Following authors protocol

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   bravewarriorposted 3 years ago

   Following authors should be because you like or relate to what they post. Tit for tat doesn't raise your hub score or mean diddly durn if you don't read what they post.
   
   I see too many authors follow people for the mere reason that those they choose to  follow them are following them. I have many followers, but when I'm notified, I read their profiles and check out their articles. If what they have to offer doesn't interest me, I don't follow them, although I appreciate that they find my work interesting.
   
   Tit for tat doesn't fit, in my opinion.
   
   And that brings up another point. Many newbies think they can raise their Hubber score by following many, many Hubbers arbitrarily. News alert! That's not how you raise your Hubber score or gain an audience!
   
   When I receive notification that I have a new follower, I not only read their profile and check out their articles, but check to see if they've commented on any of mine. Granted, these days you need to know how to go thru the back door to do so, but prior to the last year or so, it was easy to leave a comment. I always questioned why someone would follow me without leaving a comment on whatever article(s) prompted them to do so.
   
   My point is, if you feel propelled to follow an HP author, do it with authenticity. And don't feel the need to reciprocate if it doesn't suit.

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      MsDoraposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I totally agree, Shauna. I delete absentees on my follow list, and I see wisdom in not following an individual whose topics do not interest the follower. I also follow individuals I can learn from even if the do not follow me.

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         bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I choose those whom I follow for the same reasons you do, Dora. It doesn't hurt my feelings in the least if they don't return the follow.

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      Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting discourse indeed. All the points you raise are serious.

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   Jodahposted 3 years ago

   Very good points, Shauna. I sometimes get followers who write on totally different topics to what interest me. If they don’t have at least a few on subjects I like (and that I find well written) I won’t follow them. Occasionally, I go through the list of hubbers I follow and delete anyone who I haven’t seen around or who hasn’t posted in over a year.

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      bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      That's a good idea John. I'm glad I at least post one new article per year. I wouldn't want you to delete me!

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   bhattucposted 3 years ago

   Interesting observation.

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   Rupert Taylorposted 3 years ago

   How do you delete followers? I have scads of them who never show up.

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      DrMark1961posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      How can you tell? I follow you but probably only comment once or twice a year. Does that mean I am not a reader?

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   Jodahposted 3 years ago

   I don’t think you can delete those who follow you, Rupert. You can only delete people you are following.

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   Jodahposted 3 years ago

   Never fear, Shauna, I shan’t be deleting you year or no year.

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      bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Whew, that's a relief!

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   Miebakagh57posted 3 years ago

   It's a miss to delete those following you! Lol!

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      bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Not always, Miebakagh57. I've deleted a few myself because I discovered I either had nothing in common with them or they seem to overly promote themselves.

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         Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         bravewarrior, you're welcome.

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            bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Huh? For what?

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               Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

               To the discussion.

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   ValKarasposted 3 years ago

   Maybe a little off the subject, but -- what about comments given just to reciprocate, which turned me off just enough to stop giving any -- although never ignoring those given? Even viewing comments between others -- many seem so patterned, somewhat reminding of those "one-fit-all" greeting cards.
   That's why I send an email to many of those whose talent and work I admire, with regrets that some are not reachable that way.
   I understand that most of you won't agree with me, but responding to each and every piece back and forth seems like socializing by merely using their works as a medium for it. Why not just becoming pen pals, I wonder?
   But again, don't mind me, I have these odd ideas which probably come with age. LOL!

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      bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      No need to apologize, Val. Odd ideas can lead to great improvements. I agree with you that not all comments deserve or require a response. And some are nothing but words appearing on a page. It's nice that authors have the ability to deny comments that are empty, spammy, or have no real value.

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   Brenda Arledgeposted 3 years ago

   There are times I find an author's work intriguing, but I usually don't see them on my newsfeed.
   Quite honestly having to look up each Hubber's profile to see if he's posted new work is time consuming.
   I do however makecan attempt to do this somedays.
   I try not to follow those whose work doesn't appeal to me on some level.
   Some people leave comments without even reading my work.

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      bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Brenda, do you not receive notifications in your email when someone you follow posts? I receive them daily, but try to wait until I see the article in my feed before reading, so I can leave a comment if compelled to do so.

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    Farmer Rachelposted 3 years ago

    I totally agree! I think a lot of people join Hubpages and then proceed with the "social media mindset" that lots of followers = success. That's just not the case here. And actually, I think I remember reading somewhere in the FAQ that following lots of people quickly and arbitrarily actually lowers your Hubber score.

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       bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       I think you're right, Rachel (with reference to your last sentence.) When I receive notification of followers who have either a few or no featured articles, I often wonder how and why they chose to follow me. I don't think many of them even read anything I've written. So, how do they choose whom to follow?
       
       Another pet peeve is when fan mail is left asking me to follow them. I deny and/or delete those, by the way. Fan mail should be a message to not only the author, but to other readers detailing what strikes you about this writer. At least, that's what I do when I leave fan mail. I imagine someone checking out the author's fan mail. Oftentimes, it's what others have written about the author that confirms my inclination to check them out.

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       Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

       I'm in complete agreement with you in that.

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          bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

          Oh, okay. Thanks for clarifying.

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             Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

             You're welcome.

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    divacratusposted 3 years ago

    Sometimes people want to network.
    
