Why you should take the time to write a good Twitter bio

I try to follow back all Twitter followers who are real people and who don’t seem to have spam potential, so I always take a quick peek at people’s profiles, especially their bios and recent tweets,  before clicking “Follow.”

Sometimes, though, profile pages can be misleading.

This morning, one follower’s profile had no bio, and the most recent tweet began with this:

“I’ve received 3 photos of her in various states of dress/undress…”

It’s a good thing I checked further, because this was the tweet that preceded it:

“The dress-up box I made for my niece for Xmas seems to be an unabashed success.”

And here is the full tweet I’d read at first:

“I’ve received 3 photos of her in various states of dress/undress; in all, she maintains clip on earrings and pearls.”

Definitely someone I want to follow, but I almost didn’t.

Be sure to read tips from GalleyCat on 5 Twitter Profile Mistakes Writers Should Avoid (I added my location to my Twitter bio after reading it).

On a different note, my post today at Creative Synthesis is on the value of slowing down:

“Seligman describes how intellectual speed ‘comes at a cost’ by sharing his own experience in graduate school, where he earned a Ph.D. in two years and eight months: ‘I found myself missing nuances and taking shortcuts when I should have taken the mental equivalent of a deep breath. I found myself skimming and scanning when I should have been reading every word. I found myself listening poorly to others: I would figure out where they were headed after the first few words and then interrupt. And I was anxious all the time—speed and anxiety go together…'” Read More

Psychology Today image