I have read both the posts and I …

by Ana on March 2, 2011 · 65 comments

Comment posted on Ana Hoffman vs Nick Cardot Twitter Faceoff: Quality Trumps Quantity by Sanjeev Sharma@Random Raves & Rants of Sanjeev

I have read both the posts and I think both quantity AND quality are necessary for a business.

You need to start with a large quantity of suspects out of which you will filter out great quality prospects, many of whom will eventually become your friends and customers.

This is true of all marketing, whether in the real world or in the virtual one. In the real world companies use the medium of mass advertising (electronic media such as TV or print) to build a loose relationship with a very large number of people. I think this is equivalent of Twitter or other Social Bookmarking media. The communication cannot be very intense or deep. The people, who see your ads, then walk into your store or office depending on the kind of business you have. This enables you to have a one-to-one meaningful communication that can culminate into business at best or a promise of future business together. This is equivalent to the visitors you get on your blog whom you can engage.

Thus quantity and quality both are needed - first quantity suspects, then quality prospects. The issue is which media is best suited for a given objective. And I will go with Ana that one must generate quantity on Twitter and quality on the blog.

Article by Ana Hoffman

Ana is the founder of Traffic Generation Cafe and wants you to know that Thesis + Scribe = SEO Made Simple. Get more from Ana on Facebook or Twitter.

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{ 65 comments }

Mark Robertson March 4, 2011 at 2:40 pm

“Without contraries is no progress” — W Blake.

I was very inspired by you (Ana) and you (Arturo), to consider some of the “less mystic” purposes of twitter…which are also very valuable.

I like how you (Ana), have “resurrected” the word fellowship. This pushes toward “excellence” in influence, rather than “ego” in followship.

“Be as peaceful as doves and shrewd as serpents.”

O Brave New (Both/And) World, with such beauteous creatures on ‘t.

Inspired,
Mark

Allie March 4, 2011 at 1:05 pm

I want to chime in but I think eveything has been said so….

I can say BOTH Ana and Nick have reached out to me on Twitter, on their own. They don’t know me and actually the tweets had nothing to do business, both instances were about life in general. You only get that from people who care and want to make a simple connection. This keeps me coming back to their blogs to support them.

When I read about how Ana got her Twitter followers I was a little turned off, it seemed so impersonal BUT she is running a business. My favorite restaurant offers coupons, deals and advertises everywhere, that is impersonal. Yet when I walk through the doors it’s the quality of the food and service that keeps me coming back. Online biz is no different.

In business, quality and quantity count. But does the end justify the means? Humm? In this case, sure.

I guess I lean a little on Ana’s side but only with the perspective of getting more traffic. The real question would be: ROI?
Allie´s last blog ..9 Blog Tools I Recommend But Don’t Use

Seth W March 3, 2011 at 8:29 pm

Here’s the deal. It’s not always about the traffic metrics you are currently following.

Yes traffic matters and yes tracking traffic is important but perhaps you are looking at direct traffic too much. When Nick builds a quality relationship through Twitter it might take time and not turn into tons of traffic. But in the long run these relationships turn into business. This business turns into money.

You see I have known Nick for over a year now and we talk on Twitter regularly.With the relationship he has with me I know that he also has one with hundreds of other people too. I’d consider myself a close friend and would promote, purchase, and help Nick however I could. The thing is thought that even though I think I’m part of Nick’s “inner circle” so do a hundred other people. Not only will I click Nick’s links but I’ll also share them, comment on them, and do what I can to further his business.

Link pushers don’t get that from me.
Seth W´s last blog ..How to Create a 3D Polaroid in Photoshop

Ana March 3, 2011 at 9:21 pm: That’s a very good point, Seth. I am trying to build the same @WebTrafficCafe. It’s time that I don’t have though, so I have to take that into consideration along with my blog objections.
Nice of you to stop by though!
Reply

Srinivas Rao March 3, 2011 at 10:53 am

Hey Anna,

First off thanks for referencing my post. That seems like it will soon be my calling card in the blogosphere considering I just shared it in a talk with 500 people. So let me share my thoughts on it. I guess there’s one component missing from my notion that 150 followers is all you need. It’s that when you get to that 150, the numbers start to happen and the #of followers grows. The ultimate irony of writing that post is it resulted in more than 150 new followers. I think that when people are starting out they get caught up in trying to get as many followers as possible, but the question becomes “are you getting any value from those followers or are you giving value to them.” You and Nick clearly accomplish both even if you do a have a substantial following.
If people are just starting out and they focus on building a powerful inner circle I think that their following will grow organically. This is going to be a really interesting discussion among people in the blogosphere.