    One thing that has impressed me is the camaraderie many people share here with fellow writers. They regularly comment on each other's articles. Some of them follow new people and take the time out to comment on their hubs, encouraging the newbies. I see it on my feed and it makes me smile. Because, after all, HubPages is a community. They want to help each other out. Some prefer not to do that. They follow as few people as possible, and that's fine too.
    
    It is all subjective.
    
    Are those who follow others looking towards increasing their hubscore? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't think it's fair to generalize. Are they interested in ALL the articles that the people they follow publish? Nope. As long as it does not hurt anyone, I think it is okay to follow and network with many people, drop a comment, or view an article, or do whatever *they* want as long as it doesn't bring HP's servers down

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       Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Good talk!

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       bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Kalpana, the point of this forum is people who follow HP writers arbitrarily, without cause or reason.
       
       I follow many writers of whom not all articles interest me. Those I don't read, nor do I comment. We can't please all the people all the time. I get that.
       
       I'm not generalizing. If anything, I'm pointing fingers at those who follow authors without ever reading their posts.
       
       While HP does have its various communities, it's not a networking or social site. It's a medium for posting articles that educate, entertain, and answers questions for the querying public. The camaraderie we gain is a bonus. I've made many lifelong friends here on HP. Again, that's a (huge) bonus.
       
       I think you've missed my point of posting this discussion.

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    Brenda Arledgeposted 3 years ago

    Shauna,
    I do get notifications, but i don't always seem to get them all.
    Usually it's on list of here are your recent notifications.
    Problem is mist of them have already been moved to discovery, so I have to find them on newsfeed if i want to comment.

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    1. 82

       bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Same here, although I get individual notifications in addition to the global one. Oftentimes, it takes a day before articles show up in my feed, that's why I wait to read. When I do I open the article in a new tab so I can go back to my feed to comment

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    MariaMontgomeryposted 3 years ago

    What Shauna said.

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    MizBejabbersposted 3 years ago

    Gosh, after reading some of the posts, now I'm on a guilt trip. I haven't written anything new since I had a stroke nearly two years ago. I have followed and commented on a few hubs, but I haven't been able to participate like I did in the "pre-stroke" days. I'm just now feeling like I'm making a full recovery, except for some eyesight problems, and I hope to be back in full swing within a few months. I hope I haven't lost too many followers, but I still do enjoy the camaraderie in the forums and on articles that really interest me in the feed. I do enjoy it when anyone contacts me via email.

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       bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       MizB, I'm glad you're on the mend. I don't write much anymore either. It's the case of the missing muse. But I do read and comment when I can. The forums are a good place to keep communication alive without having to search through the back door to comment on articles.

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       abwilliamsposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Good morning MizBejabbers,
       Although you and I don't agree on most things, I am so sorry to hear that you had a stroke and that it has taken so long for you to get to the point where you feel as if you are getting back to normal. My Dad had a stroke around the same time and it has been about the same for him.
       I can't imagine that anyone would stop following, because life gets in the way, at times. Hang tough!

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          MizBejabbersposted 3 years agoin reply to this

          Thank you. I sincerely don't want politics to get in the way of friendship. I appreciate your comment very much. I hope your father makes a full recovery.

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             abwilliamsposted 3 years agoin reply to this

             Thank you, I wish the same for you and I agree one hundred percent on not letting politics get in the way.

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             Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

             MizB, I've not yet noted that you had a stroke. That's fatal. Get well and back to good health.

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                MizBejabbersposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                Thank you, Miebakagh. They aren't always fatal, but they certainly can be. This one left me with some vision problems, especially closeup vision, and affected my short-term memory a little.

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                   Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                   MizB, that's serious. Do take good care. Vision problems are not to be taken lightly. Rest, relax, and have a nine hours sleep at night. Above all listen to the doctor.

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    Jodahposted 3 years ago

    As long as I see you are still actively reading and posting in forums MizB, you won't lose me as a follower....it is just those who are totally inactive in every way that eventually get deleted. You have a very relevant reason for not having written in a while.

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       MizBejabbersposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you, John. As the song goes, "I will always love youuu!" I don't always find your poetry on the feed, but I read what I find. I've had to shut off notifications because google is already trying to make me buy more space in the cloud, and I don't always have time to delete all the daily notifications. I've tried to set it for one collective notification per day, but somehow I can't get that to work

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    abwilliamsposted 3 years ago

    I do that as well, if I relate to the person or enjoy a particular article they've written; whether it's a certain writing style or their unique personality finds a way to reflect through, I will give a follow and I will stay with them. Even if down the road, they may write about something I can't or don't agree with or can't relate to, I don't dismiss them, because their politics {for example} aren't my politics.

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       bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Right on!

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    emgeposted 3 years ago

    Yes, I agree most people feel a great thrill when people comment on their articles and many of them go out of the way to solicit comments. Where it leads you is anybody's guess. As for me, I only comment on an article that I feel I like and needs my attention; otherwise, I have no time to comment and I really am not also concerned that anybody comments or does not comment on my article. Just because I have commented on his/her article doesn't mean that the person must comment on my article. it's not required really. I have noticed that comments alone do not lead to great viewership. I have had some articles where there is been 20 and 40 comments but the views are poor.  While there are some articles with just two or three comments that have garnered thousands of views. Just about justifies my point of view which is very close to yours.

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    Carola Finchposted 3 years ago

    I follow people with similar interests for other reasons.  By following people who post on topics similar to mine, I am ensuring that I am not posting on the same subject as them.  I will delay or change the focus of my topic as a result.

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       bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       That's a good strategy, Carola.

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