[Twitter] Improving the user experience

I recently created my fifth Twitter account for an upcoming iPhone project called MortgageZen. Each of my accounts has a specific intended audience. Each one, a loose set of rules that guide decisions on who I follow. Some of my twitter id’s are focused on building a strong following, others I’m less concerned with # of followers.

Because of the multiple accounts, I’ve noticed that “follow” philosophies can be simplified into two main camps. On one hand, there is the “Follow me, Follow you” approach. The network happens on the mutual expectation of a push of the button resulting in a “follow” action. The other, more selective approach is the “If I’m interested, I’ll follow you” technique. This approach is different in that you only follow people that you like or that add value to your life in some way.

For my primary account on Twitter, I’m selective about whom I choose to follow. I keep my follow counts down to a reasonable number that I feel comfortable keeping up with. But as I meet new folks that I’d like to follow, the noise level inevitably ratchets up. Programs like TweetDeck offer temporary relief by allowing me to place people into groups, but these applications (I’m looking at you Nambu) don’t yet support group membership syncing between devices and as follow counts grow, so too, does the noise level.

So what might solve this problem?

My hope is that Twitter will continue to introduce methods for users to optionally reduce noise. Two suggestions, the ability to selectively hide excessive Re-Tweeters and the ability to hide @replies between people I follow. Granular control over aspects of the conversation that I want to toggle off would make Twitter more valuable. More thoughts, ideas, & jokes, less regurgitation & water-cooler banter. Don’t get me wrong, I like the banter but I want the ability to limit the noise.