Ana March 3, 2011 at 9:19 pm: I definitely see your point, Srinivas.
When I first read your post, I turned off all the automation and went exclusively for dialogue.
Actually I became on of 150 on top of 150 of your followers!
Didn’t work for me. I heard crickets on my blog and all my time was sucked up by “hanging out” on Twitter.
In the end, I do have one “quality account” where I follow about 50 people I actually want to see and hear from. That list changes all the time depending on what kind of info I am looking for, but it’s always quality no matter what.
And my other Twitter accounts… they don’t get me, but they still get a lot of valuable info from many great bloggers around - yes, through automation, but really - who doesn’t use it these days?
Thanks for coming by; love hearing your perspective!
Reply

Shawna March 3, 2011 at 9:40 am

I think the question shouldn’t be quantity vs. quality, but more how much quality can you put into the quantity. There is a reason why we have multiple avenues for engaging people, though.

Sure, you can relink posts that I may miss or provide endless streams of ‘good information’ but if you aren’t adding to the value of the content than all it becomes is a constant stream of things to ignore. However if you link to a blog often.. that just leads the reader from the quantity of smaller stuff to the big quality stuff.

I’m a huge fan of reading all mediums to gather the information needed to decide whether or not to continue to follow someone and I keep track of people who provide both quantity and quality.

I’ve just recently stumbled across your blog, Ana, and I have spent a lot of time delving back through your posts and enjoying them all. So as long as you continue to deliver quality through your quantity.. the more the better!

Cheers and thanks for all the nudges that make my brain think in a new way!

Shawna

Ana March 3, 2011 at 9:12 pm: Thanks, Shawna - I am not planning turning that quality post tab any time soon.
So you keep on reading!
Reply

Riley Harrison March 3, 2011 at 8:35 am

To me you are both right in that you are consistent with your values and who you are.
Nobody should feel forced to violate their values just for a little extra success; it’s not worth the price you have to pay in terms of integrity
Riley

Kavya Hari March 3, 2011 at 5:25 am

Yeah i agree with it. Today almost of the people are looking for their friends in the social media like tweets and so on. And, its one of the possible path to get the high traffic for your wbe sites. Thanks a lot for your post here, Nicholas.
Kavya Hari´s last blog ..LunarPages

Mark March 3, 2011 at 4:00 am

Is there room for both/and; I think the either/or of western thinking needs a consciousness revolt.

Deliberate action is both/and. Twitter is comprehensive enough for both.

That said, thereis a “situational ethic” for every person. It’s in their DNA. Ev Bogue wants to have a Twitter ratio of 1:300, THAT’S HIS YOGINI “SO-GURU-i-DON’T-HAVE-TO-SAY-IT” swagger.

I like twitter as a diversion for the spread of ideas.

I have no invested interest in ROI (especially immediately). I’m a gardener; an observer; a perennialist.

Thanks for the cat fight!

Ana March 3, 2011 at 9:10 pm: You are very welcome, Mark - sounds like you are in a perfect position to stand back and watch.
By the way, I posted your comment about Arturo’s comment down below - again, thanks for such encouraging thoughts for both of us.
Blessings.
Reply

Jack Foley March 3, 2011 at 1:58 am

Thats encouraging Anna,

So uve found good friends on ur blog and facebook?
Jack Foley´s last blog ..What do you fear

Stephen Anderson March 3, 2011 at 1:12 am

Ana,

I can not let Jon Thomases comments pass without retort.

He clearly misses the point that most twitters wouldn’t consider him a “g-e-e-k”,
they would consider him a “j-e-r-k.”

Jon shows has zero focus on anyone else but himself - and Nick. Nick, I can understand.

A person’s character resounds, reverberates in their writing style.
Jon has a superiority complex (most likely toward women) that he must flex. “Smack!” Take that b***h!

Take a cheap shot and run - this is my cheap shot back at Outhouse Jon. After 35 years of in road sales, dealing with about every slime ball and dirt bag possible I can get right down to Jon’s level without spitting in a beautiful face.

Stephen Anderson

Jon Thomas March 3, 2011 at 1:29 pm

Stephen,

You obviously either didn’t read my comment closely or you simply didn’t understand. There was nothing “superior” about it. I simply gave my opinion on her approach to Twitter, which I’m sure she shares with hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of other people. My approach to quality is most likely in the minority.

However, I took no cheap shots and I certainly didn’t run. I see no way in which I focused just on myself. I am pretty stunned at how a simple dissenting opinion could be misconstrued as a venomous attack.

Comparing me to someone who hits women? Calling me names? How am I the unprofessional one?

Ana March 3, 2011 at 9:03 pm: How many times do I have to ask you, Jon - get off my blog, please.
Obviously, you are the only one who doesn’t see that you ARE acting like a jerk around here.
@Stephen - thanks for standing up for me; I really needed it. Get deflated dealing with all this nonsense.
Reply
Lisa Drubec March 3, 2011 at 9:55 pm: Jon:
Unfortunately what we have here is “a failure to communicate.:”
In the above comment you referred to Ana as HER instead of Ana. That shows a lack of respect. I think that is where the superiority complex with regards to women can be seen.
Your initial comment to Ana was waay out of line. It was not just a dissenting opinion, rather an out an out attack. As someone who follows Nick and adores him (thats me) I can tell you he would not EVER go about things like you did.
I am not sure why you are surprised by the back lash of that comment. You also tried to speak for “others” by saying you are not the only one. Imagine that exact comment left on your blog? You readers would defend you and point out the utter and disgraceful lack of respect.
I always remember this rule…it’s not what you say, rather HOW you say it.
Lisa
Lisa Drubec´s last blog ..Top 5 Reasons I Will Unfollow You
Reply

Stephen Anderson March 2, 2011 at 5:18 pm

Ana,

My vote is “Quantity” every time.

