The whole "Follow me" thing?

Oct 1, 2011

Shelly T.

I think the whole "follow me!" thing is annoying. Contribute something *useful*, ffs! Then I'll decide whether or not I want to follow you.

Oct 1, 2011

Emily H.

I follow you(on here and on your blog) because I love your work, reviews, etc. :)

But yea...it's annoying when people comment on your blog asking you to follow them! It's like "YAY!!! I got a comment!".....then they don't say anything about what you posted they just say " I followed will you follow me back??" It's just kinda rude.

What I do after a comment is put something like - XOXO ~Emily http://emilymakeup12.blogspot.com/ - I think that seems a little more ok. lol

Oct 1, 2011

Rai C.

The whole follow/subscribe to me because I followed/subscribed to you thing has always been rather silly to me. I rather someone follow my blog because they actually liked the content rather than because they want me to help them increase their followers. 

Oct 1, 2011

Emily H.

@Raisa Same here! 

Oct 1, 2011

Tamara R.

I'm more concerned with quality over quantity. There are always number hounds though, whether it's for bragging rights or PR klout.

Oct 2, 2011

Stephanie F.

It's so easy to get caught up in this thing, so glad you posted this topic. I am new, and I get this a lot! I want to be nice and follow back, but sometimes...well, especially on YT--I am not seeing the videos I really want to watch. Its kind of a pain! LOL

I have started just follow the people I enjoy.

--Cookie
Makeup Tutorials, Reviews, and Plus Size Fashion Videos/Blog
http://www.youtube.com/cookiefarrer
http://cookiefarrer.wordpress.comwing people I enjoy.

Oct 2, 2011

Keshonta B.

Most newbies want a follow because the more followers then they can get they are eligible for freebies. This is why I only follow someone if I'm truly inspired by there work.

Oct 2, 2011

Chavalier J.

@Tamara same here love. I agree with you as well @Andrew

Oct 2, 2011

Lex R.

It gets tiresome when someone follows you just because they expect you to reciprocate. Random follows bother me, so I usually check if I like what this person has to say before giving them a follow-back.

The people I follow on Beautylish are usually ones I've communicated with or seen here in the "Talk" section, anyway.

Oct 2, 2011

Fakhra R.

agreed Andrew, i would love to be those who appreciate my work or critic, rather than they just follow and sit back and forgot. Life is an ongoing process, we need to realize our existance by reading, looking and finding others work or sharing our experiences. rather to make our blog to become a followers digital world.

Oct 2, 2011

Brenda D.

I totally agree with you :) i get on here to see peoples work and try to learn things and give feedback and request things I would like to see ...I noticed this when people started following me- I mean, don't get me wrong or anything- I don't mind the followers its just another button on here for me- but Ive never gotten any comment on the pictures I have up which is why I never kept uploading more. I'm trying to learn how to do this and no feedback makes it very hard.
Anyways, I didn't know if that's what people did on here- I almost feel obligated to follow people back :/

Oct 3, 2011

Giggle G.

A very good topic.I am new to blogging world and this whole thing 'follow me' puts me in a awkward situation..some one visits my blog leaves a comment n in p.s adds follow me..I dont understand what to do!
People are like a month old in blogging world n have over 100 followers...I dont know how they do it.I dont request my friends n neighbors n brothers n sisters to join my blog..I believe people will come n see my work , if they will like it ,they'll join my blog.I want genuine appreciation as I put lot of effort in what I do.When I earn one comment or one follower, I feel all my hard work is worth it!!And I am all ready to better myself:) I don't believe in 'follow me' business.

Oct 3, 2011

Nykki B.

This topic AGAIN Andrew? lmbo.

Anyways, blogging is about doing it for yourself, yet, it is so much more fun when you have subscribers who comment and talk to you. I have met some amazing people since I started blogging.

