There’s an easy answer to the question of how to hold Twitter accountable for its anti-conservative policies that often purge, silence, or censor its users who are committing their version of thoughtcrimes. Just delete your account. Unfortunately, this answer is insufficient when we consider the tremendous clout Twitter holds over the media and much of the population. It’s where many Americans get their news (and #FakeNews). It’s also a cesspool of rhetoric, and while I’m personally opposed to wading into cesspools of any sort, I recognize Twitter is still an important tool in the fight against socialism.
So, we’re stuck with it.
But that doesn’t mean we have to sit back and let the “algorithm” virtually silence us. Today, I participated in a “bootcamp” for conservatives, many of whom are new to Twitter, on how to be better virtual patriots. It was a refreshing experience; it had been too long since I engaged in teaching outside of my writing on NOQ Report. But one question sort of stumped me. It’s not that I didn’t have the answers, but Twitter is a platform of brevity and the answer to the question wasn’t possible to communicate briefly.
In short, the question was how can conservatives overcome the roadblocks that Twitter imposes on us? Here are the answers:
Know your goal
It’s surprising how many people join Twitter with the goal of showing support for President Trump. I ask them who they’re “showing” their support to. They usually reply with “everyone” or “my followers,” at which point I inform them that they’re probably not reaching as many people as they think, if any at all.
Reach is everything on Twitter. It’s like a tree falling in an empty forest. If a Tweet is sent out, and nobody reads it, was it really a Tweet at all?
But there are other worthy goals for patriots. “Trolling” is often frowned upon, but it’s actually a very powerful tool if used properly on Twitter. By trolling, I’m not a fan of personal attacks on anyone. But trolling policies and politicians in the face of their claims is often enough to get supporters or potential supporters to ask questions or research it for themselves. Let me go troll someone real quick and I’ll post an example…
…stand by…
…okay… done…
You don’t have to have a single goal. You can focus on multiple things depending on how much time you put into Twitter. But you must have at least one. If you’re here to support the President, decide how you want to show your support and work towards achieving that goal. Without knowing what you want to accomplish, you’ll likely accomplish nothing.
Follow those who like your stuff
When someone follows me, there’s a chance I’ll look at their Tweets and follow them back. But if someone likes or retweets me and they’re conservatives, I’ll almost certainly follow them even if they’re not following me. Interaction with content I post is far more important than following.
This isn’t an egotistical decision. It’s based on the algorithm. I’m sure you’ve noticed just because you’re following someone doesn’t mean you’ll see their Tweets in your feed. But if you like a post, retweet it, comment on it, or a combination of the three, there’s a good chance you’ll see what they Tweet and retweet in the future.
I follow those who interact with my posts because if they follow me as well, they’ve already engaged with my content. As a result, they are already more likely to see my posts in their feed. With reach being the goal, following people who have interacted with your posts and getting them to follow you back makes the most sense.
Replies are often more powerful than standalone Tweets
When we post a standalone Tweet, it has an opportunity to be seen by our followers and the followers of those who retweet us. When we reply to someone else, it has an opportunity to be seen by the same people as a standalone Tweet PLUS those who follow the person we’re responding to. Though fewer of our followers will see a reply than a standalone, there’s a chance to reach a different audience.
As noted above, I often troll those whose views I oppose. But sometimes I’ll reply to people I agree with wholeheartedly. There’s no rule about who you reply to, though I strongly recommend being cordial. The left gets unhinged. It’s incumbent on patriots to keep our cool, take the high road, and express our indignation intelligently. Just as we laugh at unhinged progressives, so too do they laugh at unhinged conservatives. But when we’re cordial and thoughtful, their only complaints can be about substance.
Guess who wins the substance debate? Conservatives. Why? Because we have the truth on our side.
One way to “double dip” is to retweet your reply. They don’t appear in your primary timeline otherwise and by retweeting it, you give it even more opportunity to be seen by your followers.
Don’t Tweet in batches unless it’s a thread
Don’t spread your Tweets thin. Tweeting one right after another reduces the chances of your Tweets being seen because Twitter usually only serves a few of your Tweets and retweets to followers at any given moment. Thankfully, The Twitter feed moves quickly, so it doesn’t take a long “cooldown” between Tweets. 5-10 minutes is fine.
The exception to this rule is with threads. There’s no time limit. I’ve seen threads that are a dozen Tweets long posted in a matter of seconds. I’ve seen threads extend for days at a time. With a thread, you have the opportunity for multiple Tweets to be seen as people click the “Show This Thread” button.
If I retweet a lot, I’ll often wait the 5-10 minutes before posting a fresh Tweet. This isn’t necessarily a rule of mine. Just habit, I suppose.
Keep in mind, some are able to take advantage of massive followings and Tweet constantly. This is only recommended if you’re regularly getting hundreds or thousands of retweets already.
Assume bias and proceed accordingly
Arguably the most important advice I can give any patriot wanting to make an impact through Twitter is to not take it too seriously. I know many people who put so much effort into Twitter that they have little time for other acts of patriotism. Twitter is important, but it’s not important enough to take away attention from other things.
I’ve been there. Before a strange algorithmic banning and a pair of long hiatuses from the platform, I would regularly get hundreds of retweets, sometimes thousands. I wasn’t nearly as popular as many of the strong conservative accounts today, but I had my share of semi-viral posts. But Twitter took that away. I helped by not paying enough attention, allowing my account to go stagnant. I’m embarrassed that some of my posts get literally zero interaction, but I don’t worry too much.
After all, it’s just Twitter.
We know the powers that be in big tech are determined to push the 2020 elections to the Democrats. We can give up or we can fight through it. I, for one, am choosing to push forward. There’s nothing worse than a quitter.
We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.
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