The majority of twitters I have stumbled across were more inclined to want their message read and spread being the reason for a “follow” to begin with. Very little, if any interest in a dialogue.

No one can build a relationship with an ego-tripper. I should know, it’s one of my most outstanding character traits!

You are welcome of course for my comments,

Stephen

Ana March 2, 2011 at 9:29 pm: “I’ll follow you if you follow me” - how many times have I heard that on Twitter?
I am with you, Stephen - as you well know.
Reply

Arturo@Starting Your Own Business March 2, 2011 at 4:50 pm

Ana, having read both entries, I think you make a more solid argument for your case than Nick, though I understand and do not fully disagree with his position regarding the significance of nurturing quality connections through Twitter.

However, I find both your cases a bit flawed in one regard. Neither one of you explains why either methodology really works. Your aim is to argue why one is superior to the other. But both of you argue that the two have been successful in their own ways. And that’s because the two of you seem focused on achieving different objectives through the same mechanism — Twitter.

Granted the aim of the debate was to show us how Twitter is a terrific means to build an online presence and drive traffic to our sites to monetize it there through sales, you did a far better job showing us your own experience in achieving part of this, by sharing empirical evidence of your success (Google Analytics report).

But in the end you don’t explain why your success could transfer to me or someone else. And I think that’s where I find the flaw in both arguments, because Nick did likewise.

I have a theory to share with you that might help here and, since you’re a Christian, I’ll preface it with a couple of biblical reference. One is in the book of Judges 1:7. The other is in Matthew 22:35-40.

The former reference tells the story of king by the name of Adoni-Bezek. He was the leader of Canaanites, known as the “lord of lightning” who, upon realizing the defeat of 10,000 of his men at the hands of Hebrew champions Judah and Simeon, by the order of their captain Joshua, fled from the city, was captured and dealt a blow not unlike that which he had dealt to his own foes. He loss both his thumbs and big toes, rendering him thereby incapable of keeping balance for further flight or delivering useful manual labor. He became incapacitated by losing 20% of his digits.

Now let’s jump to the book of Matthew. There we find the story of Jesus answering to the question posed by a lawyer, who asked “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And Jesus gave him 2 commandments out of 10 that God had given Moses. He said to the lawyer, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

There is a natural phenomenon that has come to be known as Pareto’s law, which amounts to “the law of vital few” that says that roughly 80% of the natural and social effects of anything come from 20% of their causes. It is not known why this proportion holds in nature. But it does.

And, as you can see, even Jesus in saying that 2 out of the 10 commandments generate ALL the important principles spoken of in the entire Torah and the prophets, and just as Adoni-Bezek’s loss of his thumbs and toes rendered him powerless as a warrior, so does Pareto’s law give us insight into why using Twitter either for quality or quantity makes sense. And here’s why.

Twitter can give us access in the most effective and direct way to people who we might otherwise not be able to reach. That means that by focusing on getting connected via Twitter to the most vital individuals to our success, we may be able to side-step the quantity issue entirely. Why? Because those few, high-quality connections could generate the critical visibility, traffic and business that we want. The trade-off? Time. We’d need to spend 80% of out time seeking for the 20% of people who would produce 80% of the results that we want. That’s Nicks’ approach.

Now let’s look at your approach.

You prefer to spend your time blogging. So, to produce 80% of traffic results from a source like Twitter without spending 80% of your time tweeting, you need to play the numbers. You need tons of contacts and an automated process to procure them, with an added token element of humanity to ensure that you’re not perceived as being just an automaton but an actual twitterer. So you’re willing to spend 20% of your time creating the accounts and setting up the automation platform and loading the tweets to produce the 80% of results which, by the very nature of using automation rather than personal time, will produce a ton of contacts of lesser quality than any number of contacts that Nick would have secured in the same timeframe.

In short, both of you are using the Pareto principle but in different application, because the two of you have different preferences in how to use your time.

The question for the rest of us is how do we want to spend our time? Will more quality produce better results for us long-term than greater quantity short-term? Will greater quantity give our businesses short-term a greater likelihood of success long-term? Is there a happy balance between the two and can I find it as it applies to my particular circumstances and objectives?

That I think is a more intrinsically significant series of questions to ask than whether quality or quantity trump each other.

But then I’ve been known for being too professorial in my conversations. So, if I’ve already lost half of you with what I’ve shared, just tell me to buzz off next time.
Arturo@Starting Your Own Business´s last blog ..The Blood And Tears Dance Of University Student Debt

Ana March 2, 2011 at 9:23 pm

Good point, Arturo!

