One of the first things you have to do when you sign up for Twitter is write your bio.  Unlike other websites however you are limited to 140 characters.   So how do you capture who you are in just a few words?  I spent some time the other day reading bios trying to figure out what made someone interesting or compelling.

I looked for common themes which made someone less attractive, and less likely that I would select the “follow” button their page.  I typically avoid people who claim to be experts and gurus or promise I will earn millions, lose weight or gain followers.  There are no hard and fast rules, many of the people I avoid have thousands of followers.  This is simply my list. As you look at it, think about what your list would look like.

I follow people who are

Passionate, with diverse interests:

  • @JimBTek – Obsessed with operational strategy and execution. Fascinated by everything from green home building to genetic markers for personalized medicine.

Share a glimpse of who they are

  • @addresstwo –  Serial Entrepreneur. Creator of AddressTwo – the simple Small Business CRM. Farm boy, believer, father and husband.
  • @minipeg – Texan by birth, Hoosier by default, New Yorker by blood.

Include clever inspiration or humor

  • @steph_boyden – Sagittarius, non-vegetarian, and whoever said orange is the new pink was seriously disturbed
  • @sam_kowal – Imagination is everything, it is the preview of life’s coming attractions.
  • @nataliegiddings family + beach + latte + marketing + business buzz

So as I read the bios of people I follow, I find myself asking do I measure up?  Would I follow me?  Would you?

@roundpeg – Passionate about small business marketing, social media and building a vibrant local economy