One of the earliest and most common ways tweeps gain followers is through the principle of reciprocity. In essence, a follower is saying “I’m following you, will you follow me?”
In the early days of Twitter, there was little reason not to return the follow, as the number of users was quite limited. Now, the practice can lead to unmanageable tweet-rolls and frustration from the sheer quantity of conversations.
Here are the steps I follow to determine whether or not I will reciprocate:
1. Visit their Twitter Profile
From the moment you arrive on their profile page, you can get a sense for how involved they are and why there participating.
2. Review their Bio
Quickly look for a name, where they’re located, and read through their bio looking for something that matches your interests.
3. Evaluate their follower / following ratio
I assume that people who have more followers than those they’re following have something to offer. Otherwise, why would others follow them?
4. Subject of Tweets
What are they posting? Does it match the bio you read in step 2? This is where you really see how they’re contributing to the Twitterverse.
5. Visit their Web link
What do they call their homepage? Is it a business? Personal? Those who are contributing content elsewhere through a blog or personal website tend to have more value for their followers.
6. Quantity of Tweets per Day
If I’m still unsure, I quickly scan their recent tweets to get a feel for how many tweets they post per day. Too many, and I’m likely to get frustrated very quickly once I’m following.
7. Timing of Tweets
Still unsure, I see if they post when I’m listening or while I’m asleep. I don’t like to join conversations late, so I rarely
8. Percentage of @Replies
Do they actually converse with others, or is Twitter simply a one-way communication device for them. I prefer two-way.
9. Who They are Following
Usually, I only go this far if they’re new to Twitter, just to see who else they’re trying to engage.
10. Who Follows Them
Typically, I move to this step once I’ve made my decision, just to see if one of their followers might be worth engaging. If nothing else, you can see some creative developments in their @handles.
These 10 steps help me maintain quality among those I very good idea of who this is and whether I could see myself interacting with this person.
Rules to Remember:
Never Blindly Follow Someone – This will just get you into trouble (especially as spammers creep in)
Don’t Reciprocate Out of Obligation – They can still follow you, and even interact with you via @replies, without you following them.
Not Everyone Deserves You Following Them – Your time and attention are valuable, so don’t give them away to just anyone.
You Are Who You Follow – It’s not critical, but it can make a difference…especially if you’re new.
Reserve the Right to Change Your Mind – You can always follow them later.
Posted by Scott 
