TGI#FF
Not that any of us needed another reason to thank God it's Friday, but I feel there is one more! I am referring to Follow Friday (#ff) on Twitter. If you have read my previous post on the value of good networking tools, you already know I am a fan of Twitter.
Follow Friday, for those of you that are not Twitter users, is an event that occurs each Friday on Twitter where Tweeps (twitter users) recommend their favorite colleagues to their followers. It’s done by using the hash-tag #ff along with, at a minimum, the users account name. I usually try to provide an explanation of why I think the person is a candidate to follow so others can form a somewhat educated decision on whether or not to also follow that person.
Twapplying Follow Friday
I can imagine for those who have not done this before, I might as well be speaking Latin. So here is an example of a typical follow Friday mention:
#ff @ocdqblog, @hlsdk for insight on #dataquality & #blogging that’s topical, interesting and acquired from years of experience!
In this tweet, or Twitter update, I sent the message to my Twitter followers that I think they should follow fellow Twitter twitters @ocdqblog and @hlsdk because I think they are good writers in the areas of data quality and blogging.
Twhy I Love Twit
Follow Friday is a favorite of mine because it provides the opportunity to let those you follow know that you appreciate them. In addition, you get to find other Tweeps you might also appreciate and learn from.
In the era of social media, follow Friday is a virtual party where you get introduced to all your friend's friends. What more can you ask for? It might just put the social in social media?
That’s a Twrap!
No big grand theory of everything here. After all it is Friday! Just a quick quip on why I love Follow Fridays on Twitter. If you are on Twitter, use today to show your appreciation. If you’re not on Twitter, get with it. Catch the “140 bug” and start tweeting with tweeps and #followfriday each week! Look me up at @dqchronicle and I’ll be your BFFF (best follow Friday friend)!
Have a great tweekend!
Excellent Follow Friday blog post!
ReplyDeleteFollow Friday can sometimes feel like Twitter peer pressure – in other words, I recommended you, why didn't you recommend me?
Among our fellow Twitter addicts, it has come to be viewed either as a beloved tradition of social media community building, or a hated annoyance.
It is almost as deeply polarizing as Pepsi vs. Coke or Soccer vs. Football (by the way, just for the official record, I love Follow Friday and I am firmly in the Pepsi and Football camps – and by Football, I mean American Football).
Thanks for the Tweet-Out (the Twitter version of a Shout-Out)!
I love Follow Fridays too. But it is not without a pet peeve, albeit a small one. Simply listing as many of your Tweeple as you can within a single tweet just adds to the noise on Twitter. But I should throw stones in a glass house because I have felt obligated to toss out a #followfriday list after being too busy during the day to properly recognize my tweeps.
ReplyDeleteMore often then not I will toss out a half dozen #FF's on any given Friday, one at a time, with a short explanation of why a particular person is worthy of following. Often it will have something to do with an interaction that I had with this individual over the course of the past week.
Does this mean that there are people that I follow or follow me who never get mentioned? Sadly yes, but it is not because I am intentionally play favorites. I would be doing the community a disservice as a whole to just throw them out there and ask my followers to spend their own time deciding if my influence alone is worth them following someone.
I blogged about the Signal to Noise ratio of #followfriday last year on my own blog for this very same reason. It boils down to everyone doing their due diligence to keep their signal as strong as possible. The risk of becoming noise and subsequently ignored is too great.
I'm a big fan of Fridays, Follow Fridays, Football and a former Pepsi addict! I gave up Pepsi for health reasons, football for time management reasons, but I am still a HUGE fan of Fridays and #FF.
ReplyDeleteI can see where some may feel the pressure of #ff obligation. I feel it from time to time, but in the spirit of social collaboration I chose to maintain my right to be honest to my followers. I chose to recommend who I believe in because I feel a responsibility to my followers and want to help them. I hope we can all get twalong twithout peer pressure and maintain a good, twell intented thing like follow friday!
Thanks for your comment! Happy #FF!
Rob,
ReplyDeleteAll great points, particularly on the noise factor. I'd love to see that post you reference. I have observed the same event and wonder if we can't figure out some other alternative? I am using MrTweet recommendations as a possible alternative. There is also Listorious as a possibility. At any rate, you are on the mark with this being an issue on Twitter on Fridays. Thanks for the comment!
Nice Post, and I appreciate what you do.
ReplyDeleteI also look forward to #FF. gives me a chance to do exactly what you mentioned: giving thanks and appreciation to those who I feel should be recognized.
To Jim's point, yeah, there are those who expect something in return, but this is Twitter... short, fun, and most of all, dynamic. Some weeks I get #ff, others I will not... depends on my contributions, and how others feel.
What I like is that my fellow Tweeps recommend me, what an honor... it is exciting to be recognized for the little contributions I do... most of all, I get to find others who are like minded. WIth a ton of tools out there to help you find like minded people, there is nothing like getting a recommendation from a person I respect tweeting that they recommend someone.
Great article, and I hope that we continue to see great stuff from you and the rest of our twitter friends... (keep flying :) )
Garnie,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the kind words and agree 100% with what you've said. It is a dynamic and fun way to show your tweeps you appreciate them! I also agree with the dynamic of choice and if I fall out of someone's #ffs I don't get offended. Maybe I was boring that week? :) Maybe they didn't have time? It shouldn't matter. It is a fun tool to grow your collection of friends. No need to get all serious about it! ;) Regarding the flying, I am thinking of making my Saturdays #FS (Flying Saturday)! I'll tweet more pics as soon as I get them! Thanks for the communication! Have a great weekend!
William, your post is a good chance to say some more about the #FF tradition than the 140 characters allow - and by the way, thanks for including me in the example.
ReplyDeleteThough #FF certainly may seem superficial I think it actually contributes to make the twitter experience more personal and close because you here gets a chance to acknowledge, that you actually value the mentioned twitter being present in the social media room. The social media room is going on 24/7. People come and leave your sphere by the weeks - and by the hours related to the time zones where we live. #FF makes up for that superficial but important handshake and “how do you do” or “nice to see you again” we are used to in a physical room.
PS: Football vs Soccer. Well, in my time zone we play football with the feet and handball with the hands. Very simple.
Happy Hour isn't the only thing to look forward to on Friday anymore: #FF should perhaps be renamed to "Fantastic Friday"...
ReplyDeleteHenrik
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! I think you've expressed the issue well. I value #FF because it is a chance to expand my network via the #FF reference.
LOL @ your assessment of football. Agreed that we should have come up with a more original name.
Thanks again!
William
Thanks for comment, Rich. I wonder if mixing #FF and #HappyHour together is a good idea? ;)
ReplyDelete