8 Ways to Network on Twitter #FollowFriday

For those new to Twitter, #FollowFriday (or simply #FF) became an international event in early 2009. It started as a simple way to recommend other people to follow (and know) on Twitter. #FollowFriday is easy to join in and one of the most popular ways to show appreciation for others on Twitter.

Here is an example:

And a social media cartoon from Rob Cottingham that hilariously captures the spirit of #FollowFriday:

C.S. Lewis appropriately remarked, “Friendship is born at that one moment when one person says to another, “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

That being said, one challenge I have experienced with #FollowFriday is how to quickly discover more information about the people recommended.

Here are 8 ideas for #FollowFriday to help you serve others by creating more connections on Twitter: 1. The Location Follow

One of the first lists I created on Twitter was one to keep track of people in my own city. This is a great way to promote local businesses and professionals.

Example:

2. The Common Interest Follow

Common interests are also a great way to connect people on Twitter. Discover something in common and promote it!

3. The Profession Follow

Take the time to promote professional resources in the same field:

4. The Personal Recommendation Follow

This is one of my favorite ways to recommend someone on Twitter. Of course, you don’t have to wait until Friday to do so .

5. The Profile Follow

The good folks at Drivin Media sent out a generous #FF tweet with my Twitter profile word for word. Let me return the favor to them and some other nice people:

6. The College Follow

If there is one thing people love to brag about (especially during basketball and football seasons), it is their schools:

7. The Retweet Follow

Here’s a common way to share someone else’s recommendations to your followers:

8. The Follow Back

If you take the time to follow the people someone recommends, be sure to them let them know:

What are other recommendations do you have?

Thanks for sharing and for connecting good people on Twitter!

Author:

Brent Peterson, PMP, MS, MBA, is the founder of Interview Angel Inc., a company that offers a comprehensive guide and toolkit for job seekers to use in interviews. Interview Angel is in use at universities, corporations, non-profit agencies, and local governments.

Discover customer testimonials, blog posts, and media interviews at http://www.interviewangel.com/. Brent is also in LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/brentpeterson) and on Twitter (@InterviewAngel).

Brent has also started an Interview Angel Facebook page for professionals that would like to share ideas and feedback about careers, entrepreneurship, and social media. There will be Facebook page promotions starting July 2010. Be sure to join in!