I pretty much assumed that since I run a traffic generation blog, my readers come here to learn more about traffic generation. That’s why I showed them how to use Twitter for that.

I am still not entirely sure what Nick’s Twitter goals are.

As for the rest of your comment, Arturo, all I can say it WOW. You gave me a lot to think about.

One flaw I see here though: you are saying that making yourself more visible with the right people will in the end generate similar result, like traffic.

I am very much into numbers and research (that’s why I loved your analogy - that and the fact that I love God and His word), and so far I haven’t seen any proof that retweets bring actual traffic.

If you take a look at the retweet and Facebook shares numbers on both of our posts, mine are higher, and the only reason Nick has what he has is because of me sharing his post through my networks. The reason I say that is because Nick is MIA today (I think he is pulling a 24-hour shift), so he can’t do it himself.

So without his active involvement, it seems like his social empire is limping.

Let’s see what Nick has to say on that!

Ana March 2, 2011 at 9:28 pm

PS Loved your blog - great niche!

Arturo@Starting Your Own Business March 2, 2011 at 10:04 pm

Now it’s my turn to say WOW, Ana. This is a GREAT compliment coming from you. Thank you!

On your point about visibility with the right people maybe in the end not generating similar results, like traffic, relative to collecting a mass of lower quality contacts using automation, I’d just like to point out how successful Nick already seems to be by the mere fact that he is connected to — who else? — you!

Imagine if he had a Twitter list of 2,000 Anas (I know…I know…fat chance, but…), which might have taken him, um, a couple of years to build up, right? That list represents, let’s say, one-fifth of the size of your own list that might have taken you 6 months to produce with automation. Can we assume that with 2,000 Anas in his Twitter list, eagerly interacting with him in well-nurtured relationships, his tweets might get not merely RT’ed but, more importantly, his tweeted posts might get linked-to by these powerfully influential and referencing Ana sites?

I’d bet you a hole in a virtual donut that they would, and this would drive traffic to his site a la Twitter. That would be the kind of interaction that he would generate, which certainly differs from your kind of interaction which begins at your blog with Twitter strangers.

But note the disparity in time between you and Nick before there is an effect on the traffic needle. I can’t prove it inductively, but by logical deduction, if we assume that the weight of intimate relationship is greater than that of a mass of connections to total strangers, then relationship building, though it takes longer to accomplish Nick’s style, would eventually prove good for business traffic-wise after a LONG time of nurturing these high-quality Twitter contacts.

Personally, I’m not willing to wait that long. I think there are other media that can more effectively develop these high-quality relationships than a microblog. So I’m with you in the end.

And what am I betting in potentially being wrong? Not much, just my future business.

But at least we’re in it together.
Arturo@Starting Your Own Business´s last blog ..The Blood And Tears Dance Of University Student Debt

Ana March 3, 2011 at 8:58 pm: Funny thing though, it was me who reached out to Nick. Yet I am labeled as a spammer by some of the commentators below.
You are right Arturo, IF it were possible to create such a great followship on Twitter and not spend every minute of your day tending to it, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
But given what Twitter is, it’s the only way for me to do what I need to do.
By the way, one of my readers, Mark, wasn’t able to post his comment for some reason, but he emailed it to me and here’s what he had to say to both of us:
“Seems I can’t reply to him, but I was amazed (A) by his comment, (B) the extensively wide Net you’ve cast.
Some generative free associations:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a Net.” Matthew 13:47
“I will follow…” U2
“It’s a magnificent idea – an idea that appears in India in the mythic image of the Net of Indra, which is a net of gems, where at every crossing of one thread over another there is a gem reflecting all the other reflective gems. Everything arises in mutual relation to everything else, so you can’t blame anybody for anything.” Joseph Campbell
Just wanted to remind you your work-making inroads for traffic and communication-is part of the ‘Brave New World’ Christ promises.”
Nice thought to end the day with.
Reply

Steve Roy March 2, 2011 at 4:19 pm

Nick,
I am on board with your philosophy, however your case against Ana’s isn’t strong enough. She made some great points in her post and I’m hoping you come back with some powerful responses!
Steve Roy´s last blog ..The Lost Art Of Giving

Ingrid Abboud March 2, 2011 at 11:46 am

Hey Nick and Hola Ana,

I’ve read both posts and they each make great cases.
I was and am a firm believer of quality over quantity. So far, it seems to be working for me and I am making the time I need to interact with folks that interest me. I realize that this is a much slower method but it has its perks.

A few of the people I’ve met online via Twitter - are truly exceptional. Unless if they’ve managed to dupe me for months then I can call them a few friends now.

They do much of the things RLF do except from afar. They support you (and vice versa), they ask about you, they show interest, they share their stories with you, sometimes they tell about something personal in their life if they trust you enough, they make you laugh, the teach you, they ask you how your day is going, they tease you with silly jokes, they recommend some of their friends to you, they take the time to ask questions, they help when you need it…

Those type of followers are what I call quality!!! They add value to your work by commenting and sharing their views and more. You don’t make those kind of friends if you don’t give them the time of day.

