Following Back: My Approach

Disclaimer: I genuinely appreciate every new follower and every positive interaction on my posts. I'm also neurodivergent, which means I sometimes default to "follow back first, think later" if there aren't any immediate red flags.

This morning, I tried a different approach: I spent about an hour reviewing and trimming my following list. It wasn't about calling anyone out or setting rules - just me reflecting on my connections and how I manage things in a way that works for my brain.

I joined DEV mainly to document my learning journey and stay consistent, and what surprised me most was how much interaction this would generate. It has been really rewarding and shows me that - by and large - the DEV community is fantastic.

How I decide whether to follow someone back

When someone follows me, I usually glance at their profile. I don't expect polish or lots of activity, but I tend to follow (or keep following) if there's at least one signal that gives me context, like:

• An avatar or photograph - just something that signals a real person.
• A short bio (even a sentence helps).
• Links such as GitHub or a personal site.
• Any history of posts or comments on DEV.

These small details help me tell the difference between inactive accounts, bots, or placeholders versus people who are actually engaging with the community.

This is just what I do to stay intentional with my follows - not advice, not a standard, and definitely not a judgment.

Question for more established DEV members

If you’re a long-time or popular poster:

• Do you follow everyone back automatically?
• Do you have personal heuristics?
• Or do you stop thinking about follows once your audience grows?

I'd love to hear how others - especially folks with larger followings - handle this.