For several weeks now I’ve been enjoying the online resources I’ve learned about through the interesting people I’ve been following on Twitter.

While it can be time-consuming if you let it, Twitter can also save time when you are directed to resources it probably would have taken you more time to find on your own. Or might not even have thought of looking for. That’s the fun of it for me, the discovery of new stuff to learn. Down the rabbit hole!

Currently the Twitter folks who interest me the most personally are fellow WordPress enthusiasts from theme designers to plugin programmers; folks who share their knowledge and experience in the fascinating world of search engine optimization (SEO) and web design; and to a degree, folks who are into the programming end of the web world. Those resources I can only understand so far, my programming language skills are not deep – I only know enough to get me into trouble, and sometimes out of it. But I persist on knocking on that particular door because I always learn something new.

I’ve also learned there are many Twitterati who apparently sit poised with their favorite book of quotations and as fast as their little fingers can type they give forth with inspirational quotes. While I appreciate their desire to share their enthusiasm, no way can I read all that stuff – I begin to feel harangued. And anyway, who the heck has that kind of time to spend? Too many things I want to learn.

However, I digress from my intended topic … in the short period of time I’ve been using Twitter, I’ve developed some serious pet peeves. And it turns out I’m not alone!

Twitter is also just as susceptible to spam-spammers-spamming as any other electronic medium, and these guys sneak in your Twitter stream. They cleverly follow you just to get you to click on their link once, so they can lead you to riches overnight. Yah, right. Not following. Not now, not ever.

And so, if people don’t follow you back, make sure this list of reasons why from Mashable (“FOLLOW FAIL: The Top 10 Reasons I Will Not Follow You in Return on Twitter”) does not apply to you:

1. You have no user avatar.
2. You list no location, no website, or no bio.
3. Your “website” listed is a MySpace profile.
4. You’re following over 1,000 users, have 20 followers, and no updates.
5. Your profile features any variation of “Internet expert”.
6. Your updates clearly indicate that your Twitter activity is always, only, about pushing your own service/product.
7. Your following and my return follow result in a poorly-constructed auto-DM reading, “Thx for the follow! How can I help you get to a 4-Hour Work Week?”
8. Your most recent updates make references to any need to achieve “more Twitter followers”.
9. Your Twitter stream indicates a propensity for consistent arguing.
10. You do not engage your Twitter followers.

While Atherton Bartelby’s reasons are personal – visit the link to read his explanation of each, and read more peeves in the comments – and I haven’t experienced #3 or #9 (thankfully), he covers my major pet peeves.

And from what I’ve seen, there certainly appears to be no shortage of #5′s out there. (They’re usually so modest too. </sarcasm>)

What’s been your experience? Leave a comment below to let me know!

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