However, Ana made some pretty good points as well in her GP over at your place. It put a few things into perspective and maybe even realize the importance of quantity. Nice job on that Ana. I know that a lot of people usually prefer quality over quantity but you did a heck of a job with your counter-argument and provided stats to back it up.

All in all, I suppose it will always depend on what you’re looking for and what you’re aiming to achieved through out your blogging journey. I know I want a bit of both - actually a lot of both lol. But I think for now, I will continue to go about it the way I have and see where it leads me. You never know though .

Thanks to both of you for a great job. 2 excellent posts worth reading and taking into consideration.

Cheers Nick - and welcome back!
Ciao Tzarina
Ingrid Abboud´s last blog ..Bring IT! What Sets You Apart from Other Bloggers

Ana March 2, 2011 at 9:12 pm: You are definitely quality all around, Ingrid.
However, isn’t it your goal for your quality Twitter followers to come to your blog, read your content, share it? I don’t believe you just stay on Twitter and never visit each other’s humble blog-abodes, right?
Which is exactly what I am doing; just in reverse. I prefer much more close and personal relationships not confined by 140 characters.
Glad you are one of them!
Reply

Jon Thomas March 2, 2011 at 11:30 am

Tweeting just for traffic? Following only 46 people? Automating links and spamming (err…”automating”) Direct Messages (which are uninvited and clog my DM inbox).

Being a part of Nick’s SiteSketch101 blog is almost a slam dunk that I will follow a person. Any friend of Nick’s is a friend of mine. However, after seeing how you treat Twitter, and ultimately your followers, you will not be getting my follow.

Will that leave you weeping in sorrow? Of course not. I’m sure it means little to you. But to consider it one piece of evidence that Nick’s approach of value and relationship building instead of spamming (yes, for the most part you are spamming, IMO) is the better approach if you’re in the business of people. If your only goal is to improve your Google Analytics figures and get advertising, then it makes sense.

Just one additional note. Because of the relationship Nick and I built on Twitter, he has become one of the closest friends I have yet to meet in real life. So much that when I had a problem with my site, I called Nick (via Skype…c’mon, we’re geeks) for help. He was already in bed and clearly asleep, but refused to let me let him go back to bed and stayed up with me to fix the problem. I knew I could count on him because of the relationship we built on Twitter, the same one you prefer to use to further your own causes.

Anytime Nick needs anything from me, he knows I’ll come through because that’s what he did for me, and it all started on Twitter. And I know I’m not the only one who feels this way about Nick. And I know I’m not the only one who will not be following you after seeing the way you treat the medium. And Nick is not the only one I’ve created a true relationship with simply through connecting on Twitter.

How many of your followers would do the same for you?

Jon Thomas
@Story_Jon
Jon Thomas´s last blog ..JJ Abram’s TED Presentation – The Mystery Box

Gib@Gibson Goff-The Enlightened Traveler March 2, 2011 at 3:25 pm

I would!

Recently when I switched to WP from Blogger I discovered a few bugs in the theme. I wrote to Ana personally asking for help. She answered, personally. She followed up repeatedly. When the problem still couldn’t be solved she asked me for my login information and went as far as to log on, and attempt to fix my blog theme. She took time out of her schedule to try and fix my blog.

Ana has never asked for anything in return.

Yes, she’s a business person. But behind that, she’s pure gold.

Ana March 2, 2011 at 9:08 pm: @Gibson - thanks so much, Gibson. I was really taken back by Jon’s comment. Wasn’t ready to be flogged by some dude I’ll never talk to again - on my own blog.
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Ana March 2, 2011 at 9:06 pm

Have you had a chance to take a look at my blog, Jon?

Apparently not.

I get up to a hundred emails per day, plus another 50 or so comments, plus another 50 or so personal interactions on Twitter and Facebook.

All answered by me, personally.

You think I could’ve grown a blog like this in 7 months if I didn’t get to know each and every one of my commentator and subscriber?

You bet I’ll send an automated DM to let people know I am here.

And you are right, I won’t cry much if you never follow me on Twitter or anywhere else; I have distaste for people who come to my house and disrespect me like you did.

Lisa@productive vs effective March 3, 2011 at 11:31 am

I know right where all that came from. Very sad indeed.
Lisa@productive vs effective´s last blog ..400000 In Prizes- Blog Contest

Jon Thomas March 3, 2011 at 12:30 pm

You have to understand a few things, in no particular order.

I didn’t know that being honest was considered “flogged.” I’ve read and reread my comment and I don’t see how it’s deemed as so negative and disrespectful. Granted, I don’t consider it positive, but I do consider it a response to a two-sided argument. I took my side, which is not the same as your side. What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that what you’re looking for? What was disrespectful? There was nothing “sad” about it.

