Posted on by Frank - Follow me on Twitter

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I don’t think one day of being on Twitter goes by without someone asking to be re-tweeted.  I know everyone wants people to see what they find interesting, but if someone likes something they will re-tweet it on their own.  In order to have someone RT you, you need to contribute to discussions.  If all you do is post things and never reply to someone else or RT them, then reciprocity will not play a factor here.  I personally don’t think it’s a wrong thing to ask if someone can re-tweet what you post on Twitter, but it honestly comes off as begging!

When someone asks for a re-tweet on Twitter, it reminds of me of a person saying, “can you please drive me to Wal-Mart so I can get food?  I know I ask you all the time, but can you do it anyway?”  First of all, where’s the word PLEASE?  That never hurt anyone.  If you want someone to re-tweet you, maybe they will be more likely to if you said please instead of making it a command.  This outlook I have was all triggered when I saw a certain “tweet” today.  It may sound like I am ranting, but I think if you have been using Twitter for a while, the constant asking for re-tweets may become annoying.

Let’s look at this at another angle.  Everyone wants to be recognized and feel important.  That’s all good, but the community you are surrounding yourself in has to feel that you are providing important information to the discussion.  If you make a post on Twitter saying, “I ate peanut butter.”  You aren’t going to get any reactions, but post a news headline that nobody else has mentioned yet and I guarantee you will be re-tweeted.  My overall point here is to provide something that educates people!

What do you think about the people on Twitter asking to be re-tweeted?

Further reading:

Re-Tweets Are The Big Thing On Twitter

Twitter Updates Have Been Around Forever

How Is Twitter Being Used?

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