> be me
> curious how X decides who goes viral and who gets shadowbanned into oblivion
> read the source code. all of it. 400,000 lines
> it's a mess. it's a masterpiece. it's a threat model disguised as a social network
> proceed to get 7M impressions and 7k followers in 9 days
> i have *seen* the algorithm
> here's how to make it your slave
> X is a game
> rules are secret
> stakes are your visibility
> you win by:
> replying to replies (replyguymaxxing)
> baiting profile clicks (profilevisitmax)
> getting bookmarked like you're the Dead Sea Scrolls
> not getting blocked or muted (instant debuff)
> spacing tweets out (diversity filters will kneecap your burst posts)
> every 6 hours, your tweet loses 50% of its power
> decay rate is brutal
> either pop off early or perish
> some actions boost you:
> replies
> retweets
> likes
> bookmarks
> follows after a tweet
> long watch time (10 sec = algorithmic arousal)
> text read for 2 seconds = good content juice
> others destroy you:
> blocks
> mutes
> reports
> “see fewer posts like this” clicks
> enjoy being invisible for 3 months
> tweets don't live in a vacuum
> they're judged by:
> real-time engagement
> pagerank-style trust
> reputation graphs
> safety scores
> simclusters (your interest-based tribes)
> content bundles (X’s version of a mixtape)
> simclusters: the secret spice
> you're grouped with users who engage like you
> the algo doesn't care who you follow
> it cares who vibes like you
> proximity = identity
> high cosine similarity with bangers? you *become* a banger
> ranking pipeline:
> 1. light ranker: says maybe
> 2. heavy ranker: massive neural net, runs 1k features
> 3. mixer: final DJ, decides who sees what
> you're just a vector in a giant party playlist
> reputation score = Tweepcred
> starts at -128 (yes, minus one twenty-eight)
> verified gets you to 100 instantly
> minimum viable Tweepcred to be seen? 17
> every mute, block, or spam flag? drops it
> don’t tweet in ALL CAPS
> don’t have offensive words in your name or tweet
> don’t link out too much
> yes, there are hidden blacklist files like `adult_tokens.txt` and `offensive_topics.txt`
> yes, they will throttle you into the dirt
> following/follower ratio matters
> follow 5000 people and only 200 follow you back?
> congratulations, you're a bot now
> keep it clean. aim for 1:1.67
> shadowban?
> not just a myth
> there are actual labels:
> spam
> gore
> toxicity
> low quality
> nsfw
> "mentions person too much"
> each one adds weight to your visibility coffin
> blue check = permission to exist
> legacy verified = bonus points
> no check = enjoy clawing your way out of the void
> diversity filters = anti-spam boss
> prevents 1 account from dominating feeds
> if you're tweeting in bursts, you’re kneecapping yourself
> mix it up. space it out. variety = scrolltime = ads = profit
> virality triggers:
> show up in carousels
> trend modules
> bookmarks
> pinned content
> land here and you're in the algorithm’s VIP lounge
> the algo uses cosine similarity to recommend out-of-network tweets
> turns you and your tweets into embeddings
> measures the angle between you and the bangers
> close enough? you ride their wave
> "become a banger by standing next to one"
> realgraph = who you associate with
> if high-rep people engage with you, your reach improves
> your friends' friends define your fate
> algorithmic nepotism
> want to resurrect an old tweet?
> reply to it
> that reply = defibrillator
> congrats, it's alive again
> wanna go viral?
> curse less
> don’t be cringe
> reply smart
> get bookmarked
> write something that makes them click your profile
> stay relevant, stay recent
> tweet formats that worked before? steal them.
> final boss move?
> join communities
> they push your content harder
> because X loves groupthink
> tl;dr
> the X algo tracks *everything*
> every click, block, mute, and bookmark
> it's not just about what you post
> it's about who interacts with it
> and how much X thinks you matter
> reputation is destiny
> read the code yourself:
>
github.com/twitter/the-algor…
> or don’t. i already did it. you’re welcome.
> now go farm some bookmarks
> but do it with honor
> or at least with style
> algorithm bless