If I came here and said that your blog sucks and your twitter sucks and your cat sucks yada yada yada, then yes, that would be disrespectful and rude. All I said was that you wouldn’t get my follow because of your approach to the channel. PLENTY of people who I follow don’t follow me back, and vice versa. And plenty of people unfollow me for one reason or another. It’s a trivial thing, which is why I know you’re not losing any sleep over it. No need to repeat it. And it didn’t mean that I wouldn’t follow you elsewhere. The argument was just focused at your Twitter.

Guy Kawasaki has a team of people behind his Twitter where they tweet links all the time, daily, with little-to-no reciprocal communication. I won’t follow him. However I do own some of his books, and I do read his blog, and I would listen to him present.

I actually read a few of your personal replies to comments and saw this, “I pretty much assumed that since I run a traffic generation blog, my readers come here to learn more about traffic generation. That’s why I showed them how to use Twitter for that.” <—That's something you should have said in your blog post, but didn't. That frames your approach to Twitter from your audience's perspective. However, in your article you frame your approach from YOUR perspective, "…the more followers I have, the more opportunities I’ll have to “invite” them to my blog." That just doesn't sound right to me. That sounds like your helping yourself. That may not be reality, but it's MY PERCEIVED reality - thus it's all I know. Perception is reality.

Whether or not a blog vs. twitter vs. Facebook is the best place for real networking is a totally different argument. Though if you truly believe that your blog is better than Twitter or any other channel to interact, then you should have said that as well. I think this argument would have made more sense if you said "Twitter is not the best place to interact - my blog is - which is why I try so hard to drive traffic (via Twitter) to my blog" instead of "Twitter is best used as a traffic generator." Framing it the way you did made it seem like you didn't value connections, only traffic, which I presume drives ad revenue.

I'm a very open, honest, and respectable guy. I don't troll on other people's sites and leave disparaging comments. I certainly didn't do that to you. I read both arguments and gave my opinion. It may be a dissenting opinion, but it's mine. And you, along with anyone else, are welcome to express yours.

My question, "How many of your followers would do the same for you?" wasn't rhetorical. I wanted to hear answers. I wanted to hear/learn how someone can remain focused on relationships while they are using one of the most powerful relationship-building tools (my opinion) in Twitter and cannibalizing it by focusing on traffic, sending auto-DMs, and not following back. I wanted to see the response. I didn't expect you do take such offense.

Gib's response was great and exactly what I was looking for. I expected something similar from you.

Jon

Ana March 3, 2011 at 1:14 pm

Yes, your comment was disrespectful, Jon - I always welcome opposing opinions and get plenty of them, but your definitely stood out for the amount of venom that you added to it.

No, you don’t get to “expect” anything from me.

Feel free to never come back to my blog; I don’t have time to answer your pointless comments.

Jon Thomas March 3, 2011 at 1:37 pm

There was no venom. Apparently you live in a perfect world where everyone’s comments are supportive of your viewpoints. That’s not reality, and constant agreement certainly doesn’t help anyone learn to accept new approaches or viewpoints.

I am all for open communication and listening. Since you allowed Nick to post his opposing viewpoint on your blog (and vice versa), I’m surprised you’d be so averse to a conversation where two people have two different opinions.

Since you aren’t handling this with a professional attitude, I will absolutely accept your invitation to leave. I will continue to converse with commenters on my own blog, especially those who have dissenting viewpoints from my own. I welcome the discussion.

Ana March 3, 2011 at 8:35 pm: As I mentioned before, Jon - I am always open to opposing views.
It’s the TONE that’s the problem. The second the argument gets unprofessional and UNREASONABLE, like yours, it becomes pointless to continue.
So once again, please stop wasting my blog bandwidth and both of out time.
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Sanjeev Sharma@Random Raves & Rants of Sanjeev March 2, 2011 at 11:01 am

I have read both the posts and I think both quantity AND quality are necessary for a business.

You need to start with a large quantity of suspects out of which you will filter out great quality prospects, many of whom will eventually become your friends and customers.

Ana March 2, 2011 at 9:01 pm: Very well said, Sanjeev - I am very much for quality… on my blog that is.
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zammax@new mobile phone March 2, 2011 at 11:00 am

I am still sure that quality is better than quantity. Making a lot of friends via social networking sites are great but we have to consider whether the time spent to follow, unfollow, commenting and answering is equal with the benefit?

Ana March 2, 2011 at 8:59 pm: If by “benefit” you mean free targeted traffic generation, then definitely.
And if I have to spend 20-30 min per day to generate about 1200 visitors per month, I’ll do it in a heart beat.
How much traffic can quality generate?
Ana´s last blog ..Anyone Should Blog 3 Types of Blogs and 3 Ways to Handle Them
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Heather C Stephens March 2, 2011 at 9:59 am

HI Nick,

Great post, I certainly see your point about engaging and connecting with others to put the social in social media, but with only so much time in the day, I struggle to prioritize it all and get it all in. My blog, by far, is the best social media relationship incubator I know of, with facebook second, and twitter third. And with twitter on the bottom of my list, I end up letting it slide when things get hectic.

