Google has updated its ranking tracking technology to determine the quality of tweets as part of its new incorporation of real time results.
Like with its current algorithm, which we have grown accustomed to, the update enables Google to determine the quality of the tweet through a means of reputation. According to Technology Review, Amit Singhal from Google has said that the reputation of a Twitter user determines the quality of the tweet and that reputation is determined by the number of people following you. Amit says that “One user following another in social media is analogous to one page linking to another on the Web so this is very similar to the current algorithm for ranking sites in that a quality link pointing to another page helps the linked to page rank better.
Interestingly Amit Singhal also points out that hash tags used in tweets might be seen as a mark of low quality. He mentions that hash tags can “serve as red flags to lower tweet quality and attract spam-like content”.
This information is extremely useful for expanding on social media strategy as now brands and users alike can put more energy into gaining followers as well as begin to ‘optimize tweets’ effectively i.e. stop using hash tags.