socialmedian: The Talk About Rules for Social Following Is Getting Out of Hand

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The Talk About Rules for Social Following Is Getting Out of Hand

Source: louisgray.com

Jul 21, 2008

Summary

As the world of online "friends" is getting increasingly blurred, and many of us are joining social network after social network, expanding our realm of friends to mean much more than just those we know in real life, artificial rules of etiquette are being created for when you follow someone or add them as a friend, and when you don't. And when two people have different, unequal rules, there is a potential for conflict, or hurt feelings, even when we have the option to step back and realize this is all very silly. No one hard and fast rule works for everybody, and I would expect that the "rules" are different for each network, given the impact "following" can mean.

This whole ruckus about "You didn't follow me! I'm going to unsubscribe!" led me to playfully suggest a new approach this evening:

View louisgray’s tweet

(See the FriendFeed response to my Tweet here)

The issue of who to friend started well before social networking sites like Friendster and MySpace took hold, and before Twitter and FriendFeed changed the game in terms of how adding somebody as a friend ...Read the full article

Comments (8)

Thomaspower,

Jul 24, 2008

this market is just developing it's too early to make comments like this.

Porch Light Scott,

Jul 24, 2008

lol...Louis, that's a great approach - I can't believe that someone would be upset because they are not receiving a reciprocal follow. I think you have to be interesting to be followed. It should "mean" something.

Poojanayak,

Jul 25, 2008

Lol.. I second that.

Eric Egnet,

Jul 28, 2008

Good article

Maverick Ny,

Jul 31, 2008

NOISE is sometimes a good thing - you learn more, faster.

Doncooke,

Aug 01, 2008

'When two people are different' - surely that is when the potential for growth of knowledge and relationship leverage is at its best and most full of potential. I always gain more from 'community' with folks with differing outlooks - provided I am prepared to admit my failings and accept that sometimes the views I encounter may by better formed than my own.

Weblaunches,

Aug 02, 2008

Rules for Social Media Talk

Manuscrypts,

Aug 08, 2008

Unfortunately the benchmarks for 'rules' are all real life based.. Agree that each community will make its own rules as they go along, and break them too :)