Please Retweet This

TwitterReverse psychology. That's exactly how the Please Retweet This line works for me. I probably won't RT anything that you beg to be Retweeted. Nothing! Nada! (Exceptions)

Please Retweet This
http://twitter.com/pageoneresults/statuses/1778333243

Yes, 2009-05-12 was a challenging day with my Twitter Timeline(s). I thought I had my Following pruned down to the point where I wouldn't see the begging for RTs. I was mistaken. I Unfollowed two Twits yesterday due to their incessant begging for Retweets. You know who you are too, you're probably reading this now. It's nothing personal. It's a matter of Twitter Timeline preferences for this Twit.

RT Plz, Please RT, Pls RT, RT if you like

Please Retweet This Examples

BullfighterThe above was extracted from one page of someone's Timeline that I used to Follow and Unfollowed yesterday. Out of 20 Tweets, 5 of them begged for a RT. Listen, if you feel that your Tweet is not worthy of a Retweet on its own and you have to beg for it, guess what? It probably won't get Retweeted except by your friend trains who don't care, they're there for you through thick and thin. They'll RT anything with your name on it and it doesn't matter what it is. Heck, it could be a one page sales wonder that looks like absolute crap and your friends will still RT it. They'll even Retweet broken links for you. It's called Blind Retweeting and many are habitual abusers of this.

Yes, I understand there are statistics that show this is a common practice that works. So? Does that make it acceptable? It might be for some but, not for myself and quite a few others in my Twitter network. We don't take too kindly to that stuff and some of us will let you know via the Timeline. If you can't draft up 140 characters and get something Retweeted without begging, then you probably need to rethink your strategies in this area.

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You're not an SEO if you're begging for Retweets!

Why did I say that? Well, if you're an SEO, you SHOULD know how to write and capture your Followers attention. You have limited, yet sufficient space with 140 characters to do that. You'll have structured your Tweet in a way that will invoke a Twit like me to click on it and read. If that person has any TwitSense and likes what they've read, they will most likely Retweet it for you without the need for Please Retweet This or Plz RT or Pls Retweet or RT if you like. I don't think you need to include that in your Tweets.

I would like to think that my Followers know the Twitter basics. If you Tweet something with an attention grabbing title and link, your Followers are going to read it if they are interested. If it is that important that it needs to be Retweeted by certain Followers (your Twinfluencers), send them a DM and let them know you've got a Tweet you'd like them to Retweet for you. It better be worthy of their attention and a Retweet. I've received a few and responded with "No! I will not Retweet that garbage!" Smiley

Don't expect a 100% RT success rate but, I think it is a much more effective way to get a Tweet exposed for Retweet. You don't need to ask us to RT. We're here for you. That's the whole purpose behind Twitter. Friends, Tweets and Retweets. It's a simple process and one that can be very rewarding.

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Semantic Engagement Optimization (Twitter SEO)

Think about the semantics of 140 characters. Does your Tweet really need the Please Retweet This (19 characters)? Or any of the other permutations such as RT Plz, Please RT, Pls RT, etc? Could you rewrite the Tweet and use an unconverted URI Short (http://Twuna.com/PleaseRetweet) to capture the attention of your Followers?

I prefer Front Loading of Tweets and Retweets. I want the message to be first, that's what the Tweet is about. For example, when I Tweet this article, I'm going to use a very simple title and link. Due to the nature of this topic, it will most likely garner a few Retweets naturally. I won't ask anyone to Please Retweet This, not in my public Timeline(s) anyway.

Just think how much more efficient the process would be if you didn't have all that excess baggage in your Tweets. You also have to consider those who are going to Retweet your request for a Retweet. They'll most likely include the Please RT This verbiage and it just becomes one big begging cluster you know what.

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Please Retweet This! Please Retweet This

Don't get me wrong, a Please Retweet This for something of importance would not bother me. But, when most of your Tweets beg for Retweets, I personally feel you've crossed that imaginary abuse boundary. Don't worry about me though, I'm just one individual who is somewhat vocal about the process.

So, after reading all of that, can I get you to Please Retweet This?

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You're Tweets on Please Retweet This

2009-05-14 - Here are a handful of Tweets in response to this. I'll post more as they become available in the http://Search.Twitter.com/ Timeline.

  1. @reese I'm against it. If it's worth retweeting, my followers will do it. Once in a while contacting a follower privately is ok.
    http://twitter.com/reese/statuses/1794081193
  2. @mattuk It looks a little desperate to me. If I like something enough I retweet it anyway. It does seem to work though.
    http://twitter.com/mattuk/statuses/1794042469
  3. @magpiecreative RT @mattuk: @pageoneresults It looks a little desperate to me. If I like something enough I retweet it anyway. << agreed
    http://twitter.com/magpiecreative/statuses/1794052417
  4. @jamiembrown Waste of space really - 140 characters is small enough anyway! And looks desperate. Please retweet this.
    http://twitter.com/jamiembrown/statuses/1794123188
  5. @SebastianX RT @pageoneresults "Please Retweet" < That's like sending a link exchange request via Twitter. [IOW forward > null]
    http://twitter.com/SebastianX/statuses/1778409486
  6. ChristinaGayle I think RT etiquette varies based on your follower types. This crowd despises "Please RT." While my mom pals prefer to use it.
    http://twitter.com/ChristinaGayle/status/1797584182
  7. oticellos @pageoneresults asking for RTs is so lame :-p
    http://twitter.com/oticellos/statuses/1797908581
  8. MichelleFeldman @pageoneresults I think it's so lame when people ask to be re-tweeted for their own self-serving purpose. Lame.
    http://twitter.com/MichelleFeldman/status/1806860604

Comments on Please Retweet This

@oggy Hi Edward, let me start by saying that I enjoy reading your blog and views on Twitter! Lots of fun to see how the communities on Twitter are slowly learning to interact with it in a more organized manner day by day. I think your blog is invaluable to improving the quality of Tweeting as a hobby or professionally. And I do agree with your article 95% :P

I still think there are a lot of advantages for users to see the PLS RT. To me a "PLS RT" means that the 140 character snippet is not a "random thought" but an actual message that is important to the community of people that Follow you. Obviously and as you mention, if it is abused it loses any "punch" as it dilutes its value.

But some good examples of RT's usually come with a good explanation (like you say on the "Semantic Engagement Optimization" section), and to me should almost always have a Hash Tag. If I discover or write an article about Google Analytics for example, using the #GA Hash Tag and a "PLS RT" along with a short description and link, then people know right away because of the Hash Tag if their followers would be interested in the Tweet.

I also think that asking for a RT 2-3 times (if the above rules are followed) is okay if it is done at large intervals within one day. This way my Australian Followers that are waking up can see my Tweet while I'm going to bed, and then I can get another time zone 8-10 hours later.

On the receiving side, I have TweetDeck open most of the day, but if I have a 2-3 hour meeting, I missed a lot, so if the Tweet is a valuable one (and I assume so since I Follow the people I see Tweets from) I appreciate it being repeated again by the originating author. If I catch it twice then I don't really mind that much... although I do see how this could maybe get out of hand if abused too.

To me the problem is not the PLS RT, it's more the quality of the Tweet they expect to be RT'd :D If the quality sucks consistently then I'm gonna UNFOLLOW!

All the best,
Augustin Vazquez-Levi (oggy) on Twitter
2009-05-15 09:45 via email

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