THE PROBLEM....
Most of these "followers" never would have seen my blog if I had not marketed it. The -World Wide Web- is a HUGE place. Nobody is just going to magically stumble upon your blog. Yes, you may have few from great phrasing of keywords, but the chances are there won't be very many people who actually see your blog unless you promote it.

Just because you promote your blog does NOT mean that you aren't doing it because you love it. I promote my blog all the time, yet I put my heart into EVERY single post that I write! I spend so much time on my blog, fixing things, and making it pretty for all of my subscribers, but how did I get those subscribers? Well, I promoted my blog.

One thing that I do, though, is when I leave a comment on a blog I actually read the posts and I actually leave a well though out comment, I talk to them. I give advice or tell them why I love the post, and then at the end, I give them my link. Do I say "Follow me?" No! I say "If you want you can check out my blog." I don't ask people to follow me, I ask them to look at my blog and if they like it then follow it.

I think most people are guilty of doing these things... I also think that it's okay to do. Sometimes, if you are REALLY proud about something then you want to share it. So while I blog for myself because I LOVE doing it, I also blog for my subscribers, the one's that comment and read my blog posts.

I also think that if any one of us was offered something for free, we would take it in a second. This doesn't mean that you are selling out. I think bloggers deserve it. I spend hours on my blog, I am sure most of you do too! :)

So while, you know how much I like you Andrew, I have to be honest with you. I, for the most part, disagree. But that's okay right? Some people agree on some things and disagree on others! :)

xoxo, nykki

Oct 3, 2011

Lola M.

This is one of the most annoying things. There sre so many people that following me and I think to myself why? I dont do anything on here. I check out their page and they have like 1000+ followers.... Well, Im not going to follow them. Im not going to check out their page on FB, their blog or YT channel either. If I see someone on here that I like for whatever reason, weather I like the things they say in the discussions or whatever, I will CHOOSE to follow them.

If I see them say something like follow me or some link to a blog that is a red flag for me and I will not be following them.

Oct 3, 2011

Glitterjunkie M.

i think people who only want followers are lame, i would rather have 3 loyal followers who always respond and give me feedback than 100 who don't even read what i write!!

- marrah x

Oct 3, 2011

ashley h.

i just don't go to the "introduce yourself" section.

Oct 3, 2011

Rai C.

I don't think there's anything wrong with promoting your blog or channel, but some people over do it. I've been seeing a lot of spamming on here lately.

I only promote my blog/channel on MY Twitter or Facebook fan Page. I wouldn't go on someone else's blog or channel leaving my link everywhere. I personally look at that as spam and so do a lot of other bloggers/youtubers. I will most likely ignore it and delete it. 

Oct 3, 2011

Heather H.

I agree mostly with Nykki B. With how saturated the beauty blogging/YouTube community is, it's really difficult for people to get noticed. When I first started making videos, the community was probably about a 1/4 of the size that it is now.

I don't want to bash the "follow me"/"sub4sub" people, I know some and they're nice people. I've never asked for subscribers but everyone with a channel/blog has to admit when they get new subscribers/followers it's exciting.

I'm guessing that most people who just want free products will rarely make it because it will show in the quality of their work and followers/subscribers will either lose interest or they'll never be interested.

I have noticed people spamming Beautylish. I think it's fine to promote a little on the forum, but I think it's a little rude to post "check out my channel/blog" with very little participation in the forum.

Oct 3, 2011

Stephanie F.

That's the thing about being newer. You want to let people know about your blog or channel, not because you want freebies but because you want to share your work. I guess it just takes time. It's nice that there are established people doing guest looks and such, I have been submitting to those to try and get noticed. I have also been working on being more grateful for what I have already, my first few videos were watched only by my son haha!

The great thing about being new is how much you grow. I am trying things I never thought I could do.

I just follow people I am interested in, and I am pretty sure since I am new most people following me are just interested in what I have to say, as well.

Nykki, you make a lot of great points. Of course you work hard so that your material will be seen. I guess we just have to find that sweet spot where we promote but not push? I am still looking for that spot.

--Cookie