Continuing on a series of posts that I’ve started on mistakes to avoid on Twitter, today we’ll take a look at the automatic direct message.
If you haven’t already, please make sure to check out Part 1 of this series!
If you’ve been on Twitter for at least a few weeks and followed a bunch of accounts that interest you, you’ve probably gotten more than a few automatic direct messages to your inbox.
Here are three reasons why Twitter users should AVOID using automatic direct messages.
- Many Twitter users will unfollow immediately upon receiving a direct message.
Once a Twitter user finds your profile and follows you, a direct message shows up in their inbox almost immediately. Shortly thereafter, an un-follow take place.
Why does this happen, you ask?
The auto-direct message almost always comes off as fake or shallow, and the follower can easily become upset. Think about it: would you go around a party and upon meeting people, make a sales pitch or impersonal greeting? Of course not.
- Spam, malware and phishing is rampant on Twitter.
You’ve probably come across one or two…or hundreds…of Twitter spam direct messages. But the chances are pretty darn high that you’ve been sent a message with the sole intent on passing along malware or luring you into a phishing scam.
With the increase in the number of these instances with the direct messages, many users are probably avoiding links in direct messages.
A general cost-benefit mindset would say that including a link in your direct message is probably not going to be very effective in driving traffic to whatever site you may be pitching.
- Automated DM’s destroy the true value of the system.
At the core, automated direct messages kill the main purpose of direct messages, which is to allow Twitter users to communicate comfortably in the main stream while keeping private issues private.
Due to the sheer amount of spam in the direct messages, many users drastically under-utilize the direct messaging system in lieu of another communication tool. If Twitter ever eliminated automatic direct messaging, it would vastly improve the public stream and the Twitter experience as a whole.
Do you use automatic direct messages when you Tweet?
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