TIL: The Heartbreak of Being "UNFOLLOWED" on 😢Steemit!💘

A sordid, true, Valentine's Day tale of Steemit Heartbreak!

"'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."
- Alfred Lord Tennyson

Have you ever been "UNFOLLOW"ed on Steemit? How's that workin' out for ya'?
It hurts, doesn't it?

"Why in heaven's name would anyone ever want to unfollow me?" You're probably asking yourself that question...

St. Valentine's Day

St. Valentine's Day
Photo courtesy of Laura Ockel and http://unsplash.com

Let me tell you my true story of heartbreak and loss...

Valentine's Day was just hours away... At first, I wasn't sure... Did I really see my "followers" count dip? Wait, it's back now... Hmmm... Oh, no! It's gone down again! What's happening?

Uh-oh... Could someone have actually read my "Five Sure-Fire Ways to Bomb Out on Steemit?" It has been just about a week now...

Fortunately, I had just dropped by @mattclarke's blog and came across his "Follower loyalty - A new metric for a new year." In Matt's article, I learned how to check my followers, how to see just who might have dropped me.

So, I did a quick investigation. I was both surprised and distressed at what turned up...

There were one or two sort of "nobodies" - Steemians who may be just "placeholder" accounts, not very active on the platform. I wasn't really that worried about them.

I noticed a couple who appeared to have unfollowed me at some point - and then re-followed later on. Maybe an accident? Who knows, and who cares? They're back...

But then, there was one follower in particular who seemed to have unfollowed, refollowed, rinse and repeat, and had just unfollowed again... And, this was someone I considered one of my more faithful readers! Someone who left frequent, encouraging comments! Good grief, a follower who I'd be darned if I wanted to lose! 😢 I was heartbroken.

Had I somehow offended?

Not being one to sweep things under the rug,

I contacted my faithful follower. I'm ever so glad that I did!

As it turns out, when you "Mute" someone you Follow, Steemit may do an "Unfollow" that stays in effect until you "Unmute" that account. My follower had been managing "reader overload" with the Mute button, and had no intention of permanently unfollowing me. I was relieved and thankful that I had not inadvertently offended someone I respect.


And so, Dear Reader, what's the moral of the story?

If you happen to notice that your "follower" count has dropped, don't take it too seriously. Most importantly, don't jump to conclusions and don't take any rash action — especially not a "revenge unfollow."

Give your followers every benefit of the doubt.

Save your energy for writing more great posts.


FIN


Thanks for your time and attention.
I wouldn't be here on Steemit if it weren't for you, my readers!
I have very eclectic interests and hope, over time, to write about all of them.


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