Why I Don't #FF

FF - originally a hashtag for Friday Follow on Twitter - has morphed and is on many social networking sites. I never got into FF on Twitter, but there are a few people I follow - Daniel Sandler, James Vincent - who do Follow Fridays with a purpose: They will promote people that they think will benefit people with their interests. I take their advice the way I do when a reputable reviewer gives a product a nod: More often than not, the recommendation turns out to be rewarding, interesting, etc.

Why I don't like Follow Friday: Many use it now to promote their friends, creating a sense of an online clique. I never liked cliques in high school, and I still don't. The most interesting, talented people I found independently and by using my own mind. I trust most people can do the same. If I promote someone, it's often someone I don't know personally, but who is talented and hasn't been discovered by many yet. People's time is at a premium: I don't waste it promoting products I don't really like. That sensibility extends to other areas.

My ultimate philosophy is cream rises to the top: People who offer something of substance to a wide variety of people will gain a following by themselves. Youtube beauty reviewer Emily Eddington marvels in her earliest videos that she has 1,000 subscribers. She now has over 200,000.  A large following may not happen instantly, but the laws of attraction and talent eventually even the scales.