It can be argued that those of us who tweet links to content on the web are the most annoying of Twitter users. That is the “category” that I fit in, so it makes sense that I would exclude my personal type from this list.
Otherwise, there are probably dozens of other types that are just as annoying. This is, of course, a partial list, but we’ll be expanding the post once more annoying Twitter types come to light. In the meantime, here’s the first 14. Post any that we missed in the comments or tweet at us with your suggestions.
1. The FOREX Spammer
With as much money as people are apparently making on FOREX, it’s amazing that they have time to work their Twitter accounts.
2. The Linkjacker
When you post links to stories, you really should make sure that everyone can see what the story says rather than link to your own site and expect people to click through from your site to the source content. Just a thought.
3. The YELLLLLLERRRRRR
IF YOU TWEET, EMAIL, IM, OR DO ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION IN ALL CAPS, IT MEANS THAT YOU’RE YELLING WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO SAY!!!!!! MAKE SURE THAT WHAT YOU YELL IS WORTH YELLING!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!
4. The Twitter Gamer
Unlike many, I have nothing against the games on Twitter like SpyMaster, Mafia, Ninja, whatever. I actually play SpyMaster in the background. However, there’s more to Tweeting than posting your last gaming action. For those not in the game, it can get rather mundane if all you post is who you’ve assassinated, what weapons you’ve purchased, and how we can join your clan/family/ring/dojo.
5. The “Get 100 Followers a Day” Spammer
Have you ever noticed that most of the accounts that Tweet about being able to pick up hundreds of Twitter followers per day only have 84 followers?
6. The Celeb Who Has 2 million People Following their 3 Tweets Per Month
I know. Everyone loves Oprah. You can’t say anything bad about her because she is perfection boxed up into human form. Still, what are her 2 million followers doing? She doesn’t talk to any of them. She rarely tweets at all (going on a month of inactivity). It reminds me of the people who followed Forrest Gump on his runs across the country. They were there, waiting for him to say something magical, and it never came.
7. Porn Spammers
It’s the Internet. Porn is everywhere. Why would anyone go to Twitter to find it? Answer: they don’t.
8. The Repeater Tweeter
These are amongst my favorites. You see them in your stream – the people who have something so important to say that they have to say it over and over again in case you missed it 30 seconds before.
9. The Random Tweeter of the Utterly Mundane
I know Twitter in its purest form is supposed to be somewhat mundane, but some people take it way too far.
10. The MLM Spammer
Everyone has to make a living, and because Twitter is about networking it has become a natural fit for the MLM crowd. That doesn’t make it any less annoying.
11. The Quoter of Witty Wisdom
Some of the best quotes I’ve ever seen came from Twitter. I have been known to throw out some of my faves myself. Still, that shouldn’t be ALL that you tweet, should it?
12. The Super-Fan
Everyone idolizes someone whether they admit it or not. I feel bad and somewhat uncomfortable when I see those who are doing anything they can to get a reply from those they idolize. What will they do if they get a response?
13. The Account Named After A Twitter Action
That’s nice. What are you going to Tweet about? “Following @0boy back because he followed me!”, “Following @soshable back because he followed me, too!”, etc.
14. The Tweeter of the Same Link 500 Different Ways
They have one link they’re pushing. It’s the only thing they will ever tweet about, so if you’re really, really interesting in everything pertaining to that link, please follow these people. You won’t be disappointed.
15. The White Teether
I never knew about this one until @bobf_vstpgh pointed them out to me. Once I did a search, I discovered that there seems to be a growing number of people Tweeting about white teeth! Who would have known?
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I know there are more of them out there. Let me know via comment here, @soshable or @0boy if you know of any other annoying Twitter user types.
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Read more about Twitter on this Social Media Blog.
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I like to use my “block” especially for the porn follower requests! The other ones of course can get annoying. I must add one though…I’m getting tired of those who tweet questions just to “interact” (i.e. – do you go to church on Sundays?) That question takes care of two types of Twitterers.
