Researchers at Carnegie Mellon, MIT and Georgia Tech joined forces to get a sense of how most tweets go over. They created a website called Who Gives a Tweet? that was sort of like a Hot or Not for tweets: Users were promised feedback on their tweets if they agreed to anonymously rate tweets for people they already follow.
Over 19 days in December and January, 1,443 visitors to the site rated 43,738 tweets from 2,014 accounts.
The verdict? Respondents liked 36% of the tweets, disliked 25% and ranked their reaction to the remaining 39% as neutral. "A well-received tweet is not all that common," Michael Bernstein, a doctoral student at MIT who worked on the project, wrote in a blog post. "A significant amount of content is considered not worth reading, for a variety of reasons."
Tweets that were part of a semi-private conversation were among the most reviled. Also unpopular: Tweets relating to a mood ("So tired today") or activity ("Just ate a sandwich.") On the other hand, sharing information, asking questions of followers and self-promotion, like linking to a story you just wrote (if you're a journalist) were more likable.
The study's authors offered a few suggestions for producing better tweets:
Nobody cares about old news. Twitter is best for sharing breaking news.
Image courtesy of iStock, mgkaya
Don't be afraid to add your own opinion to an article you're sharing. Your followers will appreciate your two cents and it will generate more clicks
Image courtesy of iStock, alum
No need to show off with your knowledge of all the shortcuts. No one really knows what an MT is anyways except for the "Twitterati." Simple RT's and hashtags will work -- just don't use them too much.
Image courtesy of iStock, franckreporter
We're sure it tasted great and the presentation was fantastic, but every single time it just looks like another sandwich to your followers. You might as well be posting pictures of a standard PB and J. Unless your sandwich has a llama head in it, don't post it.
"Reviewers reserved a special hatred for Foursquare location check-ins," the blog post notes.
Image courtesy of iStock, cislander
Yes, we just told you to not be verbose, but the opposite also applies. Think of yourself as the Goldilocks of tweet length and you'll be just fine.
Image courtesy of iStock, malerapaso
'Nuff said.
Image courtesy of iStock, AnitaPatterson
If you want people to click through, don't give away the whole story in your tweet. Let your inner headline writer loose.
Image courtesy of iStock, Mordolff
Don't just gossip or provide mundane details of your life. The public thinks you're interesting; don't go and ruin that with tweets about the blah moments of your life that sound just like our own
Image courtesy of iStock, NVS_Inc
Nobody cares about old news. Twitter is best for sharing breaking news.
Image courtesy of iStock, mgkaya
Don't be afraid to add your own opinion to an article you're sharing. Your followers will appreciate your two cents and it will generate more clicks
Image courtesy of iStock, alum
Keep it simple, stupid. There's only 140 characters for a reason. No need to go off for nearly a hundred tweets in a row a la Kanye West.
Image courtesy of iStock, marekuliasz
No need to show off with your knowledge of all the shortcuts. No one really knows what an MT is anyways except for the "Twitterati." Simple RT's and hashtags will work -- just don't use them too much.
Image courtesy of iStock, franckreporter
We're sure it tasted great and the presentation was fantastic, but every single time it just looks like another sandwich to your followers. You might as well be posting pictures of a standard PB and J. Unless your sandwich has a llama head in it, don't post it.
"Reviewers reserved a special hatred for Foursquare location check-ins," the blog post notes.
Image courtesy of iStock, cislander
Yes, we just told you to not be verbose, but the opposite also applies. Think of yourself as the Goldilocks of tweet length and you'll be just fine.
Image courtesy of iStock, malerapaso
'Nuff said.
Image courtesy of iStock, AnitaPatterson
If you want people to click through, don't give away the whole story in your tweet. Let your inner headline writer loose.
Image courtesy of iStock, Mordolff
Don't just gossip or provide mundane details of your life. The public thinks you're interesting; don't go and ruin that with tweets about the blah moments of your life that sound just like our own
Image courtesy of iStock, NVS_Inc
- Don't tweet old links.
- Add an opinion or fact to an ongoing story.
- Keep it short.
- Don't go crazy with the Twitter syntax; limit use of hashtags and @mentions, etc.
- Don't tweet about the sandwich you just ate. "Reviewers reserved a special hatred for Foursquare location check-ins," the blog post notes.
- Provide context. Tweets that are too short also annoy users.
- Don't whine.
- Tease content. If you want people to click through, don't give away the whole story in your tweet.
- If you're a public figure, provide insights, don't gossip or provide mundane details of your life.
What do you think? Are there tweets that get under your skin as well? What tips would you offer. Let us know in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, SimmiSimons
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