Just as different tribes, families, nations and even companies and organizations develop their own culture, so too do online social networks. Within each group are cultural or social "norms" that evolve. It's a sort of behavioral expectation among members of a group.
On Twitter, one of those norms is "Follow Friday." I'm not sure who started it, but at some point in time somebody posted a "tweet" and, within the space of the 140 characters allowable on a twitter post, identified one or more "tweeps" (twitter people) whom they thought was worth recommending to their network as someone worth following.
The post is usually appended with the text "#followfriday". It's called a hashtag keyword; it's a convention -- another one of those norms -- that evolved to make it easier to aggregate similarly-themed tweets (a twitter post) in search engine results pages. Here, for example, is the aggregated list for the #followfriday hashtag: search.twitter.com.
But that's all preamble. The main thing about this post is to fess up to the fact that I've been busting this cultural norm by not typically participating. It's not for wont of doing so. It's just that I'm, well, anal retentive.
You see, I personally feel like I'd be dis-ing one or more of my connections if I can't fit them into the 140 characters of my followfriday tweet. But more than that, if I'm going to recommend certain tweeps to others, I kinda feel compelled to say at least a few more words than what I can in 140 characters about why I'm making that recommendation.
I know, I know... I'm over-thinking this. You're absolutely right. Those people that make it on my followfriday list in any given week probably don't feel "dis'd" in the way that I'm making it out to be. But, good or bad, it's how my brain seems to be wired.
Be that as it may, there are, indeed, tweeps I think are worth following. And I want my network to know about them so some of you can follow them, too. So, to reconcile it for myself, I've decided to use this space, henceforth, every friday. While I still may not be able to fit everyone I love on each Friday's list, I'll at least be able to say a little more about each recommendation. And, there's always more space in subsequent fridays.
This week's follow friday list, in no particular order (there I go, over-thinking again...)
- @tawnypress. Why? She was one of the first eLearning tweeps I met on Twitter when I was first getting started with the community. She keeps herself at the center of things and is keen to respond to others and perpetuates that culture of knowledge sharing that I so value about social networks. She's also someone I attribute with having helped found the monthly OCTweetups (live meetups in Orange County, CA) that has been such a great way to network and meet new folks.
- @jonlan. Why? Another one of those folks who has taken the lead in extending virtual relationships to the real world where face-to-face meetings can happen. I attribute @jonlan with having started the #TwOrCo hashtag discussions on twitter. And, this is significant to me because it has brought folks together in Orange County, Ca to share information with each other first on Twitter, then in the live meetups that have occurred on pretty much a monthly basis.
- @Peacekeeper357. Why? He knows some great motorcycle routes in/around Orange County and San Diego county. But, more than just knowing where the cool rides are, he's willing to take the dialog out of the virtual space and take a leadership role in extending that dialog as action in the real world.
- @JeffHurt. Why? This guy came out of nowhere, popped up as a connection on Twitter as such things do in web 2.0, and immediately began tweeting and publicizing good stuff about... not himself, but about others. That, more than any other thing, always wins points with me. It's that whole "pay it forward" thing about social media that keeps me coming back.
So, if you're on Twitter, take a look at the four tweeps above. Worth following. And, tell 'em, @MelAclaro sent ya.
If you liked this, or any of the articles on this site, please subscribe!
Are you a fellow "Tweep"? Follow me on Twitter (@melaclaro).
Or, connect with me on LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/melaclaro.
Got friends? Forward this post or save it to any of the bookmarking sites below.
