How to bend social media to your will

[Commentary] I put a lot of thought into the question of how to attract Twitter followers, and perhaps my answers will be of use to readers trying to bend social media to their will.

When there's a big news event like a natural disaster, people look to social media for information, and perhaps to learn what they can do to render assistance. But most of the time they simply want entertainment. To keep followers coming back to my feed, I knew I had to keep it lighthearted. Celebrities often focus on their daily lives. But here's the thing about social media: It ain't about you. Fans don't care about what you're eating, where you're shopping or what products you have to sell. Above all, I've committed to giving people what they want, and if that means a healthy dose of trending cat videos, so be it. I want my Twitter account to feel like a radio or television station, where viewers tune in because of the content, and then allow me the occasional commercial about my professional activities or political beliefs. Each day I look around to see what people on the Internet are talking about, and then I share my favorite stories and images, either on Twitter or on my Facebook page. Fans make my job easy by sending me links they think I might enjoy. My husband, Brad, as well as interns and staffers, sort through their contributions and pick out the ones they think will be the most popular. Then we add commentary. I think of myself as more of a social-media moderator than a content creator, and of each post as a sort of "pop-up community" where fans have an opportunity to interact with like-minded others.

[George Takei is an actor, director, author and activist]