You missed out on the keyword-based retweeting bot…!!
Good list although I must admit, I don’t mind 9) The Random Tweeter of the Utterly Mundane and 11) The Quoter of Witty Wisdom, those keep me entertained.
I couldn’t agree with you more.
You are so spot on!
How about the #followfriday suckups who are just hoping for a #followfriday back? You see their Tweets as: #FF @hiphopdesigns @Jerseymuzik @avmaster @lspearmanii @ArthurJuarez @DaSkalar @stayinkauai @kakiser56 @spikeyleo. Completely useless list of Twitter names.
Then there’s the TweeterLine spammers with their “Gr8 ppl” and “THESE PEOPLE ARE GREAT” and “kudos” and “mentions to” (whatever that’s supposed to mean). tweeterline.com should be banned as the worst of the worst spamming applications.
That’s hilarious!
I find those pushy marketing types the most annoying. Don’t mind the occasional “wise words” ones.
This is such a great list. I laughed all the way through. (“It’s funny because it’s TRUE.”) I’m currently the most annoyed by the person who tweets and retweets and then tweets the same thing again and every two minutes. I’m currently being held hostage by someone who’s been doing this for days now and I. Want. To. Kill. Myself. I don’t have the heart to unfollow as normally this person isn’t like this. So I guess offing myself seems like the best option.
Everything else on here? Hello, block button. And Oprah may be good at a lot of things, but tweeting clearly isn’t one of them.
What about the opposite of Oprah, i.e. the celebs with apparently too much time on their hands who tweet non-stop? Kirstie Alley, the Kutchers (Mr. & Mrs.) and John Mayer.
Good suggestion Joyce, I am with you on that one. I started to follow a few celbs that I am a fan of but it was very short lived!
You forgot one group: children. Youth wasted on the young.
Nice list but where are the annoying LOLQuiz and Fun140 twits who tweet 50-100 test results a day?
Easy…..UNFOLLOW!
i really would rather have a bottle in front of me than have a frontal lobotomy. and im eating activia these days. dont u ever get curious abt what boring stuff are important to others? adventures at walmart can be more interesting than breakfast at tiffanys.
Great post but I’ve got to wonder what you actually enjoy about Twitter? With the majority of posts falling into one of there categories, in your opinion, what is it good for?
Wheres “The Depressive”… you know the ones that never have anything nice and happy to say and are always full of doom and gloom ?
or “The Music Fan” who just tweets all day long about the music they are listening to? 
Great article!
Unfortunately, I don’t fit in to any of these. Maybe I haven’t been tweeting enough, maybe eventually I’ll fall in to one of these categories!
I seem to have adopted two radical solutions that mean I rarely see any of the annoying types of Twitter user listed here:
1 – I don’t automatically follow back strangers unless I think I’ll be interested in what they are tweeting;
2 – If I make a mistake I immediately unfollow. Doesn’t happen very often.
It’s really quite easy and makes Twitter a much more enjoyable and useful experience (for me anyway).
Lolz quite funny,these people think twitter is social networking site for spammers and spammers only.Even when you see the tweets on trending topics,you’ll find half of them are by spammers.Love it when they say “I earned $100000 by just sitting at home”,as if they are gonna give you some of it using twitter.
cannot agree more! I was smiling as I read…..
Caroline Twitter is great for industry news and tips for business. Find your niche in Twitter and follow the people that will provide you with the information that you are interested in. For example, I am interested in new technologies, SEM, social network marketing so I follow the people that provide info on that.
I’d agree with Ratu about no. 11, those tweets are quite funny but JD Rucker I agree with the other 14. I hate the random mundane tweets the most. Who cares what some nobody is doing, whether they’re having cups of coffee or resting. I don’t know why they see the need to write this rubbish on Twitter. “Elvis Presley was great” and “Vegetables are good for you” – does the person think they are saying something new?! These tweets drive me mad!
