I’ve never been a fan of the #FollowFriday hashtag, as it often reads like a popularity contest.
Have you seen a tweet including #FollowFriday (or #ff shortened) and a list of user names preceded by the @ symbol? This tradition was born spontaneously within the Twitter community to recommend your favorite tweeps to your followers.
It occurred to me a few months ago that I do, in fact, want to recommend academics to follow, simply because I think their tweets are informative. Also, because I follow my own students (former students, as this 2012-2013 I’m not teaching), and they follow me too, often they may also choose to follow some of the academics, graduate students, professors and alike that I do follow.
#ScholarSunday I follow @markandrachuk @jeremyj_schmidt @seannalee because of our shared interest in water governance in Canada
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) January 27, 2013
So why #ScholarSunday? Simply for two facts. First, because Sunday is the only day I have to sit down and relax, and take some time to review who I follow, and second, because Sunday has the same first letter as scholar (much like other hashtags, #TravelTuesday, #WineWednesday and #FoodFriday or #FollowFriday). Simple mnemonic trick.
I do encourage you, if you are an academic, to use the #ScholarSunday hashtag to recommend some new Twitter users to your followers. I follow scholars in a very broad range of disciplines, from neuroscience to digital history, and I have learned a lot from them. Perhaps you will, too.
yeah… this is how #followfriday started: you mention someone you recommend w/ a reason why. it has certainly devolved. but i do like your idea!