I hate follow 4 follow and if you don’t… you might want to rethink that. (Normally I would be posting Let’s Make Your Blog Awesome but we are going to postpone that till the first Wednesday in December.) Why do I hate follow 4 follow? What is a big deal? Why should you care? Let me tell you and then you can decide for yourself.
Follow 4 Follow is Cliché
Follow 4 follow is NOT interesting, it’s NOT original, it’s a commonplace, and at least for me, it’s NOT effective. It’s generic. I don’t want people to follow me because I follow them and vice versa. I want people to follow me because I am awesome 😉 I am interesting, and I am original.
If you don’t think so, don’t follow me. If you don’t like my writing style or my photography or my opinions or even the color of my eyes, that’s cool. Don’t follow me. I might follow you and I might not. But there is one thing I will never do. I will not follow you just because you follow me.
Follow 4 Follow is NOT a Good Business Practice
I know social media is very business-oriented. Business should be based on honesty, right? Would it be honest for me to follow you if I don’t really like your material? Not in my mind. If I don’t like your stuff, I don’t want to see it or promote it on my timelines. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social network, I personally like my timelines to represent who I am. That includes what I like.
[clickToTweet tweet=”If someone’s content doesn’t suit you don’t feel bad saying ‘NO’ to follow 4 follow! #smtips #f4f” quote=”If someone’s content doesn’t suit you don’t feel bad saying, ‘NO’ to follow 4 follow. Be original!”]
Does Follow 4 Follow Promote Unity Among Bloggers?
Sometimes. But if someone’s content doesn’t suit you don’t feel bad saying, “NO” to follow 4 follow. For example, I try to support my fellow International Bloggers Association bloggers. I also try to support expat and travel bloggers because that is my primary niche. However, I may at times follow someone only to discover I don’t like their posts. What do I do? I unfollow them. Unity yes, following blindly no. Be original. Be yourself. Stick to your principles.
Follow 4 follow is just for the numbers. There is no quality and no substance. You gain followers because you clicked a button. Not because they really like YOU or YOUR WORK. Maybe you don’t care, and that is totally fine with me. But I care. I believe in myself, and I love photography and writing. I want genuine support and appreciation for my work.
To Follow 4 Follow or Not? It’s Only an Opinion
Maybe you think I am taking this too far. However, keep in mind it’s only my opinion. You don’t have to agree with me. It won’t be the first time I gave my opinion online and received hate mail for it. (Next thing you will know people will be saying I called them uninteresting, unoriginal, commonplace, generic, and dishonest… I NEVER SAID THAT BTW.)
I won’t dismiss you because you follow 4 follow, I promise. However, I may leave your Facebook group, completely ignore my Statusbrew account, or like and comment on your Instagram pic without actually following you. Don’t take it personally. We are just different. Sometimes being different is good. And that is okay.
Signing off in Mexico, while eagerly awaiting the responses to this article, (which will probably totally bomb), Tina