When I first started using Twitter heavily, the #FollowFriday hashtag was just taking off, and I genuinely looked forward to Fridays because of it (which might be a sign of a social media addiction). I’ve always appreciated anybody that has mentioned me. But has #FollowFriday lost its original luster?
I say, if you enjoy #FollowFriday, keep it up, but I wanted to mention some possible alternatives to it that are also quite valuable.
- Mr. Tweet, one of my own favorite places to form new relationships with interesting people. You could recommend one or two, or twenty people each week. I end up following about 95% of the people Mr. Tweet recommends.
- Point people to your favorite tweets stream, which is where you’ve marked tweets that were valuable, which usually says something about the people sending them.
- Build a list, or multiple lists of people by niche, locality, or tweeting style. Some people have even started #followfriday lists.
- Post a #FollowFriday article on your blog or side blog the way Craig Deakin does. This allows you to elaborate on why your friend should be followed, and it also requires more effort, an extra click, to follow them, which makes the follow that much more genuine.
- Use the #FollowFriday tool of the Twitter Tag Project, which looks at whom you’ve been conversing with and builds a list for you. This prevents mentioning people with insincere motives on your part and makes sure you’re recommending people with whom you have truly been engaged.
- Just recommend people, on any day of the week, with no hashtag, and perhaps for no good reason other than the fact that you like and value them.
Whatever you do to promote those whom you value, make sure you do it with sincerity and genuine appreciation. And in the spirit of #FollowFriday, I thought I’d give a shout out to the Twitter accounts of some of my recent top commenters…
- @brad_harmon
- @designinformer
- @lifenotion
- @FamousBloggers
- @kbloemendaal
- @FreemanLegacy
- @WeLoveMaids
- @extremejohn
Have a happy Friday!
photo credit: Gidzy
Jean Sarauer
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Josh Garcia
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Wayne Howard
Justin Germino
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I like the idea of just mentioning people to follow any day of the week. Why should we wait until Friday. If they are good people to follow, a recommendation is deserved anyday
Robert Bravery´s last blog ..What is the one thing that can improve your blog?
Definitely seems more natural that way.
I really like number 6. I always thought it was important to tell my followers why I was suggesting someone.
Rose´s last blog ..USB-powered boob warmer
Thanks Rose. It does provide a good basis for following.
I have been between Mr.Tweet and #FollowFriday to and fro. However I agree with Rose for #6, we can suggest anyone on any days, as long a person is honored for the way he/she is. :) I’m using Twitter Lists as more of a grouping method, but at the same time acknowledging friends the way I see them.
Stumbled, voted & RT-ed! Keep up the good work.
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
Ching Ya´s last blog ..8 Lessons Derived from Vacation to Boost Your Blogging Experience
Thanks so much for the promotion!
I’ve never heard of these sites, but I do agree that #ff has lost some of its original pull on Twitter. I run a follow friday on my writing blog (blog style), and I find that many people are indeed interested in it.
Maybe, like you said, it’s the effort that’s been put into it that makes it special. I nominate one of the blogs I follow each week (ish) and say what they offer and why I follow them. I put up a link to these blogs, and according to my feedjit, many of my readers go to these blogs after reading my friday posts.
Nice method Anne!
Great idea Anne. Will try something like that!
Design Informer´s last blog ..Gloss’d – A Free Icon Set
Oh, thanks for the promotion.^^
I think originally #ff was thought to be one username per tweet with a short explanation why one should follow the person. Now it are as many usernames as 140 characters let it be, and no commentary. The idea to write #ff-format posts is pretty nice, I don’t know whether it would match every niche (mine for example) though. The niche has to be a bit meta, I think.
Very true. Some have started using posterous or Tumblr as a quick, free, and pain-free way to start a side blog for things that don’t fit their niche.
Great suggestions, Brandon. I read a lot of your posts, but this is the first time I have commented. I didn’t know about Mr Tweet, so thanks for the recommendations! I’ll definitely start using my blog more often for this as well.
Cool Pastor Tom – and glad I could help a little!
Great ideas, and thanks again for linking to me and thinking my way of #followfriday is a worth while one.
No problem Craig!
Brandon,
Thanks for the #FollowFriday shout out. I really appreciate it!
#1 I love Mr. Tweet too. I use it for all my #FF recommendations now. Just one person per tweet along with a reason, plus they are added to their website.
#2 I haven’t marked a single tweet. That is such a great idea. I think I will adopt that one.
#4 I’ve thought of doing this several times, but never followed through. Another one I think I will adopt.
Thanks for the helpful suggestions.
Brad
Brad Harmon´s last blog ..My, What Great Pics You Have!
No problem Brad, glad you liked the article!
Thanks for listing my twitter account on this article (@kbloemendaal)!
I really enjoy #FF (#ff #followfriday) and I usually list my favorites on complete randomness as people are tweeting while I am making my list. I like to send out #FF this way because:
1. They are on twitter and will see I sent out some #FF love while I am on twitter.
2. I can see what they are tweeting about so I make sure I don’t recommend “teeth whitening” or “make money on twitter” bots.
3. I use seesmic and tweetdeck so it is easy to create my lists on the fly by clicking the @reply button as their tweets flow through my stream.
Also, I send out #FF recommendations for a lot of the same tweople every week, especially ones that actually interact with me through @replies.
Keith @ Superior Fence Products´s last blog ..Vinyl Vs Wood Fencing
Very cool method, Keith. I like how you make sure your recommendations are people with whom you’ve genuinely interacted.
I’ve always thought that there should be a way to recommend someone where it wasn’t fixed on a specific day. I like the idea of blogging the people we recommend for sure.
I’m not into always recommending peeps on Fridays – it gets tiring to “have to do” it. I like to be free to recommend when I feel like it. I’m very much into letting things flow naturally…..
I always thank everyone that recommends me though :-)
All the best,
Eren
Eren Mckay´s last blog ..How to Make Homemade Eggnog Recipe
I agree, Eren – natural feels better. And thank YOU for the eggnog recipe!
Follow Friday used to be good, but it got so hyped and spammed that it makes no sense anymore. Actually, I don’t even pay any attention to #followfriday mentions anymore. If you like someone, why wait till friday to recommend him?
Excellent point – besides, people need a nice boost on Monday.
I’m surprised to Mr.Tweet again… honestly, I just discovered it tonight from a post on another blog and am starting to feel about an inch tall for not knowing about it!
Yep, it’s an excellent and intuitive resource.
I like #6 but I am also really liking FollowFridayHelper FFHelper which helps show who you interacted most with on any given week. It does all recognition for all days of the week.
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