If you’ve seen any of my blog posts, you know how engaged I am with using Twitter. Apparently, its become my social media platform of choice. And why not, I’ve gained more friends, followers, and real life acquaintances because of it and how it’s used.

Lately, thanks to Klout and other online influence scoring systems, I’ve started taking an even more proactive approach at keeping my Twitter stream uncluttered.

Scoring systems aside, why does it matter? Well there are a couple reasons actually. First, eliminating the chaff means I have a more vibrant, honest ongoing conversation anytime I use it. I recall two instances earlier this year where I was led astray and distracted by empty promises. The final result meant two new blocked handles and disgust on my account that I got sucked into their game. Second, when you are an active part of the conversation, you will be taken seriously any time something of real value is requested.

On a basic level, I suppose I’m viewing my Twitter stream like a bowl of white rice. Any black pepper that gets in soils the clean look, thus I need to try and keep things as pristine as possible.

However, that’s fairly simplistic and unrealistic as to why I’m essentially doing it. Think about when you were a kid. Your parents filtered your friends as you were growing up so that you didn’t end up hanging out with the wrong crowd. By doing so, you ended up engaging, interacting and associating with people that built you up instead of dragging you down.

At the end of the day, if you’re not actively using the platform on a regular basis, any messages you send out will become like messages in a bottle. Who’s going to actually find them lying on the beach, open the bottle and engage based on the message? Will they even remember you? Will they know who you are and start a new conversation? Based on my experience, your message will only be grabbed by the tide and end up back in the ocean, lost indefinitely.

Unfortunately, given how the social platforms are set up, many individuals and businesses have started Twitter accounts out of necessity. But if I start to follow you, you need to be using it. Hourly, daily, weekly. Something better than 284 days ago or some other distant amount of time. Otherwise, don’t be offended if your follower count decreases.

After all, it’s not me, it’s you.

Duane Drzadinski is a marketing professional, father and social media enthusiast. Connect with him and continue the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn.