Focus on smaller and better quality and use it better

My late brother in law apparently used to tell girls he wasn’t particularly well endowed but was skilled at using it effectively. The line apparently worked quite well (I never fact checked it) for him and it comes to mind when I think about the push for more followers on Twitter, more Facebook subscribers and Google+ contacts.

When it comes to social connections, there is some value in having substantial followings and the general influence that confers on a person but I think more meaningful social groups probably tend to be smaller and more focused. The same thing tends to apply to clients.

The problem with large followings is that not all your followers read and ascribe to everything you say. I probably wouldn’t turn away a million fanatical Twitter followers if they arrived tomorrow but I find that I have better conversations with a dozen or so interested and engaged connections who share an interest in what I happen to be thinking or talking about at the time than the aggregated group of people who notionally follow me on various platforms.

Just a thought.