I am in the process of removing about half of the people I follow. If you want to know why then read on.

I started using Twitter actively around February this year. Without cheating, I got about 5400 followers in about five months. I spent a lot of time on Twitter – to much time. Twitter felt like a chore. After a while I did something which is not good: I posted to many links and replied very little to people sending me tweets. For that I am sorry.

Many have asked me why I more or less stopped Tweeting, and the answer lies partly in the above situation: Twitter felt like a chore. Another part is the fact that I started spending more and more time over at Friendfeed. I found that Friendfeed has a lot what to offer (an it still does until it is merged with Facebook). The discussions are of high quality and value. Trying to balance Friendfeed and Twitter was – and still is – a challenge.

Something had to happen, so I took time off both Friendfeed, Facebook and Twitter for about six weeks this summer. This gave me time to start again and rethink my strategy for using Social Networks. I love social networks, but I love my “real” life more.

So, I will still differentiate the different networks like I did before, but the way I use Twitter is changing fast:

• Facebook will be for people I have met (a few exceptions apply). I no longer cross post between Facebook and other networks, as the group of people in each network is different. I also post to Facebook in Norwegian only.
• Friendfeed will be used for detailed discussions and is a good source of information related to the Tech industry and Social Networks.
  • I normally do not subscribe to the people subscribing to me, because Friendfeed has the best search function. I use the search feature to find things that interest me posted by anyone on Friendfeed. Thus, I don’t need to spend time managing a subscriber/follower list like on Twitter. (I know I can use search at Twitter, but there is no contest between the two services as far as search goes.)
  • I use Friendfeed’s Friends and Group feature to organize the people I do subscribe to, all in a great web interface.
  • My only gripe with Friendfeed is the lack of posts related to Project Management and Enterprise Architecture. I do believe this will change once Friendfeed and Facebook is merged together.
• Twitter – I used to follow back anyone and everyone. I will now follow back if the person:
  • Is a person and not spammer
  • Does not try to sells me stuff
  • Is not tweeting stuff like “how to gain followers fast”
  • Works with Tech, CRM, Project Management or other topics related to my professional life
  • Is a person that I would like to maintain a relationship with in my personal life.
  • Or, is a person with humor and personality that contribute to Twitter in a positive manner.
• Linkedin – For professional relations, past and present. (Though I do not spend much time on the site)
• Plaxo – Used for exchange of contact information. I am thinking of deleting the account, as they now charge for Outlook integration
• Google Reader – Still used as a primary source of all types of information, but the service is increasingly getting more and better features targeting the social networks scene.

A consequence of my changed strategy is that I am following fewer and fewer people on Twitter. Do not take it personally if I am not following you back. I do not take it personally if people stop following me. I still read all replies to me and respond to them. In fact, the best way to get me to follow you back, is to send me a reply. The goal here is to get a Twitter stream tailored to my interest and the time I have available to spend on Twitter.

A side effect of this: You can trust that the list of people that I do follow, are all worthy of a #followfriday recommendation. (I am not done with cleaning out the list, but I am getting there.)

My strategy might seem arrogant to you. It is not meant to be. I just would like to get back to the point where I find Twitter to be fun again, and to a point where I can share my own thoughts, ideas and information with the community.

Thank you for reading!