Last Updated on October 31, 2022 by Tom Kane
I’ve been using Twitter as my go to social media platform since March 2011. My interaction with other users is fine, not as good as the likes and RTs some get, but I’m not complaining. After all, in just over eleven years, I’ve amassed almost 16,000 followers, so I must be doing something right. I can only put it down to some liking my writing, because I’ve little else to offer. So, I’ve been quite pleased to have a steady stream of followers and always try and follow back on a regular basis. But quite suddenly, and inexplicably, I hit a brick wall.
Followers still followed, but suddenly I wasn’t allowed to click on the follow button of those who had followed me. Seems I was condemned to some sort of Twitter Jail for some mysterious transgression. I finally (I think) worked out what that transgression is. I have too many followers.
My follower numbers are quite small compared to some accounts, like some movie stars, bands/singers or social media personalities for example. Which made me wonder why I was being picked on. There was no ready answer that I could discern from Twitter. So, I investigated my followers to see if there is anything I’m missing about them. I used an app called Socialdog which retrieved my data. Low and behold I was a little shocked when I discovered about half of my followers were inactive on Twitter. Not only were they inactive with me, but they were also inactive with everyone else it seemed. But it got worse. There were quite a few who follow me that I haven’t followed back, and that’s a bad look I would have thought.
Maybe the app is inaccurate, perhaps many of these inactive followers are no longer with us, or simply abandoned Twitter as a lost cause. In any event, whittling these inactive followers down every now and then has allowed me to add followers at the click of a button, rather than keep getting an error message.
So, the message here is clear, managing your Twitter followers can be a little more on-hands than some of us suspect. But I do wish Twitter’s help options were a little more transparent in the information they offer. Sometimes it feels like the answer to a question is a state secret.
Addendum
It appears my above piece was both correct and in error. In the last few days, quite a few people who were following me have now stopped following me. Are these the same people who are no longer active on Twitter? Or were they simply watching and reading my posts?
I have no idea, but I am going to scrutinise my follower goings on more closely, so as not to unfollow where it isn’t warranted.
Isn’t social media complicated.
Copyright © Tom Kane 2022
Click the hashtag for more posts on – #IndieAuthor
You just can’t judge a book by its cover. So maybe you would like to read one of my books as well as admire the cover.
Download a FREE copy of The Brittle Sea.
Historical fiction
Book One: The Brittle Sea – FREE eBook on most readers
Book Two: The Brittle Land – $1.99 on most eReaders
Book Three: The Brittle Sky – $1.99 on most eReaders
Get Your eBook now from any of the retailers below.
Just click on the blue button.
Synopsis
A young Magda Asparov travels alone from her home in Ukraine to America, to marry Matthew Turner, an unscrupulous American businessman. It’s an arranged marriage and part of the dowry is land in America the Asparovs own. But this parcel of land holds a secret only Turner is aware of. It has a huge reservoir of oil beneath it.
Magda’s journey is cut-short when her ship, the Titanic, hits an iceberg & sinks.
Magda is rescued by another ship, captained by Richard Blackmore.
In the ship’s sickbay, it’s discovered the survivor has lost her memory. The crew of the rescue ship give the survivor a name, Maggie, to use until her memory returns. But as the ship sails to New York a new personality in Maggie takes hold, stifling Magda in the process.
On reaching New York, Maggie accepts Captain Blackmore’s offer of help and occupies Blackmore’s guest room in his apartment. But over time, the couple fall in love.
Meanwhile, Matthew Turner feels Magda is still alive and has unleashed his henchman, William Harker, a crook, con artist, money shark and murderer. Turner hates to feel his investment has slipped through his fingers and is keen to track Magda down and keep alive his hopes of cashing in on her oil field. Harker is told to find any trace of Magda among the survivors arriving in New York.
Harker discovers Magda is alive but is unaware of who she is. Harker makes his plans to snatch Magda away from Blackmore. Leaving Blackmore as collateral damage and his life in ruins.
Reviews
“This one has it all – mystery, corruption, murder, kidnapping, love, revenge. Don’t plan to read it as a stand alone. You’ll definitely want the next books in the trilogy because the ending of book one is a cliff hanger. I couldn’t put this book down although I became so worried about the fate of Blackmore I had to regroup myself. Tom Kane did one helluva job writing this set.”
“This book has everything Romance, Murder, Mystery which automatically hooks you to the story.”
“Set against the backdrop of early 20th century America, an incredible story of love, loss, injustice, perseverance, mental illness & heartbreak.”
“A fictional romp through history, full of well-written twists & turns.
An arranged marriage, tragic love story & a bad guy you’ll love to hate.”
Get Your eBook now from any of the retailers below.
Just click on the blue button.
For more information on my books, sign up for my mailing list.
MAILING LIST