Love to know how you balance it all, time-wise.

Heather
Heather C Stephens´s last blog ..Frosty February Freebies and Fantastic Followers

Ana March 2, 2011 at 8:56 pm: I am with you, Heather: I have about 20-30 min per day for Twitter. Better make the best of it and that’s how I do it.
Ana´s last blog ..List Building- When I Want Your Opinion- I’ll Ask for It… Asking Now
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Jane@Goal Setting March 2, 2011 at 9:51 am

Well yes, I am not going to comment about the quality-quantity thing here, I have already done that at Nick’s blog.

But as you have pointed out here Nick, I was one of those people following the “incredibly popular trend”. But I recently did a very big washout at my Twitter account, and have made the clouds clear so that I can see and interact with real people.

I am writing a post on the why and how of it. I surely have to link to these two posts of yours and Ana.

Jane.
Jane@Goal Setting´s last blog ..Should You Be Organized In Order To Be Productive

Ana March 2, 2011 at 8:57 pm: Look forward to it, Jane. I know many readers are still trying to figure it out; yet another perspective might help.
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GabrieIe Maidecchi@Esimple Studios March 2, 2011 at 9:29 am

Very nice idea this face off post, in fact I came here directly from Nick’s blog after having read Ana’s one.
As I said there, I confirm quantity-vs-quality is still something I have to wrap my head around, but as Ana mentioned in her reply to me, there’s no reason not to at least try to integrate both methods.
I have to agree, after having read this side as well. You can aim for a better quantity without compromising your quality as well. It’s surely more difficult than focusing on a single side of the equation, but the results are kinda evident.
GabrieIe Maidecchi@Esimple Studios´s last blog ..What Can You Learn From Your Blog’s Niche

Ana March 2, 2011 at 8:55 pm: It all depends on your goals. Mine are traffic generation; Nick’s are… well I am not sure yet.
Figure out what you want out of Twitter and at accordingly.
Ana´s last blog ..Search Engine Ranking Tip- How to Search Google Incognito
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Gib@Gibson Goff-The Enlightened Traveler March 2, 2011 at 9:12 am

We need to all raise our focus to the outcomes, not the persona or the methodology. Twitter is the locomotive. But you’re both trying to get to 2 different stations. And you’re both on the right train, going to the right place.

I think the true difference here is ‘BRAND LOYALTY’ vs ‘PROVIDER LOYALTY’. Ana is building a ‘Brand’ - Ana Hoffman - Traffic Generation Cafe. Provider of money making ideas and advice to all bloggers. Her USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is that she knows her stuff! And everyone, from complete newby to veteran can find great ideas and genuine help from Ana. Cadillac. Mercedes. Rollsssssss Royce!

Nick is building a ‘Provider’ - Nick. That’s Nick. He has a blog (actually a couple’a few . .). But that’s NICK! I believe it because Nick said it. Nick helped me out today. Nick passed the love around today and we all got to share. NICK! Gold. Platinum. Diamonds.

Nicks methods wouldn’t work for Ana, and Ana’s won’t work for Nick. But I know and love both of them. And so do you, because of who they are. Try imagining this place without Nick, or Ana.

They are just lucky enough to have found what works for them.

Tracey Rissik March 2, 2011 at 2:01 pm

Thanks to Ana and Nick for thought-provoking points of view - and “Gib@Gibson Goff”, I really liked your analogy so thanks for that too!

I went more for quantity (and some automated following & replying) for the past 2 & 1/2 years until about a month ago - when I got SO fed up with trying to find who I *actually* wanted to read stuff from - that I switched off the automation, started a MAJOR cleansing of who I followed, and I have to confess I’m feeling less Twitter-stress as a result I still have way more followers than I can comfortably handle, but I’ve set myself an ongoing of unfollowing at least 5 people a day, if their tweets are of no interest, or aren’t relevant, to me.

So I guess that means I’m supporting the “quality” camp here - although I can definitely see how the “quantity” option has it merits, depending on what you want from your Twitter account perhaps.

Thanks Ana & Nick for great blogs & tweets!

Tracey
@traci_london
Tracey Rissik´s last blog ..Regular backing up – your business depends on it!

Ana March 2, 2011 at 8:52 pm: I actually did the same with my main Twitter account, Tracey - unfollowed EVERYONE and started following only people who I am interested in - about 50 thus far.
Sure lots of my “followers” fell away after I did that, but that’s OK. That’s my quality account.
Ana´s last blog ..Sunday Coffee with Ana- Quit Blogging Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
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Ana March 2, 2011 at 8:51 pm

Wow, Gibson - you made me teary-eyed!

I’ve never seen it this way… And now thinking about it, I don’t see how you are not right.

We both have different purposes. And whatever we do, works for us.

I just wish Nick went a bit more into WHY he’s on Twitter; what his ultimate goals are.

