If you’ve ever wondered how Twitter decides which users are suggested to you in the “Who to Follow” feature, you aren’t alone. Federated Media editor John Battelle had the same question, and he recently posed it to Twitter co-founder Evan Williams at the Web 2.0 summit. Williams’ answer sheds light on Twitter’s process and proves that not all Twitter accounts are treated equally.
According to USA Today, Williams said that Twitter places a “reputation score” on each user’s account; feeds with higher reputation scores are more likely to be recommended through the “Who to Follow” section. A reputation score is typically comprised of many factors, but generally is considered a measure of a person’s overall power of online influence.
So what is your Twitter reputation score? As of right now, that information is private, although Williams said that Twitter is considering making it public as part of future forward-facing services and initiatives. Knowing a person’s reputation score would certainly allow companies to target Twitter marketing and advertising to users with the greatest potential to influence other users.