If you are using Twitter then you know about Follow Friday (#FF). It is a bit of a tradition and one of the oldest practiced in the Twitterverse (Twitter talk for the stuff on Twitter).  Lately I've been less than a fan of the day. It boils down to my opinion about the manner in which some tweeps (that's Twitter talk for people who use Twitter) are practicing the tradition.

The idea originated from @Micah (according to Mashable) as a way of suggesting a couple of people to follow and soon spread rapidly. The intent is great. You suggest people you like to follow to me (and your other followers ) and we all do the same. The process is simple. You just include the hashtag #FF* (Twitter talk for using the # sign in front of a word of letters to tie it to a specific theme)  in your tweet and mention the people you would like others to check out. The timing is concise. You do this on Friday and on Friday only. Before and after #FF we are about our regularly scheduled tweeting. So, what's not to like?

Lately #FF has become a post fest. Many people are listing the maximum number of people in a single tweet with only the #FF hashtag. They do this not once or twice but incessantly as if going through their entire following. Several times I have visited an individual's tweet stream (more Twitter talk but I'm not explaining. Use your imagination) and seen nothing but a long list of hundreds of #FF posts packed with peoples user names and the hashtag. Then there are those who get crazy with the Retweets (RT is more Twitter talk. Buy Twitter for dummies if you are still lost) of their #FF mentions. Someone #FF with my user name and I RT it. Then someone else RTs it and I RT it again. Last Friday I saw so many #FF packed posts, I felt - well - dirty - as in "solicitation" dirty. ugh. 

It's insanity tweeple. Can that many people really know and like that many tweeple? All at once? It just feels wrong, phony and bad. Bad tweeple. Bad.

What to do? Options abound.  So we shall have a list. We shall. Let's call it the Clean Up #FF List! It will be a list of 3 (I love talking in rhymes). I'll be posting a daily list of 3 #FF Clean up ideas. Please join me in my quest to clean up #FF!

Tomorrow #1 - Don't be a #FF Pimp!

*Note: the original hashtag for Follow Friday was #FollowFriday, but it got shortened to #FF so the #FF pimps to get in more mentions (yes. I'm ranting).