Comments on: #FollowFriday: The enemy of true conversation? http://manitouheights.com/2009/08/11/followfriday-enemy-true-conversation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss Conversations about Crossing Cultures and Bridging Divides in the Information Age Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:04:20 -0600 hourly 1 By: sarahmcnitt http://manitouheights.com/2009/08/11/followfriday-enemy-true-conversation/comment-page-1/#comment-1440 sarahmcnitt Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:01:53 +0000 http://manitouheights.com/?p=1246#comment-1440 In general, I skim over #followfriday tweets, but if they've got some context to them, they can be useful. For example, @pennyschouten tweeted today:<br><br><a href="http://twitter.com/PennySchouten/status/3308369983" rel="nofollow">Intl ed peeps -#followfriday resources: @UKVisainUSA , @BorenAwards , @EducationUK , @usembassylondon , @dipnote (US State Dept)</a><br><br>I checked it out because she'd prefaced it by telling me WHO might have these interests in common with her and when the username wasn't obvious, by describing who it was. Just like when she did a True Blood-themed #followfriday a few weeks ago, and I knew I could skim over it, because they would be tweeps I wouldn't be interested in following. (Sorry, Penny!)<br><br>You can't expect your followers to have ALL the same interests as you, so it helps if you can direct people toward the information they might be interested in, rather than just suggesting that they click blindly on things. In general, I skim over #followfriday tweets, but if they've got some context to them, they can be useful. For example, @pennyschouten tweeted today:

Intl ed peeps -#followfriday resources: @UKVisainUSA , @BorenAwards , @EducationUK , @usembassylondon , @dipnote (US State Dept)

I checked it out because she'd prefaced it by telling me WHO might have these interests in common with her and when the username wasn't obvious, by describing who it was. Just like when she did a True Blood-themed #followfriday a few weeks ago, and I knew I could skim over it, because they would be tweeps I wouldn't be interested in following. (Sorry, Penny!)

You can't expect your followers to have ALL the same interests as you, so it helps if you can direct people toward the information they might be interested in, rather than just suggesting that they click blindly on things.

]]> By: myklroventine http://manitouheights.com/2009/08/11/followfriday-enemy-true-conversation/comment-page-1/#comment-1438 myklroventine Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:34:19 +0000 http://manitouheights.com/?p=1246#comment-1438 Lots of food for thought here, Ruth. I agree that tweets with lists of people to follow without reason are both frustrating and useless. I tend to pay little attention to those. But I believe there can be real value in listing one or two follow suggestions AND a brief pitch as to why. Micah went on to advocate this shortly after the FF phenomenon took off. <br><br>The success or failure of the entire Twitter experience hinges on finding the "right" mix of people to follow. "Right" for each user that is. Like RTs, I feel a thoughtful Follow Friday tweet can help connect others in a positive way. I have made many valuable connections via a trusted followers' recommendations. Likewise, I have stopped following certain people who spend all day Friday tweeting lists of names. <br><br>Sadly, I think it was inevitable that the concept of Follow Fridays would get watered down or misunderstood as it spread. Much like Twitter suggesting we answer the question "what are you doing?" spawned millions of tweets about what people were having for lunch. Jeremiah Owyang suggested "what are you passionate about?" would be a more realistic jumping off point for Twitter. Perhaps Follow Fridays should be reframed to answer the question "who are you passionate about and why should I care?" In any event, I think it continues to be an interesting experiment and look forward to the next "movement" like it. Lots of food for thought here, Ruth. I agree that tweets with lists of people to follow without reason are both frustrating and useless. I tend to pay little attention to those. But I believe there can be real value in listing one or two follow suggestions AND a brief pitch as to why. Micah went on to advocate this shortly after the FF phenomenon took off.

The success or failure of the entire Twitter experience hinges on finding the "right" mix of people to follow. "Right" for each user that is. Like RTs, I feel a thoughtful Follow Friday tweet can help connect others in a positive way. I have made many valuable connections via a trusted followers' recommendations. Likewise, I have stopped following certain people who spend all day Friday tweeting lists of names.

Sadly, I think it was inevitable that the concept of Follow Fridays would get watered down or misunderstood as it spread. Much like Twitter suggesting we answer the question "what are you doing?" spawned millions of tweets about what people were having for lunch. Jeremiah Owyang suggested "what are you passionate about?" would be a more realistic jumping off point for Twitter. Perhaps Follow Fridays should be reframed to answer the question "who are you passionate about and why should I care?" In any event, I think it continues to be an interesting experiment and look forward to the next "movement" like it.

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