#FollowFriday: A Great Idea Gone Fail?
When I first started using Twitter over two years ago, there wasn’t really a way to do things. Twitter had been around some time, but many users were still figuring out what we wanted to use it for. Times have changed since: we’ve figured out Twitter has more value as a conversation tool than a stream of status updates, we know the value of hashtags in keeping up with developing events, we have developed a way to credit those whose information we relay in our own tweets, and so on. But we’re all still learning.
Every once in a while conversation will erupt around a certain practice–should we follow everyone who follows us? Are “thanks for following me! Here’s a link to my site!” auto-DMs nice or spammy? Should we block bots who follow us or let them pump up our follower counts?–and the dialog that follows will help define yet another code for Twitter users.
This week, the topic is Follow Friday, otherwise known among Twitter users as #followfriday (or #ff). According to Sean Percival, founder of lalawag, the LA tech and entertainment gossip blog, #followfriday is ruining Twitter. For those not in the know, #followfriday is the Friday tradition of naming Twitter users whom you believe are worth following. Since the tradition began in January, it’s exploded and now many users, including Percival, have raised concerns about its tendency to become useless spam:
I actually think Follow Friday is a fine idea, but with any good idea it usually becomes warped and stupid. Truth is most of you are doing it wrong. Sometimes I get included in #FF post and click through to see who gave me a mention. There I find a dump of their other #FF tweets, blasting out some 20 names at a time with no context what-so-ever. Why should I follow them? Because you said so? Just do me a favor, click through here to read about Follow Friday from its creator, and learn how to do it right.
According to the creator of the massively popular movement, Micah Baldwin, #followfriday is about making one or two recommendations and giving a short explanation for these, not jam-packing as many people as possible into a single tweet–or worse, a series of tweets.
Solutions?
Usually on #followfriday, I select a theme, then offer users worth following according to my theme. The last time I did a #followfriday, I mentioned a group of empowered women in tech about whom I’d been tweeting using the hashtag #fempire. To give my followers an overview of this group of fantastic women, I involved them in my #followfriday in the following way:
An example of a themed #followfriday.
It’s occurred to me that this may not be enough. In a world where more and more people are joining Twitter and looking for quality content, it is our responsibility, when providing our followers with suggestions, to offer more tangible reasons to follow people whose content we enjoy. I would much rather offer one or two users in my #followfriday tweets with a good reason than spam them with all my best friends over and over.
How do compose a #followfriday tweet? Do you ever click through your friends’ #followfriday recommendations when no other information is given?
MORE FROM AROUND THE WEB
The Follow Friday (#followfriday) Manifesto by Grant McDonald (@chichiri) and Kay Ballard (@KayBallard)
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June 29th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
I follow a lot of people who do #followfriday and unless a compelling description goes along with the recommendation, I can say that I have NEVER otherwise clicked along to see why that person might be enticing.
(The exception being if I already knew who the person was, but didn’t know they had a Twitter account until the #followfriday, which in some cases, I have clicked through.)
Semper´s last blog ..
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AV Flox Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Exactly. Same here.
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July 1st, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Awesome piece, and needful, I think, as #FollowFriday spirals further down the abyss of idiocy to those “Follow-Hungry” Twitterers who search on certain terms and just blanket-add everyone who falls into those categories without even necessarily reading any #FollowFriday recommendations.
I think Micah’s original intention was awesome, and I really have tried to recommend people in a thoughtful manner when I’ve dared to do it.
But Twitter is changing. Its culture is changing. And it is certainly not the same as when Micah first introduced the concept.
And really? Even thoughtful #FollowFriday recommendations are ignored by me these days. It’s turned into nothing but empty Twitter whoring.
So why should I even listen?
Atherton Bartelby´s last blog ..May Flights Of Angels Sing Thee To Thy Rest
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August 8th, 2009 at 11:12 am
I always do my #FF one at a time. I like to explain why I think that that person is worth following.
I was away from twitter for over a year, close to two actually.. the thing is a mess now ^^
I still like to discover new ppl, thanks to #FF, but I have to admit that I got caught by non followers showing me fake appreciation.
Phallus Nocturne´s last blog ..what you don’t really need to know about Web3.0
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September 12th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Personally, I never sent #FF tweet out. I don’t at all like the idea of #ff and its no surprise the idea has gone wrong. When I find someone worthy following, I just sent a tweet saying he/she is to be followed. I never restrict myself to friday or monday. And, also I don’t spam with 5 or 6 names in a tweet at one time.
Lucky Murari´s last blog ..A complete guide to using Twitter to build your brand online
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September 21st, 2009 at 12:33 pm
I like twitter, but dont understand the hype on following a ton of people. I want only targeted things I am interested in on my twiter.
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