It Follows

Alright so I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but isn’t that what blogging is all about?  Sharing your unpopular opinions and cramming them down other people’s throats?  Yes.  Yes it is.  So that being said, let’s get on with it.

I’ve been blogging for, like… a while now, and I’ve picked up on a few things in that time.  One of those things is this little trick people use to get more followers.  The trick is called “follow other people’s blogs in the hope that they will follow yours back”.  Now, I know what some of you are thinking: “TML, that’s literally just how the blogging community works.”  And you’d be right, if you weren’t wrong.  Let me learn you the difference:

When you follow someone’s blog because you enjoy reading what they have written, that’s called a connection.  Connections are good!  It means you’ve found someone with likeminded ideas whom you can relate to and have deep meaningful conversations with.  It comes from a place of sincere admiration and appreciation for what they have to say.  That’s the GOOD kind of following.  And hey, if they decide to check out your blog too and find something they like, then bonus.  But by no means are they required to.

When you follow someone’s blog because you want them to follow you back, that’s the BAD kind of following.  It means you are being shallow and simply want the numbers, not the people.  And when you follow someone’s blog and then never look at it again, that’s a little bit suspicious.  Sure, we all have busy lives, and sometimes it can be hard to keep up with everyone you’ve ever followed.  But if you don’t even have time to read their content at a later date after it’s been posted then maybe you’re following too many people and should cut some loose.

You see, people nowadays care WAY too much about the numbers.  They think that if they get *this* many followers or *this* many likes then they will find the happiness that has eluded them for so long.  In the mad scramble for the numbers we tend to forget about the people behind those numbers.  And that’s when things get messy.

Look, at the end of the day I couldn’t care less how many followers I have or how many likes I get.  I don’t want followers, I want readers.  I want questions and opinions and thoughts and feedback and people.  Fuck the numbers.  I want people.

So if you find yourself following people simply in the hopes of getting them to follow you back, then shame on you.  But that doesn’t have to be the end of it.  Take the time to check out some of the people you’ve so carelessly followed.  Read what they have to offer, then decide if you still want to follow them.  If not, don’t sweat it.  Everyone has their own style, and if you don’t particularly like someone else’s that’s perfectly acceptable.  What’s not acceptable is pretending you do just so they follow you back.

We reap what we sow, and if all you sow are fake follows, then that’s what you’re going to get in return: fake followers.