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WHAT'S UP WITH FOLLOWERS?
UNITE FOR THE CAUSE
My fellow hubbers almost a year ago when I joined Hubpages a person who either enjoyed your writing or something about you was called a fan. Now they’re called followers!!!! I think the term follower has a negative connotation, somewhat like a stalker. I want to have and be a fan again not a follower!!!!!!!!
All my life (cross my heart and hope to die) I have never been a follower/ stalker and I don’t want to start at my advanced age. I don’t want any followers/ stalkers either. I have made a few prank calls in my life but I never, ever stalked or followed anyone!!! Even those prank call were usually to retail establishments to ask silly questions like, “Do you have Prince Albert in a can?” When the answer came back,” No.” I would respond, “Good because, if you do I want you to let him out!” Following and stalking have such sinister overtones I want nothing to do with them.
I can remember July 18,1989 when the beautiful young actress Rebecca Schaeffer who co-starred on “My Sister Sam” and was slaughtered by a stalker/ follower, Robert John Barto (an ugly slug) and ended her career after three years of stalking, and her young life in a senseless act of violence. This is another reason that I don’t want to be called a follower and I don’t want those who read my hubs to be followers. I’d rather have and be a fan.
Isn’t there something we can do with the management of Hubpages to have this term returned to what it used to be so we can be fans once again? I don’t want to have or be a follower/stalker anymore I want to be and have fans once again!!!!!!!!
Please fellow hubbers join me in my quest and let be fans once again. We can be proud of ourselves as fans, but not as sinister stalker/followers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comments
Maybe your hub will help, Tom! This must be how "Mao" felt when those around him wanted to listen to his teachings. How Jim Jones must have felt when he was mixing the Kool-Aid. How David Karess felt as he past out guns to his "followers" while referring to himself as the "Son of God". How Charlie Manson's heart swelled with pride as he looked upon the works of his followers. And of course, who can forget those dedicated 'follower' who perpetrated that tragic event of 9-11. I think I am starting to get a feel for your sensitivity to the word. Good Write! WB
I agree Tom. I hate the term follower. I think of a cult with a deranged leader guiding the "followers" every move. Creepy.
You've opened my eyes to the realization that in modern usage of the word 'follower,' it is not something "I" choose to be! I think it started replacing the word 'fan' on pages like Twitter, then spilled over onto blogs and hubs, etc. I AM YOUR FAN, not your follower. PERIOD.
Tom, shame on us for the distaste of their nonsense and poor choice of words! How about lets just be readers or friends or something real.
Damn my karma just went down again I'm in free fall LOL
Good hub, 50
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Wayne,
Thank you for your comment.
There's just something dark about the term follower!!!!!!
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Pop,
The bad denotation of a cult is associated with folower!!!!
Thank you for your comment.
I think fans sounds nicer too !
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SusanP,
Thank you for being a fan and not a follower!!!!!!!!!!!
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Dusty,
Thank for your agreement and kind comment!!! I appreciate it!!!!!!!!!
I suppose some people who want to 'follow' hubbers they don't agree with didn't like being called fans. They really are stalkers, just waiting for a chance to strike.
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Tony,
Ther's no doubt fan or friend sounds nicer than follower!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for your comment.
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sheila b.
I agree with you wholeheartedly!!!!!!!!
Thank you for visiting and commenting.
I think you're on to something Tom. I typically feel like I have to choose either follow or fan, but it's kind of redundant; if you're following you are a fan. I usually pick follow, and now that I think of it, I hope I haven't offended anyone by not choosing fan. Hmmmm.
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kimh039,
I don't think anybody will be offended by you choosing fan. In fact, I think it would be preferred to follower!!!
Thank you for your insightful and kind comments.
You are right Tom, I like fan too.
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Thank you for your support Vladimir. There's just something about follower that seems creepy to me.
Tom, I hadn't paid attention before but I like fans better also.
Even though they changed the term to follower, we still get "fan" mail. Personally, I still ujse the term fan instead of follower for many of the reasons you listed. I also feel the negativity of the word follower. Of course, this site is out of San Fran, we know how those libs blindly follow BO!! LOL
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Pamela,
I agree with you. There's nothing sinister about fans!!!
Thank you for commenting.
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Sheri,
You may have hit upon something in your analysis. I can't be sure but it makse sense!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for commenting.
I think it is just a matter of political correctness.
lol. You are funny. I thought it was weird they changed it.
Call me anything, but don't call me late for supper. ha ah.
Keep on hubbing!
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dahoglund,
I think I see what you are saying!!!
Thank you for your comment and visit.
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Granny's House,
It was weird, and that's why I wrote this hub!!!
Thank you for your cogent comment.
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eovery,
I would never call you late for supper. I may call you a cab if you are stranded, OK????
Thank you for your comment.
I'm with you Tom I preferred fan to followers, but I prefer friend to fan. Ahhh hell just send me money!
Tex
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Tex,
Great to see you back!!!!!!!!! Thanks for your visit and comment!!!!!!!!!
I prefer friend. I've made some friends, and even get e-mail from a few of them.
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bayoulady,
I think friend is better also. There's just something creepy about follower!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for your comment.
I am with you, I much prefer fan to follower.
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maggs224,
There's just something creepy to me about the term follower. I like fan or even friend!!!!!!!
Thank you for your input and kind comment.
I think friend is better myself, it does seem an odd choice of words 'follower'. Website Examiner published a hub about the 'cultish' bent of hubpages, and the use of the term 'follower' kind of lends itself to that perception.
I 'follow' you, Tom, gladly, which doesn't sound negative as an active verb, but the follower noun, or even the 'fanning' thing have different connotations, so I can see how HP can be perceived as cultish....
Interesting hub topic, and one that needed to be brought up.
If I follow a leader I am a fan.
If I follow a writer or an artist or a band, because their product appeals to me... thus I am a fan.
If I follow someone without their knowledge THEN and only then would I be a stalker unless of course I was a spy and paid to record details.
Semantics are fun aren't they?
I'm glad to follow your work as a fan. Keep on writing LOL
.
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KFlippin,
I agree follower has a cultish connotation and also implies a stalker. I still am puzzed by Hub Scores also they don't seem to make any sense at all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for your supportive comment.
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Neil Sperling,
Semantics are crutial in communications unless one wants to encounter misunderstandings!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for your input and comment.
You said "Semantics are crucial in communications unless one wants to encounter misunderstandings!!!!!!!!!!!! "
I would only bring to your attention lawyers and political leaders would all be out of work if everything said or written was without misunderstandings.... LOL
Lets see now - if one had 400 fans who read and supported by comment anything written, would that not mean you were actually a cult leader of sorts?
Fun Fan Hub!
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Neil Sperling,
I agree there are those who practice semantics as a way of life. There's an element of deception in so doing. I like people to be straightforward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad you enjoyed the Hub!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for your return and additional comment.
No, the hubber scores and hub scores don't make much sense. I ran acorss a hubber a couple days back that has been here 5 weeks and has like a 98 Hubber Score! And the hub I was reading had been there for just a few days and it was already mid 90's? Doesn't make much sense. And something that slowly climbs to the high 80's over weeks, falls back into the 60's like it is suddenly a lousy pice of work - go figure! I've wondered sometimes if it only seemed a bit odd to me.....KF
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KFlippin,
You have hit it right on the head of the matter. I don't claim to Leo Tolstoy or any writer of classics, but if a Hub is good today it should be rated good for longer than just tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for your return and supportive comment.
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