You may have noticed an uptick in new followers recently. This may have led to such thinking like:
“I have finally arrived.”
“That book deal is just around the corner.”
“Maybe I don’t need that job that pays all the bills?”
This is erroneous thinking–except in my case. Seriously, you should see the number of followers I have now, and I haven’t even written anything. People are really starting to get into what I’m writing, or in this instance, not writing. I have arrived, world!
But let’s get back to you. Your new followers. There’s a good chance they are not real. How can you tell?
This is why this blog exists, and why you’re following it, like all those other real followers who began following in the last few weeks. Follow these steps to determine if you’ve found a new loyal reader or soul-crushing robot bent on your complete annhilation.
1. The Blog Name
Sometimes you can determine real from fake simply by looking at the name of your new follower. Does it appear to have multiple consonants and strange characters like Zzzz*23ÖΦ¢zzzz? As far as I am aware, that is not the name of a human being. There are parents out there who live to give their children a unique (or you-neek) name so their children can forever be haunted by mispronounciations. For instance, I have seen this spelling for Jane: “Gn♥.” But Zzzz*23ÖΦ¢zzzz has yet to catch on.
Well then, you may be thinking: “Could my latest reader be a cat that has its own blog?”
Possibly, but cats are normally unreliable followers, and it’s best to avoid their overtures of friendship. Don’t kid yourself, if a cat has a blog, it wants something from you.
So what if your new follower has an actual name like my most recent follower: onlinedegreeonlinedegrees? I am suspecting that this may be some woman in her mid-40s writing about her personal journey toward learning how to play the saxophone or it could a diploma mill that offers bogus degrees.
When you’re uncertain the next step is to look at your new follower’s gravatar.
2. The Gravatar
Most people choose a gravatar that expresses a statement about their blog, like my gravatar of a nail being hammered into a brain. I’m saying “Ow. Knowledge hurts so let’s never learn.” Examine your new follower’s gravatar. Does it give off this kind of vibe?
Then it is likely fake.
Some savvy spammers will use a picture of a human being to give the appearance of possessing an actual soul and conscience. Like so:
Or it could resemble that tribal tattoo you got after a night of binge-drinking green beer with a weight-loss supplement that causes anal leakage.
Don’t click on this. It likely has hepatitis.
If you’re still unsure, then the next step is looking at the actual blog.
3. The Actual Blog
You’re sorry you did this. Yeah, me too. I noticed my computer has been acting funny. It’s requesting my social security number every time I launch Firefox, but if that’s what it takes, right?
A good indication that your new best bud is fake is your best bud’s blog doesn’t exist:
Did your one day of following me mean anything!?! I feel so used!!!
Or it appears to have little content:
Well, hallo back at ya!
If only I could find a company family chicken dinner recipe somewhere…
Or it appears to be a giant commercial for everything you’ve never wanted:
Hmm…seems legit enough. Sign me up, new friend!
Uh…I’m sorry, you look exactly like a new follower of mine. Do you know iloansdirect, perchance?
If you’re still unsure then the next step is to look at your new reader’s interaction with your blog.
4. Your follower’s interaction with you.
Does it look like this?
The barren blog landscape.
Then likely your new follower is following in incomprehensible name only.
True, 95 percent of your new readership was probably created in a dank cellar in some dark corner of the world, but keep in mind that only 10 percent of your followers actually read you anyway. And, boy, are your stats looking pretty dynamite right now.
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Unlike the majority of your new readership, the Official How To Blog is maintained by an actual human being. That makes you desperate to write for it, right?
The Official How To Blog is your one true source of all information and anal-leakage needs.
The Official How To Blog 