“To follow or not to follow? How do you decide?”

Here's how Phil Johnson, writing in Advertising Age, decides:

"When somebody new crosses my path, I take a look at their last 10 tweets and ask myself three sets of questions:

  1. Can I learn something from this person? Does he connect me with information that I would never find on my own?
  2. Is she original? Does she have a distinct voice and make interesting observations about the world and business?
  3. If I'm not getting a clear answer, I ask the ultimate question, "Would I drink with him?"

If I know the person, there's a good chance I'll follow them. If I don't, I'll look at their profile and check out a website if they provide a link. If they're "following" hundreds of people, I figure they're just trying to pump up their numbers and I block them.

When I hear someone sneer, "I don't care about what someone had for breakfast," as a way of dismissing something about which they are clearly ignorant… I immediately think: I don't remember the last time I saw a tweet like that. Why would I follow someone with so little to say? No, this is just an easy rationale for learning something new.