Now that I have become a regular on Twitter (almost a year), I’m compelled to jump on the #FollowFriday bandwagon. If you aren’t a regular on Twitter, then you probably don’t have a clue what I’m talking about. Rather than give you another version of how Follow Friday started I will simply give you the link to read about it. We can all thank “Micah” for this #FollowFriday tradition.
I can remember my first #FollowFriday; I felt like a deer caught in headlights. What does the little “#” mean? What is #FollowFriday? All I saw were feeds that looked like this “#FollowFriday @firstname, @secondname, @anothernam”. You don’t have to be a genius to figure out the concept, but I couldn’t understand or reason why I should follow these recommendations.
We all want to participate and make a difference on Twitter. It’s a great tool, but I will admit the dynamic of using Twitter is not for everyone. Individuals to corporations use it in different ways, and not always for the best. Some get it, and use it as part of their online brand as an extension of their services, while others still see it as a waste of time, a slow sinking ship.
My favorite comment ever made about Twitter was by the creator, Jack Dorsey: “Twitter is intended to be a way for vacant self-absorbed egotists to share the most banal and idiotic thoughts with anyone pathetic enough to read them.” Granted he was talking about the civil unrest in Iran and I don’t want to misuse the quote… But it did strike me as funny since I have heard variations of that sentiment.
Like any new beginner, I was overwhelmed at how to do the whole #FollowFriday “thing”. I started searching for sites that would make the process easier. The Twitter Tag Project seemed to be the answer.
Easy enough right? You put in your Twitter user name/password and voila. The engine will scan the last 200 tweets, count the dupes, and return your most active friends. The results will display: #FollowFriday @friend1 @friend2 @friend3 @friend4…
Now, I’m not going to get into why you should or shouldn’t use The Twitter Tag project, or any tool that will automate the process (that’s for a later post). My intent here is to share with you, and hopefully continue sharing with you, my list for #FollowFriday.
I feel they deserve more than just 140 characters. To me, the recommendation should be of value not just to my followers, but to new people reading this post. Below is my first list. If you aren’t here this week, check back next week, since I’m only going to do fifteen per week. After all, I do have work to do.
- @theGypsy brilliant mind, great writer and of course an SEO guru. May sound like I am brown nosing but I really enjoy his comments. I have signed up for his SEO Newsletter and always read it from cover to cover.
- @LeftTheBox engages in Social Media, SEO, and Affiliate Marketing. Always open to discussing what I love most: SEO and how it affects your overall presence on the Internet
- @sherinola someone I have actually met. Wonderful lady, she is extremely creative, and not afraid to think outside the box.
- @ShellyKramer what can I say about this lady other than she is one of the few people I would follow regardless of whether she follows me back or not. She is extremely creative fun to chat with. From her insistence on perfect grammar, discussing marketing, or social media, she’s a worthwhile follow.
- @KGBTexas a true gentleman, cowboy, writer all around goofy nice guy. Shawn has made me laugh and shared some great useful links. A definite must if you want enlightenment with the world of public relations/advertising.
- @pfrigerio a true find and now a dear friend. His interests are Social Networking, Online Marketing, his family and it helps that he is Italian.
- @styletime an all around great guy. He seems to be a free spirit, doesn’t sweat the small stuff and always has great advice. He has some great ideas for anyone’s online presence.
- @Burnsie_SEO a true SEO Geek at heart. Willing to give of her time and knowledge. She is funny, creative and I am glad to be part of her “Rick roll” jokes.
- @briancray here is a very smart businessman. He is extremely laid back and always has some of the best links with the latest news. It helps that he engages… After all isn’t that what we all want?
- @balmeras this woman was a great find. She is a Writer, bloger, educator, speaker, and has actually given me some great feedback. Took the time to engage how cool is that?
- @seotips2go new Media Consultant (social media, seo, pay per click, blogging, podcasting, video marketing, and more!) He never fails to share some great information and is not beyond RT’ing.
- @dudeman718 always full of energy great information and funny. It’s rare to see him posting links that don’t get passed around. Plus the fact, he actually read one of my favorite series “Steven King’s The Dark Tower Series.”
- @RosevilleRockLn This lady has become a fresh welcome to all the “wanna” be cool people on Twitter. She is a real, sassy, smart and extremely creative marketing and e-communications manager.
- @CGprogram When I first started chatting to this guy I thought, what a laid-back guy. Then I got to know him a bit more (reading his blog) and realized WOW what an absolute jewel. As a successful radio talk host, he is an inspiration to all who want to think outside the box.
- @luiserpa Where do I begin? Customer Experience analyst, UX expert, Information Architect, edge pursuer, crazy thinker, funny guy. I find it refreshing to see the camaraderie’s he nurtures.
You can see the new ones here
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Thanks for the recommendation!
I feel honored by you adding me to your list of follow friday tweeters. Really, so many people just select names of people that they never really interact with and that have a high following in hopes that they will automatically recommend them back. Yes, there are FollowFriday Spam tactics….and you heard it hear first (maybe second) (hmmmm, do I smell an article on revamp of follow fridays issues, process and practices
…)
The point is, I do know you are selective, and for you take the time to write such a lovely post and mention those folks is better then any #ff that I could ever receive.
So, happy follow friday to you, and may all your fridays be happy ones.
Brian you are welcome… Thanks for posting keep those great links & information coming
Now now honored is a bit strong… but okay I will take it. I figure you would inspire or should I say “smell” another article regarding how to make #FF better. I was actually thinking about calling out some of the people I would not follow. I would go as far as mentioning the ones I have blocked. Now that would be a juicy post. Just so we are clear I am only recommending the people I feel & know have something real to share, valuable information. The ultimate goals is to network people that add value to our days & of course our business. Thanks Bonnie you are a Rock Star in my book.
This is one brilliant idea. When it comes to #FF, it always seems to be more than 140 characters when describing a person. You’ve always been thorough in your recommendations in tweets; however I do see a much better intro and effectiveness when been brought to your blog post. Very well done, and prompt me to know my twitter friend better. ^^ Thanks you as I’ve added some nice people today.
Well I had to come up with something that would not seem so “rehearsed” and limiting. I love to tell people some real pointers and the 140 character really takes it all away. I am glad you like this I am sure I already have you on my lists. Lolol I have the list ready for the next month. I know I did one on you. What I am enjoying is adding everyone’s links. It’s almost like giving away a free link on a page that Google cannot scoff at since this is legitimate.
I am glad you tweeted this post. Lots of great recommendations here, and I enjoyed the process of learning about #FollowFriday.
Brian aka @bkmacdaddy makes a list every Friday; I admire him for doing so. I wrote a post a few weeks ago (using Brian’s idea and post) about Mr. Tweet and how I get overwhelmed by what I call the #followfriday flood.
Twitter Time and Mr. Tweet
The only problem is keeping up with the list. I was getting pretty good about it then we got really busy! What I have been doing is adding the names on a list and then going back to write about them. Problem I found is some of these people turned out to be spammers. At one point I had 3030 followers. Cleaned out my spammer and now I am down to 2900 plus. Not a big deal but I feel it’s better to have a clean sleight with good solid followers rather than thousands of people that don’t really pay attention or engage! Thanks for dropping by Leora