I somehow found myself following a mundane tweeting porno cam gal: ‘Im going on wii fit’ ‘time for me to go on wii fit’ ‘im going to eat my dinner’ ‘ive just eaten my dinner’ ‘time for wii fit?’. She must have been naked on that wii fit I guess.
Great post, how about “I completely agree with the person above/below” in response to something that was over 5 minutes ago, thus rendering their tweet irrelevant forever.
I like a lot of Guy K’s info, but his duplicate tweets/retweets [just to get to his daily max?] and lately the seemingly incessant tweets insisting that everyone build their own MyAlltop page are getting annoying.
DK – I unfollowed @GuyKawasaki when I found out he uses ghost Tweeters and doesn’t read ANY Tweets his followers send. What’s the point of following if your not going to read? Oh, I know, so your followers THINK you’re following them so you can spam them.
http://feedfront.com/archives/article001985
Let’s not forget the info-Tweeter that has great Tweets, but sends out 50+ Tweets a day so they overwhelm your Twitter feed.
Hilarious! I am so surprised you didn’t add the person who doesn’t post ALL day, but at once, they diahrea 20 posts in a row, blocking your entire screen with posts to random people they’re giving a shout out to. It’s called PACING…. learn it or I remove you.
I also hate the “hi” messages to me from people who have NO connection to me and are simply hoping by them tweeting my name, I will follow them. Without engaging what I’m saying, and absolutely no connection to me whatsooever, especially when I go into your account and notice you saying “hi” to everyone you follow, um, yeah. Get a life!
People who LOL at their own tweets. LOL
MLM, spammers, Guy Kawasaki – put em all in a hat, shake em up, and pull one out – win the same prize every time.
I am so confused…Do I retweet this post and run the risk of being annoying?
One of the funniests Twitter posts and so true.
This is a phenomenal list. I’m glad that I’ve managed to avoid being one of the annoying 15, but it’s good to keep these kinds of things in mind – not that I was planning on spamming people or sending links to getting whiter teeth, but still.
Also, Judy Bryan is absolutely right about the porn tweets: block them. Great post and I loved your run down of why these approaches are so incredibly obnoxious/ineffective.
Let me guess how long Kawasaki lets this post stand.
As I tweeted yesterday, ‘Guy Kawasaki tweets more than a 16 year-old with a MacBook’. Know what I got? A phone call from the genius himself, blasting me about ‘what do I know about Twitter’. Um, I’m a brand strategist with 22 years in brand strategy and marketing, so sure, what could I know?
Bottom line of that conversation: Guy Kawasaki is a self-obsessed, volume-tweeter, who is, in reality, perhaps smart but comes off as a total jerk.
Obv, we don’t follow him anymore.
But his cell, in case you want it, is: 650-325-2022. Tell him yourself. I know we did.
Let me guess how long Guy Kawasaki lets this post stand.
As I tweeted yesterday, ‘Guy Kawasaki tweets more than a 16 year-old with a MacBook’. Know what I got? A phone call from the genius himself, blasting me about ‘what do I know about Twitter’. Um, I’m a brand strategist with 22 years in brand strategy and marketing, so sure, what could I know?
Bottom line of that conversation: Guy Kawasaki is a self-obsessed, volume-tweeter, who is, in reality, perhaps smart but comes off as a total jerk.
Obv, we don’t follow him anymore.
But his cell, in case you want it, is: 650-325-2022. Tell him yourself. I know we did.
What about tweets that pimp hilarious websites like http://www.thelintscreen.com
don’t that just ache your ass…
Great list of Tweeters gone wrong. Still, I don’t know why anyone is bothered by these people. The only way you’ll see their tweets is if you’re following them and the unfollow button is easily accessible. Of course, I sometime think that people get really annoyed are receiving a certain kind of value from them as they probably like the feeling. In fact, that could be another addition to the list — the people who tweet about how upset they are that the pornsters are following them.
omg this is so right on. I’ve been unfollowing alot of these culprints due to lack of patience…
Now I’m afraid to tweet anything. Thanks.