Maybe he will, when he gets to these comments.
Ana´s last blog ..How KeywordLuv Can Get You on the First Page of Google

Lisa@productive vs effective March 3, 2011 at 11:32 am: Gibby has that effect!!
Lisa@productive vs effective´s last blog ..Can We Talk-Keyword Research & Rainbow Poop
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Steve@how to go green March 2, 2011 at 9:02 am

Ana and Nick: I am still somewhat skeptical about how valuable Twitter is. Since I know that I cannot afford to spend much time monitoring tweets throughout the day, I have tried to largely automate Tweets (@greenwise1). It built the followers up steadily for a while and then plateaued. I get some traffic from Twitter, but it has never been above about 5th place. Perhaps if I engaged more, as both of you recommend, Twitter would provide a bigger pay off. For me, I don;t think Twitter is useless; I just have found so far that the cost in time is not worth the value it provides. (But I am admittedly less experienced and ready to be set straight!)
Steve@how to go green´s last blog ..How To Cut Gasoline Consumption and Carbon Emissions

Ana March 2, 2011 at 8:46 pm: Hi, Steve - before I started using Twitter 8 months ago, I learned everything I could about it.
Tried a few ways, and this is what works for me. It generates tons of traffic that converts. And that works for me.
Ana´s last blog ..List Building- When I Want Your Opinion- I’ll Ask for It… Asking Now
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sreekumar sukumaran March 2, 2011 at 8:52 am

Both are equally important in their right perspective. And surely excess of both affect you adversely.

Mavis Nong @ Attraction Marketing March 2, 2011 at 8:04 am

Hey Nick,

Great points you’re sharing here. Although I use automated software for certain tasks, I still interact with people, respond to mentions/questions and thank people for the retweets

As you pointed out, the key is to engage with your followers and add a personal touch.

Thanks for sharing your insights, Nick.

All the best,
Mavis
Mavis Nong @ Attraction Marketing´s last blog ..How To Speed Up Your Blog So You Stop Annoying Your Visitors

Cathy Presland March 2, 2011 at 7:49 am

I think twitter has changed from the days when we could generate a lot of followers with good content to now when we are just swamped with content - good and bad - and it’s better to go and reach out to people.

I guess the analogy is like an intimate dinner party where we can expect someone to engage us in conversation (the old days) compared to a huge gathering where we just need to break into a group or risk standing alone by the back wall…

Like the debate though
Cathy
Cathy Presland´s last blog ..Niche Strategy – I Don’t Need One!

Ana March 2, 2011 at 8:43 pm: To me, Twitter is more like drinking out of Niagra Falls. You make the best of it. That’s it.
Ana´s last blog ..Sunday Coffee with Ana- DoFollow- NoFollow and More
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Sandy March 2, 2011 at 7:36 am

I think it is a matter of degree and therefore this is a bit of a pillow fight. I’m sure the Quantity people have quality standards and thet the Quality people have time limits on their chuminess.

False dichotomy really.

Ana March 2, 2011 at 11:15 am: Wow, lots of big words, Sandy! Sounds like you are more of a quantity person…
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Robert Dempsey@Internet Marketing Strategies March 2, 2011 at 7:11 am

Alright let’s get it on!

So I used to be a quality over quantity kind of guy, and have since changed my mind (sorry Brankica). First here’s how I use Twitter.

I have an automated tool that allows me to follow/unfollow people. I follow the followers of certain people I follow, and follow anyone who follows me. It’s just nice. I also wait 7 days before unfollowing anyone, as some people don’t use Twitter as much as I do, which is every day.

Having said that, let me say how I use Twitter. I reply to everyone that sends me an ‘@’ message. I retweet many people’s links (some automagically), and thanks others for retweeting mine. I also am sure to follow anyone who retweets my stuff, and also get in touch with them to strike up more of a conversation.

This is turning into a blog post so perhaps I’ll leave it here and go write one on the depth of relationship most of us have with others on Twitter…
Robert Dempsey@Internet Marketing Strategies´s last blog ..Discover Your Top 5 AdWords Competitors- For 5 Bucks

Ana March 2, 2011 at 8:42 pm: That’s EXACTLY how I do it as well, Robert. That, plus 5 more accounts.
There’s no reason why this can’t work: quantity traffic generation with quality communication with those who want to.
Ana´s last blog ..Appetite For Traffic The Secret Is in the Source
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Dave Lucas in New York March 2, 2011 at 6:33 am

Of all the online “friends” I have made since my first blog appeared in 2003, I wonder if there are any of them I could truly call upon if I were truly “a friend in need”… Maybe I should fly across the country to commiserate (sp?) in person????

Ana March 2, 2011 at 8:40 pm

I know I can, Dave, and I’ve been online for a lot less than you.

Friends are not found on Twitter - that I know.
Ana´s last blog ..Dofollow Nofollow Links- Is There a Happy Medium

Jack Foley March 3, 2011 at 1:56 am

So basically Anna, u use a quantity strategy to drive traffic to your quality content on your blog..

Makes sense to want to engage with them on your blog instead of on twitter

I with u with that strategy.. as Ive never really “connected” with alot of people on twitter..

Cheers