Greetings Steemians,
I would like to discuss this topic, it's been weighing on the mind a bit, and I should state right now that this entire post will be opinion based, feel free to disagree in the comments or challenge my logic. I'm always open for debate.
Thanks to @esteemapp, we're able to see a notification when someone unfollows. I think this is super cool, and I personally do not know of any other tools to check unfollows, so if someone is aware of other tools, please let me know! (I know steemworld shows notification for the unfollower, but not the one being unfollowed.)
I'm one of those people who likes to ask a person why they unfollowed me. I'm not bashful about this at all.
One of two comments is typical from futuremind.
If I care:
- Hey, why did you unfollow me? Should I unfollow you too?
If I don't care because I never had any interaction with the user:
- Hey, thanks for the unfollow!
Sometimes I miss unfollows and have a difficult time finding the notification. I would love to see a filter for this option with eSteem in the future.
It seems like both follows and unfollows have had a higher than usual rate since the rising sun. Maybe emotions are flaring for both the good and the bad. I've certainly been rollercoasting over this myself.
Couldn't help myself, this pixabay image is perfect for the occasion.
So now I'm going to delve into my thoughts regarding why a person should or shouldn't unfollow. (again, just my opinions.)
When asking a recent unfollower why they unfollowed me:
the last posts you made are far from the things I follow or like. I want to have a strong iteration with those who follow me, and I want to comment a lot on the posts of others, but if they don't meet my interests I don't know what to comment on.
This is understandable to a degree, but imo there is some fallacy in this kind of thinking.
Prior to the unfollow, 2 of my posts were upvoted from this user. Why would you upvote posts that are "far from the things you like?" (see the confliction?)
And why would you unfollow someone solely on the basis of content if you have had regular interactions with the user?
It's my opinion that if you've followed someone and commented on their blog various times in the past, somewhat of a "relationship" will be formed, and there must have been something that attracted you (content wise) to the blog in the first place. Upvote value?
And why would you follow and comment on someone's blog if the content is "far from what you like"..? I'm just not getting it, and I try not to assume to know what people's motives are all about, but I do believe I have the ability to make "educated guesses" based on certain patterns and behaviors.
People become friends here, and we all have different thoughts, values, opinions, likes, dislikes, ect ect.. From time to time, you might see a post from a friend here that you really don't agree with or even like. Does that warrant an unfollow? Well shit, if it does, then I don't think I would have made it this far with a decently successful blog on Steem!
I guess what I'm getting at here, is engagement and relationships should be held in higher regards than content in some respects. (not all respects of course) It's harder to rebuild burned bridges than to reinforce them or fireproof them so that they don't burn. (ok maybe that analogy sucked a little)
What would be an appropriate reason to unfollow someone? Lack of engagement, lack of posting, highly offensive content, (according to public opinion, or your own.) abusive exploitation, ect. Simply unfollowing someone because you "don't like their content" is pretty lame, especially if you've been following and commenting on their blog. To me, I see something else going on...
When someone unfollows after engaging for a while, and says they don't like the content, I'm calling bullshit.. What I see is you didn't like how much I was supporting you, it wasn't enough, and stinks of someone who doesn't give a damn about people and is only here for the money.
That might seem a bit harsh to say, but I'm one of those people who calls things how I see it, and if you don't like it, by all means unfollow me, and expect a message later asking kindly why you did.
When you fully grasp the intrinsic workings of Steem Power and Voting Power, it will become apparent that upvotes (support) is a limited resource, and is the reason I acquire leases. Making profit via leases is not easy, and really one must post consistently to offset what would be a loss or a break even point. The reason that I get leases is so that I can extend my support to more people, and hopefully make a little profit at the same time.
First and foremost I care about people, and don't judge them by their opinions. (unless it's just sickly offensive or disgusting, just keeping it real in that regard.)
I support PEOPLE, not their ideology.
Am I making sense?
That's it for my ramble.
Thank you for stopping by, I hope you're all having a wonderful day!
Much love,
@futuremind
Posted with eSteem Surfer
