Nice - great example of the value of AWS, Dave!

I'm not sure of what you mean by breaking stuff into web service AND REST service... my understanding is that REST is an architecture style that can be used to *build* web services...?

I really need to learn to say no at some point. I'd love to work on this idea, but I've already got a side side side side side project. LOL

ABSOLUTELY that would work for me. That's the perfect throttle.

It actually sets up tiers of interest level/focus. There's nothing dishonest about it at all, it helps the people with hundreds of streams to filter the more important ones, and it avoids the problem of missed information I mentioned in a comment elsewhere on here.

Is anybody from Twitter reading your blog? I think you've got a winner here. :)

This is a great point, too... I had thought about the fact that a fake follow in essence can't get direct messages, and won't see @ responses that may very well be incredibly relevant. This is exactly how I found out about my own Fake-Follow incident. But then, at that point I suppose it's their own fault for using a perma-mute.

I'm clearly biased - I can see that now. But I stand by my opinion. Temporary "shhhh" button FTW. Perma-mute/Fake-Friend FTL.

Oh, I didn't mean to come off as being 100% against the idea of being able to tune somebody out once in a while. But I think that the fake follow is a flawed solution - I'm more with Merlin Man's idea of a covert pause ability, completely temporary & customizable.

The point - and understanding - is that a mute/pause button is nothing personal, you just want some "quiet time". Fake Follow (naming choice aside) is a way to put on the appearance of following somebody, with absolutely 0% of the actual meaning behind a real follow. I think that Merlin Man's article would be a beautiful solution, and only wonder why nobody's bothered to implement it, yet. I'm all for a temporary mute ability. The key word is *temporary*, though. Anything permanent, and you just shouldn't be following them in the first place.

Another solution would be a throttle for individuals (more like a volume control) - where you can set how often/many blurbs you want from somebody. This could be permanent, as you're still actually listening to *some* of what they're saying. I just think if the lie is there, it really needs to be a white one, and not a bald-faced one. "Follow" says "I'm interested in what you have to say"... it just doesn't say *how* interested.

I have to be honest - my first thought with "Fake Follow" was something else entirely: twitter example would be to follow somebody for about five seconds, so they get the notification that you followed them, and then immediately unfollow them. The follow is a complete lie, not even white (this happened to me in the last week, and my opinion of the person went from interesting & would like to know more, to two-faced and not worth paying any attention to).

I don't get how "fake follow" necessarily preserves wa, really... if it's just a private notification to them, then it falls into the private realm, where all bets are off, and lies are just lies.

But, if it's public, then what does it accomplish, other than concealing the fact that you don't reciprocate the person's interest? That, to me, isn't preserving wa either. Nor is it a point of diplomacy. But then, I'm the first to admit I have no tact.

From what I gleaned, fake follow is not a pause or temporary mute button. It's a permanent mute on that person - very much like pretending to be somebody's friend in meat-space... less than respectable.

In the realm of twitter, I have three settings: follow with device updates, follow without, and "you are boring, go away" (kidding... mostly). I know you don't have a mobile device, so you don't have that middle setting... but that is a much better alternative to the fake follow, in my opinion - if I want to see what they're up to, I go to the website. If not, then I don't have to be inundated with hundreds of tweets a day. And it doesn't bring to mind pictures of the kid everybody keeps around in high school, out of pity or as a cruel, oblivious butt to jokes.

I personally don't care if somebody friends me back. Or follow me back - I'm following them because *I* am interested in what *they* have to say, not the other way around. And if somebody does follow-back (or fake friend), just to appease me, or out of some sense of obligation, then I'm actually a bit offended - it sends more of a message that they don't think I'm adult enough to handle a bit of unrequited love. ;)

Sorry for the long long reply, Gwen. I don't have a blog to rant on and link back, or I would. And I don't think it would be the place for a rant on social media/social interaction, if I did - not really my gig.

Micah,

Both that picture of Patricks and your post sound very much like something one of my professors in college did. Brilliant mathematician, and he went about finding his mate in the geekiest - and most effective way - I've ever heard. He wrote up his list of requirements, like you guys have, then handed it out to everybody he knew, telling them to give copies to either girls that fit, or their friends. Like a chain letter.

Couple months later, he gets an email from some girl on the west coast (he lived on the east coast). They start chatting online. Eventually phone calls. Then fly to somewhere in the middle of the US to meet. Last I heard, they'd been married at least 10 years - well past the usual divorce point. Of course, he was also going blind, and teaching esoteric math to kids with no social skills whatsoever. But he had his wife.

Get that list out there. ;)

- Chris