Automated direct messages (or Auto-DMs) usually appear when you follow somebody – a few minutes to a few days later, you get a direct message in your inbox.
I’ve received a few DMs that I didn’t mind, but I’ve yet to find myself happy to have gotten one. None have offered me value. I am definitely not a fan… but I am curious if anyone here has gotten an auto-DM and said “Wow! I’m glad I got that!”
So? Have you? Please let us know about it, and if you could, explain why it was good to get. Thanks!
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I use an auto-DM to thank people for following and to let them know what I tweet about. I get a lot of followers who are trying to sell me product and I remind them (it’s also in my profile) that I don’t follow people who are only interested in selling me something.
That’s probably not very *social* but it’s about conversation for me, and I’m not interested in listening to someone’s pitch.
Terry D´s last blog ..Roundup of Resources for Literacy and Reading February 2010 (Updated)
Hi, Terry. I know why you send your DMs, and as I’ve said before, yours isn’t one that bothered me. It was clear you had a purpose in sending it. Still, I was asking the reverse question – has an automated DM offered value to anyone who has RECEIVED one.
In our case, I followed you because I knew exactly what you tweet about, so your DM didn’t tell me anything new. If random people follow you, you don’t have to interact with them – they made a choice. Over time, they’re gonna see what you tweet about and can unfollow as needed. You might not follow back because they aren’t someone you’re interested in… but they can try to sell you things regardless. Anyone can @mention anyone else, following or not.
So, strictly from the perspective I’m asking – have you ever gotten an auto-generated DM that made you say “Wow! Glad I got that!”?
Greg Pincus´s last blog ..On Facebook, the Friendship’s Mutual (Errrr… Sometimes)
Great question.
I have, received on auto-dm that I was glad to get. The person said, “Thanks for following me. As a treat for all my Twitter followers I’m offering a free download of my book XXX. Please go to this page to pick it up.
I felt like I was getting a special treat, and I have a Kindle so I love e-books now (whereas before I wouldn’t download them because I hated reading them on my computer).
This also worked for the person offering the book as it got me to his website where I looked around and found other books I might want to buy if I found I liked the free book he gave me.
I thought it was a great deal.
Sally Apokedak´s last blog ..Two Free Resources
Thanks, Sally. I can see how that would be a DM you could be happy to get. In the end, part of that would depend on what the freebie is, I suppose, but in the case you mention, it sounds like it was a win-win.
Greg Pincus´s last blog ..Have You Ever Received a Useful Auto-DM on Twitter?
I have received it once and I ignore it. It doesn’t have any human touch on it. I can’t see myself appreciating something that is auto generated.
Normally, they’re easy to ignore or read and delete and move on. Every now and then one steps over the line somehow and really bothers me, but mostly I do find them hard to appreciate as the recipient. The ones that frustrate me the most, I think, are the ones where I cannot understand why they were sent in the first place….
Greg Pincus´s last blog ..Have You Ever Received a Useful Auto-DM on Twitter?
I gotta say – I’m the biggest Anti-Auto DM person you will ever meet. I think in the past year I’ve came across one AutoDM that I liked and the only reason I liked it was because it made me laugh.
The standard, “Hi, I’m _____ and you can connect with me on linkedin here _____; Buy my Ebook here: ______” drives me insane! A few nights ago I got an auto-DM at 3:15AM and since my DMs are forwarded to my email it happened to go to my Blackberry. As a result it woke me up and lets just say that person didn’t have a nice reply back to them in the morning…
There is nothing good about an Auto-DM. Twitter is about creating connections with people not spamming their inbox’s with pointless DMs that you’ve sent to everyone on your list. I mean seriously, how hard is it to type 140 characters?