Thanks a lot.
~ @wayne_etc
I disagree, I do use FollowFridays as to give acknowledgement to someone or a group I’ve had a dialogue with throughout the week. Unlike most professionals, I like to use twitter to engage, give acknowledge, and read content. I didn’t embark on this Twitter trip to push a blog, an inalienable opinion, or a business aspect–per say.
The porn I block. The rest of the annoying ones I just don’t follow back. If they want to keep following me fine. Most are hoping everyone is set to auto-follow those who follow you, so they’re hoping to get their follower numbers up that way. Sorry. Not that stupid! Yep. The only way they can annoy you is if you are allowing them to!
Read their posts before you follow, or unfollow them if you already are and they turn annoying.
Good list, and I’d add those people who feel compelled to tweet every snack, nap, sneeze and bathroom break they have. Mostly though, hubby and I are having fun with twitter. We just “unfollow” anyone who is too annoying.
It’s a great networking and promotional tool if used wisely. I love getting tweets from other parts of the world — that’s just fun!
In regards to MLM, I try to tweet more about the product benefits than the business side. If people want what the products can do for them, and they get what they want, then they’ll want to share it anyway. And it’s not the only thing I tweet about!
You know what? Social media especially Twitter is becoming the best tool to promote. You get to advertise your site and products for FREE, which is I think why business and marketers are utilizing its capability. Unless the creators do something about it, people will use this to achieve the results they’ve always wanted which is product promotion that leads to more profit.
wow…! really a nice post… !! great work..
interesting list. the common factor here seems to be that none of these (generally) is all that annoying in and of itself, IF it is an occasional tweet in a wide variety of tweets. it’s when one’s tweets (of any type) are all similar, all the time, that it truly becomes annoying.
Terrific list. I now realize I must stop bitching about these porn spammers I’m getting, I’ve spent a lot of time blocking them. And I just laughed my ass off, at the Guy K remarks. He is so unfollowed, what a douche! Good, witty read.
Guy Kawasaki is one of those tweeting & retweeting again and again. Annoying.
#16 The Narcissist
People that ReTweet the Tweets that are ReTweets of their own Tweets.
This list is stupid. If these types of tweeters are so freakin annoying, just UNFOLLOW THEM. Upset I even wasted time readin this mess!
Well said, @Randy Southerland. Can’t help but agree with @djdirtydishes. Unfollow, then block. Simple.
In fairness to Guy Kawasaki, I’ve discovered a lot of great sites and articles, through the links that he posted on Twitter. If he sometimes promote Alltop, that’s his prerogative, he owns part of that outfit. I’m sure self-promotion is not a thing Guy himself invented or practice in Twitter, all by his lonesome.
Found an interesting Slide Share presentation that seems to speak to many of these: (not sure if this will work)
Faces Of TwitterView more presentations from Jordan Julien.
I saw this article on my tweet wall, so I decided to read it. I try to tweet when I can, and I think if you have a reasonable marketing plan then you will not be a spammer to others. Everyone has something they are trying to market to everyone, and since there is so much competition doing this only the smart ones win.
I thought it would be polite to at least check out who follows me and maybe follow them back if the seem interesting. Now I end up having to trawl through follow notifications blocking almost every one. (They’re usually porn – quite why they choose my account I’ve got no idea.) And if I don’t keep on top if it, I seem to end up with legions of them within a week (they seem to grow geometrically by following each others’ following lists).
On top of that, I have to be careful what I tweet, e.g. I reported that I saw a man wearing an extremely ugly brand of boots, and was followed by people trying to flog them!
So now I have to decide to (a) not tweet publicly, which somewhat defeats the idea of Twitter, (b) not track who follows me, so I’ll miss out on following back the interesting people who do (and they do exist), or (c) give up on Twitter altogether…
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