It has been a funny few days for me on Twitter. I did not think I have ever been blocked by anyone and then over the weekend I discovered by accident that two comedians had blocked me. I found out about the first when I tried to follow him and the message "you have been blocked from following this account at the request of the user."

I'd never seen this message before, but a quick google seemed to confirm that it meant I had been specifically blocked. Then yesterday I was wondering what a particular comedian had to say about the death of Margaret Thatcher and when I tried to follow them the same message flashed up. I would have to get by without their pithy, jocular remarks about dead Tories. Either that or create a new account in a different name and follow them on that.

It is a weird, disconcerting feeling being blocked by someone famous. On the one hand it is strangely flattering, as if you, a mere flea on the big, itchy fleece of popular culture have left a mark, albeit unintentionally rather than in a Rupert Pupkin way. On the other hand I'm a comedy fan who tends to be nice and kind and the thought of saying something that would upset these people and make them take it personally does make me shiver a little. Two qualifiers do spring to mind here - 1) I am notoriously thin-skinned 2) It is not beyond the realms of possibility that someone else manages their Twitter accounts and they simply don't follow any critics for fear of seeing a negative review.

With the first comedian I have always been a fan and have written a lot of positive things about them. I did write something that I thought had upset them a few years ago but when I apologised to them  – in the pre-Twitter era – they seemed  to accept my apology, so the block was a shock. As for the second comedian, I've given them a few bad reviews so, hey, good for them, they've had enough of reading me tell them to change the record.

The trouble with Twitter is that it bridges the gap between performer and critic in a way that has not really happened before. The goalposts are in danger of moving way to close together. Only this morning someone from Festival of the Spoken Nerd tweeted me to ask if I was coming to their gig tonight after I tweeted about it, when that would normally be the publicist's job (the super-efficient publicist had, by the way, asked me too). Twitter has opened up the lines of communication between critic and artist in a whole new way. I'd feel awkward and potentially compromised if a comedian bought me a drink, not that it happens much, they are way too tight. Call me old-fashioned, but hanging out with comedians in bars feels like fraternising with the enemy. And if a comedian retweets something I've written do I owe them? Is there such a thing as a free Retweet?

I remember many years ago Alexei Sayle saying something like he didn't want to meet Phil Collins because he might discover that he was a nice bloke and wouldn't be able to slag him off any more. I've had a few close shaves like that on social media, where I've built up an online friendship with a performer then, come Edinburgh Festival time, I've felt slightly obliged to go to their show and then haven't liked it. The politest option is simply to say there was no room to run the review, but even that feels like a cop-out.

Becoming chums with acts one writes about has always been a very delicate business. I've occasionally seen critics attend shows with performers and to me it doesn't feel right for the showbiz ecosystem. Likewise every night on Twitter I can see cosy chats between comics and journalists who may be about to write their next show/series/app. A bit of distance would not go amiss, otherwise it can all start to look a little bit too chummy.

In a business full to the brim with fragile egos it is like walking on emotional eggshells once the barriers are down. There is one comedian who I have been quite friendly with for nearly two decades, from before he was even a comedian. I still like him but don't think much of the work he has down lately, so, while I haven't fallen out with him, I do try to avoid him.

I've never been a fan of PRs but maybe their role of providing a buffer is useful here. They can diplomatically tell me that a comedian was a bit upset about a bad review and that can be the end of the matter. That is what used to happen and I would never know what the comedian really thought or if they were sticking pins into a voodoo doll with a print-out of my picture byline on it. If a comedian blocks me themselves it is not surprising that I might take it personally, even though I understand why they have have done. I've then got to navigate my way around writing a fair-minded review.

So far though this has not been a problem. Regarding the two comedians who have blocked me, one does not really do stand-up any more so I don't envisage the problem of reviewing him, while I've given the other comedian bad reviews in the past so if I give him a bad review in the future there is no need to think it is because he has blocked me. I went off his act long before he went off me.

As for the future, I'm not saying all comedians should follow me on Twitter and I'm certainly not saying if you follow me you will have a better chance of getting a better review. I suppose I'm just saying that if you do follow me, please don't unfollow me if I write something you don't like. I will always do my best to be balanced whether you block me or not. If I give you a bad review I'm not sulking, you'll just have to face it, I think your show is a stinker.