How Should You Respond When Somebody Asks You, “Can You Retweet This For Me?”
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at
9:11 am
Example: One of your Twitter followers retweets you on a regular basis. You’re pretty good friends. One day, they approach you personally and ask you to retweet something for them. The problem is, the tweet concerns a viewpoint to which you do not subscribe. In fact, you’re actively opposed to it.
What’s the right thing to do to maintain your principles but not cause offense?
I have a guest post over at Twittwoch.de that addresses what can be quite an awkward situation. Click here to read it.
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Hey, just stumbled upon a “please retweet” relevant article: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/dan-macsai/popwise/report-nine-scientifically-proven-ways-get-re-tweeted-twitter.
Apparently “please”, “retweet” and “please retweet” are all top 20 words for retweeted tweets. Guess it’s not surprising… but it is interesting…
.-= Natalie Michelson´s last blog ..Nat_Mich: Detecting lying through handwriting: Still applicable research in an age of typing/texting?… http://kutano.us/22d8 =-.
I'd refrain from promoting the post if it's really the pits. I'd beg off and explain at length why. Perhaps in an email. Or register my contrary view as a comment on his blog.
If it's just a garden variety controversial issue, perhaps I can phrase my tweet in a neutral tone. It's a kind of retweet that invites readers to check out the big to-do, leaving them the option as to which side to favor.
I haven't had to deal with it. But I should think a polite, “I'm sorry, but no” should suffice. It's rare that I specifically ask anyone to RT things for me (nice if they do, but I hate putting anyone on the spot) – when I do, I'm either pretty sure they'll be happy to, or not even expecting an answer (unless it's a retweet). I don't take offense if they choose not to, and I don't really need an explanation.
I think lengthy explanations are only needed with close friends. I do agree that some tweets can be retweeted without taking sides – sort of like saying, “Here's an interesting issue, what are your thoughts?”
Yeah, a prompt, cogent explanation will do. It's not as if you were closing your doors to future requests after all.