liked me”. It feels like that time in school when a friend stopped talking to you for no apparent reason. You wonder what you did wrong, and it takes a while to realise that sometimes it’s not you, it’s them. Here are 10 likely reasons you lost that follower, and suggestions on how to not feel so bad about it.

1. You were culled. A friend of mine can’t follow more than 50 people. She finds it overwhelming. So she frequently follows and unfollows people to keep that number steady. Learn not to take it personally.
2. They disagree with what you tweeted. I follow a lot of Christians and DA supporters and they follow me back. Debate is good. Variety is good. What’s the point of only following people who agree with you? This isn’t Twitter for China. Don’t be sad about losing followers like this.
3. They only followed you so you’d follow them back. This is the twitter version of a bait-and-switch. They didn’t really like you (sorry), they just wanted another follower. Ignore these twits.
4. You haven’t tweeted in weeks. What’s the point of following someone if they don’t say anything? If you prefer to be an observer, that’s cool, but don’t expect 10 000 followers (unless you’re famous).
5. You tweet too much. Clogging up someone’s twitter feed is like talking loudly when drunk – obnoxious and annoying to everyone around you. Take a break, make some tea, do some work.
6. You bitch and moan. Surprisingly, most people find it depressing when someone constantly whines about the traffic / how unfair life is / the government / their neighbours, etc. Constructive criticism is interesting, being miserable is not.
7. You gush or use text speak. “OMG, I’m so happy right now! The flowers are blooming and life is awesome!” This is worse than bitching and moaning. You come across as slightly stupid or very disingenuous. Unless you just won an iPhone 4, tone it down.
8. You tweet your Foursquare location. Nobody cares that you’re having a Vida at the airport, unless there’s an escaped bear running amok and everyone’s being evacuated.
9. You’re boring. Obviously this is subjective. Someone might find what you ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner fascinating; or how regularly your baby poops absolutely scintillating. But most don’t.
10. Your spelling & grammar is atrocious. Tweetdeck has spellcheck. There is no excuse.