Why I Will Not Do F4F to Get 100 Followers.
Defying What Seems to Be The Norm
--
Introduction
I’ve been seeing a bunch of articles in the “Recommended for You” section of my homepage. There are a variety of topics there, but I have come across many from the last few months of 2021 where writers have opted to “cheat their way”, as one writer had called it, to 100 followers in order to enter Medium’s Partner Program.
I will begin by saying that this is not an article that attempts to shame those that are doing the F4F (Follow for Follow) method here on Medium. Being new to this wonderful platform, I’m unsure of how the algorithm was set prior to my arrival or what standard was once held in order for writers to be paid for their content. Nonetheless, I get it.
I completely understand why many would resort to this. We all would like to be paid for the things that we put our time into, whether it be 30 minutes, a few hours, days, etc.
This is only to share my thoughts and decision with the world, along with the logic behind my action(s). I hope that you all take the time to read. Feel free to share your thoughts in the end. I’m always happy to hear feedback whether you agree or disagree.
Why I Will Not Do F4F?
I’ve always felt that my voice was important. Words and art are eternal, and I wanted, one day, for my words to evoke much emotion. For my words to bring tears of joy to someone, or sadness because of how a story ended as they resonated with a character that I created, would mean a lot to me as a writer.
I write to give advice to others that are in or will be in tough spaces. I write so that you will not feel alone. I write for the purpose of inspiring, and sharing experiences with others. At work, standing as the school’s IT department, I write guides to instruct or inform. I also write with intentions to express the things that are on my heart and mind. Although I would also like to be paid for the things that I like and/or love to do, I really enjoy what others are able to take from my writing. I enjoy being engaged by readers as they are interested in the topic or have some insight or opinions that they would like to share.
I feel that in participating in the F4F trend, I am kind of watering down my audience. Instead of having people here that genuinely value my work and followed due to their love for my words, there will only be faces that have no desire to connect beyond the “Follow” button. I will not be attracting the audience that I desire as I will only be a follower to them as well. I will not have those conversations with random followers that contributes to the experience. I want to follow people that I have a desire to keep up with instead of making connections that are somewhat “meaningless” as we don’t care for what the other has to post as long as we get to that magic number.
Conclusion
To reiterate, this is not to judge others on their decision to F4F. I am only sharing my reasoning as to why I will not. You all definitely may have a passion for writing as well, but would like the money to come a lot sooner, which is understandable. Again, I completely get it. This is just me.
Although I’m sure that it will take some time to gradually build my count, I am willing to wait as it is my passion for words and sharing those words that brought me to Medium. Hopefully I reach this magic number by the end of the year as it is now a goal of mine! *fingers crossed*
All in all, Happy Monday, or whatever day it is that you come to read this. I hope that you are having an amazing day, and that all is going smoothly for you! : )
Continue moving forward!
