Currently 23,335 people follow me on Twitter and I follow 22,361 of those people back (and before I am even done with this post both of those numbers will increase).
I think it is important to follow followers back, because (the way I see it) Twitter is for two-way conversations. If someone cares enough to get my updates, why shouldn't I reciprocate that action? Following someone back also opens up the opportunity to have private conversations with that person, because unless I am following them back they cannot Direct Message me.
I must admit at times, it is a bit noisy, overwhelming and confusing to follow so many people, but it is something that is important to me. This follow-back strategy is important to me and the message I am trying to communicate: two-way dialogue and meaningful relationship building.
So, how do I handle it? I create Tweet Deck groups to filter people's tweets into categories. Screenshot of my Tweet Deck below.
Groups shown: IRL (people I know in real life) WTF (people I talk with all the time on the internet, but have never met) OMG (big twitters who I may know, but who tweet too much to put in my IRL category)
