could be, because people will be more concerned that they are on a list than actively following someone on the list. Also there is extra effort to find a person to follow (and extra click or two) and the lists will tend to be much bigger than a typical follow Friday. However it may be good for Follow Friday if there was a follow all on list. But then again why follow ppl when u can follow lists? hmmm

Phil - Great points! Which all the lead to the second death on Twitter: The almighty importance of followers numbers. :-)

I've noticed lately that there's quite a few of my Tweeps that are renegotiating the whole #FollowFriday parameters, in that they aren't issuing their #FF lists necessarily on Friday. Then again...I've explained, whenever asked on Twitter "is it #FollowFriday every day?," that, indeed, around the world, at any given time, "Somewhere in the world, it IS Friday." But the concept in and of itself is a brill one in that it's easy to grasp (for most, anyway,) and it helps bring an awareness to one's truest fans on Twitter that may not otherwise see much in the light of day if you are one of those with thousands of people you're trying to keep up with. I only have about 2K, myself, so it's still possible to remember the best Tweeps. But, I agree, the amount of those following determines one's ranking on Twitter...and it is that ranking that gets a Twitter user the SEO they will want to have, even if they're not entirely sure what "SEO" means. For the most part, we all just want to be liked...and Retweeted, of course;)

I am a relative newbie to all of it and do not fully understand#followfriday
would someone be willing to bring me into the loop :)

Yup. #FollowFriday has been a weekly happening on Twitter (on Friday's believe it or not) where people essentially say "Here's a valuable and/or interesting person to follow". To a certain degree it's become a major "F**k fest that's completely disorganized and obligatory. Putting folks on Twitter Lists eliminates a lot of this noise.

Thanks for the explanation, you know in some ways I enjoy twitter but in
other ways it feels like a popularity type thing- or perhaps I perceive
cliques on twitter (there may not be any, it just seems like this to me).
Thanks!
Amelia

John, I agree with you to some extent. The only thing is that lists do not have a comment feature (yet). When I do #ff, I often like to say why I follow someone, instead of just rattling off names. Lists don't change this for me.

Agreed. The only thing that indicates why someone is on the list is the name and / URL structure.

Hi John,

I appear to spending my Friday following you around cyberspace *chuckling*. I found this post after reading your comment on a post you tweeted earlier...and so it goes.

I think the #FollowFriday perfluffle will not die off as quickly as some think for several reasons. There are people who enjoy it, some who prefer to randomly click on names in a list to add to their followers and some who, as newbies, won't figure it out right away. Building Twitter lists can be time consuming and--at least now--a bit cumbersome.

The reactions to #FollowFriday can be extreme: some incredibly positive and appreciative while others are downright vituperative in their displeasure. Having said that, who cares? Twitter is whatever it needs to be for each of us (although I hesitate as I write that because there are so many ways it is used that don't please me, personally).

Some Twitter users will continue to use the #FollowFriday hashtag on Fridays and flood the Twittersphere with lists of user names. Others will comment on the tweeps they love to follow whenever they feel the urge and there will be some who continue to utilize apps like Mr. Tweet. Many of us will transition to lists and even post about the reasons they have included tweeps on their lists (I spent far too long on that exercise earlier today).

It's all good. And entertaining to observe...

The problem with Lists, though, is that it's just a list. With #FollowFriday (whether it's on Twitter itself, or blog posts as many people are now doing), you can expand into further detail why that person is worth connecting with, as opposed to a list just populated with names.

"Just a list" is like saying "just a tweet", no? It's all in how you use lists. Why not write a blog post about the lists you've created?

Say you create a list called "Social Media" - why would certain people be in that and why would some not? Is it for knowledge on social media tools, mediums, platforms, business strategies, or the whole gamut? Same with non-profit - is it charities, supporters, Facebook apps for making ways to give easier, etc? Lists offer a useful addition to Twitter, I agree, but since they're limited to descriptive titles and no real content (apart from the names in them), it can be hard to decipher the reasoning behind a person's decision.

Unless, of course, you split them all down into sub-categories, in which case your Twitter sidebar begins to look like John Chow's blog and advert sidebars... ;-)

I'm working on lists called, "local bloggers", "marketing Mensa", "non-profit bloggers" and "way outside the norm" - all social media folks, but I've tried to creatively name the lists based on what I personally "get" from these people. That said, have more characters or sub-categories would be sweet!

Isn't it just a matter of time before FB follows suit? I've already taken a couple of stabs with "FanPageFriday" on FB, with a positive response. Have favorite "pages" on FB? Tag 5 pages and ask that they include you as one of the 5 pages that they in turn tag. Simple. Just sayin' seems like it's all headed toward "TwittBook" one day, to eventually be bought out by Google ;)

FINALLY! I have always thought Follow Friday was useless.

ha.. love the pic though. However, I still think there's room for #FF, simply because some people are less enthusiast with Twitter Lists. Besides, #FF ensures '@' to reach the people mentioned, maybe some prefer to acknowledge others that way.

Although, I gotta admit, using lists is much easier. I prefer to acknowledge someone via MrTweet instead, while a group using Twitter Lists. So, maybe #FL is coming soon? (followlists) We'll see.

Using lists for me is so much easier!

Thanks John. One problem with Follow Friday is that much of it doesn't happen on a Friday (in Australia :) ). Is one difference that FF is more topical, social and charitable in orientation, while lists are to do with our day jobs or long-lasting networks?

#FF is regionally useless as well! :-D